Geniza Lab

Recto: letter from Moshe b. Levi ha-Levi, presumably in Qalyub, to his father, presumably in Fustat, late 12th century or early 13th. "If you have met with that woman [the matchmaker, judging by the response]... tell me everything she said." Also exhorts his father to update him on the apartment and the broad shawl and an ambergris seal (?). Verso: letter from Levi aka Abu Sahl to his son Moshe suggesting to him a choice among four prospective brides, one of them a divorcee: the daughter of al-[...]abiyah, or the daughter of Hibah the glassmaker the in-law of 'Imran b. al-Marjani, or the woman who was divorced by Ibn al-Habbar (the ink seller), or the daughter of Abu Sa'd al-Levi. He also requests a bundle of firewood for 4 or 5 dirhems for the holiday (lines 11-14) and mentions that Moshe's mother has gone away to "you know where" (lines 3-5) and writes something about the broad shawl, perhaps that he already sent it on Friday (lines 15-16). Information in part from Goitein's index cards. Identification based on distinctive handwriting and phrases; several other fragments survive with Moshe's letter on one side and Levi's on the other. ASE.

Magical spells, 1 for arousing love (tahayyuj) and 1 for binding someone's tongue (ʿaqd lisān). Probably in the hand of Abū Sahl Levi (see tag). They are written in charming style ("may the love of X settle on the heart of Y, like the shade on an apple, like rose wafting fragrance" followed by a racy blazon; the next one, "may God make you an ass").

Letter addressed to Abū Sahl ha-Levi (the cantor of the Palestinian synagogue in Fustat, who died in 1211), with greetings also to his brothers Moshe and Abū ʿImrān. The identity of the writer is not clear. S. M. Stern identified this as an autograph of Maimonides, but it is not a perfect match The remainder of the writer's name might appear at the upper left of recto: possibly B[ū Zi]kr[ī]? The ductus and the overall appearance is similar to several letters of the physician Abū Zikrī b. Eliyyahu, but again, the handwriting is not a perfect match. The writer excuses his failure to write on account of an illness, and a little later, "As for your failure to write to me: I had an excuse, but you have no excuse!" There is not a great deal of content to this letter beyond the good wishes and urging a response. It is valuable, though, for the clear identification of Abū Sahl's brothers as Moshe and Abū ʿImrān. ASE

Legal document. Location: Fustat. Dated: First decade of Ḥeshvan 1493 Seleucid, which is 1181 CE, under the authority of the Gaʾon Sar Shalom ha-Levi. In which Fakhr bt. Thaʿlab, the divorcee of Abū l-Khayr b. Avraham, appoints Maʿālī b. Khalaf al-Dajājī as her representative to sue her ex-husband for the 12 dinars owed to her under the terms of her ketubba. Written and signed by Yosef b. Shemuel b. Seʿadya ha-Levi (active ca. 1181–1209). Also signed by Levi b. Avraham ha-Levi (likely identical with the cantor Abū Sahl Levi, the father of Yedutun and Moshe). (Information in part from Goitein’s index card)

Bill of sale dated December 481/1088 (original document), in which Khulayf b. 'Ubayd b. 'Ali sells a house to Harun b. Khulayf b. Harun, the perfumer, a Jew. There are two addenda on verso written a century after the original. Above, Abu Sahl b. Ibrahim makes a gift of the house to his son Abu l-Ḥasan the physician; below, Musa b. Abu Sahl rents part of it from his brother Abu l-Ḥasan. (Goitein, Med Soc, III:479.) ASE.

Letter in Judaeo-Arabic from a father to a son ("who is in my heart like Abu l-Faraj"). He asks his son to collect a debt of 11 dinars that is owed to him by Abu l-Ḥasan al-'Attar. A half-dinar and a (mother?-)in-law (ḥamātī) are also mentioned but their place in the story is not entirely clear. He blandishes Abu l-Ḥasan to give him the money immediately because he is in financial straits, and then threatens to take him to court if he fails to pay up. In the last few lines he reverts to speaking to his son, "This is distressing to me. Go out and take it. He knows that I cannot go out to him.... Whatever you send to me, send it with Musa." The handwriting and colloquial spellings resemble those of Abu Sahl (Levi) the cantor, the father of Moshe b. Levi ha-Levi, (cf. T-S 13J27.21, T-S 8J10.16, T-S 8J24.1); this is supported by the mention of Musa at the end but still conjectural. ASE.

Letter from Moshe b. Levi ha-Levi, Qalyub, addressed to his father, the cantor Abu Sahl (Levi) in Fustat. Moshe reports on the receipt of variou sgoods. He asks if a woman in the family ('al-kabirah') wants him to buy a certain fabric from Abu l-Yusr. He complains that the only letter he has received recently is one in which his brother told him not to be a silly fool, and he is very upset because he doesn't know what he did to deserve that. Moshe sent with the bearer of the letter some piyyutim ("yotzer"s) for Rosh Hashanah; he had previously requested the "mizmor" for Rosh Hashana but no longer needs it because he found it. He says, "Let me know if Abu l-Khayr arrives." He is upset that his brother had promised to come spend Shabbat with him, but he did not come. He sends regards to his paternal uncles 'Imran and Bayan and reiterates that he needs to know if 'al-kabirah' wants the fabric. Verso contains the address (in Arabic) and Psalm 98 in the handwriting of Abu Sahl Levi (the letter's addressee). See also Mediterranean Society, II, pp. 221, 569. ASE.

Letter from Abū Sahl Levi probably to his son Moshe b. Levi ha-Levi. In Judaeo-Arabic. The writer conveys the news that the adressee's brother Abū l-Ḥasan (Yedutun) is doing well (in his illness). Another note with the same writer and recipient on the same topic: F 1908.44Z. Identifications based on handwriting. ASE.

Informal note from the cantor Abū Sahl Levi to his son Moshe b. Levi ha-Levi (identification based on handwriting and typical content). In Judaeo-Arabic. Dating: Prior to 1211 CE. The writer gives repeated assurances that Moshe's brother Abū l-Ḥasan (Yedutun) is doing well. Abū l-Ḥasan even asked to write this letter in his own hand, but the writer feared this would tax him and make him weak. Abū l-Ḥasan is administering his own medicine. Another note on the same topic: ENA NS 32.14, in which the recipient is identified as Moshe and Abū l-Ḥasan is identified his brother. ASE.

Letter in Judaeo-Arabic. Likely from Abū Sahl Levi to his son Moshe b. Levi ha-Levi; identification of the writer is based on handwriting and typical format of the letter. This is a brief note chastising the addressee for his delay in responding and telling him not to send anything with Abū Khalaf any more.

Letter probably from Abū Sahl Levi (d. 1211), in Fustat, to his son Moshe b. Levi ha-Levi (d. 1212), in Qalyūb. In Judaeo-Arabic. (Identification based on handwriting and typical content.) Levi has sent Moshe the materia medica which he had ordered. "If you like them, keep them, and if you don't, send them back." They include sumac, spikenard (sunbul), maḥlab, tutty, and clove. There follows some accounting. Levi reports that 'the girl' (=Moshe's wife) is currently ritually impure and will immerse herself on Sunday, so he should endeavor to come visit on Sunday—and to make sure to come to Fustat directly instead of stopping in Cairo—while she is ritually pure. The language is quite ambiguous here, but the best reading may be that she will intentionally not purify herself if she knows that her husband is coming. There is a mystifying instruction (or just innuendo?) to ride the donkey into town if it is more than 6 handbreadths (6 ashbār = ~1.4 meters), and not to bother if it is less than 6 handbreadths. Levi reports that 'your brother' (=Abū l-Ḥasan Yedutun) bought the requested qatāmīr (pl. of qiṭmīr, apparently a date membrane or an eggplant calyx?) as soon as he returned to Fustat, and Ṣāfī took them to Qalyūb the next day and deposited them with Avraham b. Sulaymān for Moshe to collect at his convenience. (Information in part from CUDL.) ASE

Letter in Judaeo-Arabic. Very faded. Mentioning karārīs. The address may appear in Arabic script on verso. Verso: Another letter in Judaeo-Arabic, in rudimentary script, sending good wishes and asking the addressee to erase the letter with water after reading it. The handwriting resembles that of Abū Sahl Levi

Draft of a resolution to appoint the cantor Abū Sahl Levi b. al-Ahuv after he distinguished himself during a period of trial. (Information from Goitein's index card.)

Fragment of a letter composed circa 1236 CE by Abu l-Ḥasan Yedutun b. Abu Sahl Levi, at one time the cantor of the Palestinian synagogue in Fustat, who signs his name Ḥasan b. Sahl. The letter is a detailed explanation of the funeral and financial arrangements following the death of his father Levi and his brother Moshe, with the aim of exonerating himself from the accusations of Abu l-Bayan and Abu l-Fadl (the sons of Moshe?) that Yedutun “took the property of their father and grandfather.” Yedutun’s father, Levi he-Ḥaver, died on the 24th of Tishrei in 1211. His brother, Moshe b. Levi ha-Levi, died on the 20th of Adar in 1212. (This is consistent with the information from T-S NS 264.98, a letter written by Moshe, indicating that both Moshe and Levi were alive in 1206.) We also learn that Abu l-Mufaddal the judge died in 1212, only a month or so following the death of Moshe. Yedutun repeatedly refers to his own illnesses, claiming that he was too ill to have had any part in the disposition of the estates, let alone steal more than his share. He notes in the postscript, again emphasizing his physical infirmities, "It has been 24 years since my brother Musa died. [If there is substance to their claims,] how have they ignored this matter for all this time? ... Every penny that falls into my or my wife/family's hands goes to [Abu l-]Bayan... and it is the same with Abu l-Fadl." This letter clarifies an ambiguity discussed by Shulamit Elizur in her article, “Individual Mourning and National Solace in Early Liturgical Poetry,” Ginzei Qedem 7 (2011), pp. 16–24, in which she presents T-S NS 135.3b (Yedutun’s elegy for his father Levi) and T-S NS 325.135 (Yedutun’s elegy for his brother Moshe). Each poem mourns multiple deaths—a father, a brother, and a judge—in addition to the main subject of the elegy, and this letter clarifies that Yedutun indeed lost a father, a brother, and a judge in rapid succession. Join: Alan Elbaum. ASE.

Recto: letter from Moshe b. Levi ha-Levi, probably in Qalyūb, to his father Abū Sahl Levi, in Fustat. He asks the addressee to a sell the coats (al-shuqaq) and with the proceeds to buy for him what he had specified in his preceding letter. He asks his brother Abū l-Ḥasan (Yedutun) to send him some sort of letter (כתאב אלמזאיד?) that the owner had requested. He asks the addressee to have the scissors belonging to Furayj repaired without delay and send them to him; he will pay however much it costs. He informs the addressee that his paternal uncle Ṭāhir had spent Shabbat with him. He sends regards to his other paternal uncles, ʿImrān and Bayān. He also sends regards to Bū l-Yusr. Verso: letter from Abū Sahl Levi to his son Moshe, with a detailed list of transactions he had conducted on behalf of the recipient. Notably he obtained for his son three dirhams of mastic (ʿilk), a pound of mercury (zaybaq), a pound of barberries, and a half-pound of alum (shabb). He needs the container (kūz) in which he had sent the mercury back without delay, because he gave collateral for it. The addressee still owes a dirham to Ṭāhir and 1 3/4 dirhams to Baqāʾ al-Kohen. The margin contains a plea not to cut off the expenses provided to the addressee's niece or cousin. It also mentions Ṣāfī, the ghulam who sometimes shuttled letters and commercial goods for the family members letters between Qalyub and Fustat (hence no need for addresses). (Information in part from Goitein's index card.) EMS, VMR, ASE.

Recto: Letter in the hand of Moshe b. Levi ha-Levi, presumably from Qalyub to his father in Fustat. He had just been in Fustat, advocating for himself with the Nagid Sar Shalom (Abu Zikri) against the machinations of Ibn al-Taffal against him. He has now arrived safely in Qalyub, and he informed the community of what happened, and they rejoiced. Apparently Sar Shalom had given verbal confirmation that Moshe would be appointed (as muqaddam) but had not yet provided a letter of installment. Moshe now asks the recipient to go to Abu 'Ali, who is to go to Sar Shalom and get the letter. Moshe is also worried about what Bu l-Khayr told him, namely that his brother Abu Ishaq has been beating the wife of his paternal uncle. Verso: The response, probably from Abu Sahl Levi to his son Moshe. He informs him that no one has been beating anyone, there are simply wicked people who try to cause trouble between husband and wife. He confirms that he will try to get hold of the letter of appointment. He concludes, "As for Ibn al-Taffal, may God sort him." ASE.

Letter from Abū Sahl Levi ha-Levi (?) in Qalyūb (?). Goitein's note card: "The writer's wife quareled with the wife of the recipient. The latter's brother had consulted an astrologer. The recipient should visit next Sunday, since he was at peace with the writer's wife. The recipient should feign that he would bring his own wife to come. Verso: Arabic chancellery script" (for which see PGPID 35177). It is not clear that the recipient's wife features in this letter at all. Goitein read "ahl al-makān" in line 14 as referring to the recipient's wife, but this could just as well be referring to the writer's conflict with his own wife, which he wishes the recipient to mediate. The handwriting and colloquial spellings resemble those of Abu Sahl (Levi) the cantor, the father of Moshe b. Levi ha-Levi and Abu l-Ḥasan Yedutun. Moshe was in the habit of visiting Fustat from Qalyub on Sundays, as mentioned here. Curiously, the writer switches from Judaeo-Arabic to Arabic in the margin, but this is not for secrecy, as it is just a repetition of what he said in the main text. ASE.

Letter sent from Fustat by a father to his son, settling business accounts with him. The handwriting is that of the cantor Abu Sahl (Levi), and the addressee is probably Moshe b. Levi ha-Levi in Qalyub. Apparently Moshe had complained that his father had not sent him all the money that he was owed. This sharp letter goes through all the recent transactions and explains how no one has been cheating Moshe of some dirhams. "Calm down, even if they were dinars, God would make it right." If Moshe wants to, he can return to Fustat and they can go through the accounts together in person. Abu Sahl tells Moshe not to worry about the capitation tax, because God has helped and they already have enough money for him. "Don't let anyone look at these accounts, not Mahfuz nor anyone else." Information in part from Goitein's index card.) ASE.

Letter from the cantor Abu Sahl (Levi), Fustat, to his son Moshe b. Levi ha-Levi, Qalyub. He informs him that he reached a peaceful settlement with "the man you know," and that Moshe's brother Abu l-Ḥasan (Yedutun) is doing well. Abu Sahl sends his regards to al-Shaykh al-Yesod. Something (a coat?) has arrived and is in the store, and Moshe is asked to come retrieve it on Sunday. This note may be a sequel to Moss. IV,27.2, which describes the efforts of Abu Sahl and his wife to appease the family of the wife of 'Imran (Abu Sahl's brother) in some sort of conflict that Moshe was involved in. Information in part from Goitein, Med Soc V, 598. ASE.

Recto: Letter in the handwriting of Moshe b. Levi ha-Levi, probably from Qalyub to his father in Fustat, consisting almost in its entirely of good wishes for Tabernacles. He mentions that the turban (raddah) arrived. He mentions the wife of his paternal uncle, but the context is ambiguous. He then admits that he has no money even to buy bread, but all will end well. (Information from Mediterranean Society, V, pp. 87, 351.) Verso: Either the response or the initial letter, probably from Levi (Abu Sahl) to his son Moshe. Everyone in the family is well. The addressee's brother Abu l-Ḥasan is doing well, in spite of all that he suffers. He mentions something that the wife of the addressee's paternal uncle said, but it is not clear what. There is an abrupt change of topic (unless this topic is what the wife of the uncle was talking about) to a certain Shelomo. "They said that this is something that pleases neither God nor man, that a woman should be married and her husband does not see her plucking or combing or adorning herself or dressing up or going about." The letter is torn here. The gossip about this wife resembles the situation of Sitt Ghazal in her marriage to Shelomo b. Eliyyahu (see T-S 13J8.23), but that marriage took place in 1228 CE, and Moshe b. Levi, the presumed addressee of this letter, died in 1212. ASE.