Geniza Lab

Betrothal agreement fragment (contains some of the same formulaic language as that edited by Ashur—Bodl. MS heb. f.56/57—in "How to Identify Prenuptial Agreements," Jewish History, 2019). There are numerous fragments in the hand of the same scribe, Yosef b. Shemuʾel b. Seʿadya (active ca. 1181–1209), e.g., Moss. VII,59, T-S 8.98, T-S NS 320.92, T-S NS 338.109, T-S AS 147.41, T-S AS 147.42. There are also larger fragments a hand that resembles his (e.g., T-S 12.141 and T-S 12.602). The date is likely ca.1200 CE. Verso contains some geomancy markings. Curatorial note: Exposition "L'Egypte au temps des Fatimids" Institut de Monde Arabe 1998.

Recto: A Karaite betrothal document from Fusṭāṭ 1048 CE (Kislev, 1360 Seleucid) for Maḥfūẓ b. Menaḥem and Fāḍilah bt. Avraham b. Muslim. The dower (mohar) is 50 pieces of silver (dirhams). The early marriage gift (muqdam) is 25 dirhams. Verso: Three recipes in Arabic. The first may be medical ("Smear it on the place. Effective.") The second, which occupies the bulk of the page, may be a recipe for red ink. The third, written sideways in the margin, is unclear. Its first ingredient is shelled walnuts. ASE

Legal document of betrothal for Yiṣḥaq ha-Levi and Esther bt. David ha-Kohen, listing the conditions and sums owed. Appears to be dated 22 August 1828 (12 Elul 5400+188).

Recto: The main text is a Judaeo-Arabic sermon/exhortation that in order to avert the evil decrees and the plague and the economic depression, all members of the community must repent of their sins. There is to be a series of three fasts incumbent on all except pregnant and nursing women. All members of the community who are not otherwise occupied are to attend minḥa at either the synagogue of the Turks or the synagogue of the Egyptians. Every individual is also to give pidyon (redemption) money, including for babies in their mothers' wombs, 18 silver coins per person. The language is heavily colloquial, essentially modern. There are two additional blocks of text in harder-to-read handwriting. Needs further examination. Verso: The back of the original document was reused for documents of betrothal.

Page from register of Hebrew-language legal documents dating from Tishrei 5491AM which is 1730CE. The first document on the recto references the inheritance of a deceased man named Yehuda whose surviving relatives are mentioned, at least one of whom resides in Istanbul/Constantinople. The second document on the recto is related to the dowry of Sarah bt. Moshe Minyan[?] and also mentions her husband Shemuʾel Giyati[?], Shemuʾel Franko, and Shimʿon Franko. The third document mentions the spouses Masʿuda and Moshe Paredes who appeared before R. Yeshuʿa ___in[?]. The verso is more damaged but the middle entry records the betrothal of Yaʿacov ʿAlush and Qamr bt. Yaʿacov Zānī. The witnesses to the betrothal were "the brother of the groom Raḥamim ʿAlush and Avraham Barakha. The entry below that records the marriage of Yosef Metita[?] and Ḥanūna bt. Yaʿacov Dasa as well as a dowry list including: sandals, silk, embroidery[?] (מטרז), and many other items. MCD.

Recto: Betrothal document for Avraham Goren (?) b. Shelomo Goren and Esther bt. Eliyyahu Kayas (?). There follows a dowry list. The document seems to have been abandoned halfway through. Verso: Shelomo ʿEfron devising his signature.

Betrothal document dated 29 December 1807 (28 Kislev 5568) for Me'ir ha-Levi b. Moshe and Ruḥamah (?) bt. Avraham Krispin.

Betrothal document dated 11 October 1841 (26 Tishrei 5602) for Yosef the son of the late Moshe ha-Levi, represented by Avraham Jawhar "of the villages" (Rīf?) and Kumisah (? כומיסה) bt. Yosef Ḥassūn. The muqdam is 3000 esedi guruş and the me'ukhar is 2000 esedi guruş. Written and witnessed by Yosef Mosseri.

Betrothal document dated 25 June 1789 (1 Tammuz 5549) between Yaʿaqov Rosano b. Avraham Rosano and the widow Miryam bt. [...]ti Sakkāḥ (?).

Recto: Betrothal document for Seʿadya Maymūn b. Mūsa and [...] bt. Raḥamim. Verso: Document involving a partnership and mentioning Alexandria.

Betrothal document and dowry list: "The clothes and the nedunya and the contante [Italian for cash] of the widow Ms. Dona (name or honorific?) bt. Moshe P[.]so"). The document is in Hebrew but several of the items on the dowry list seem to be in Judaeo-Arabic. She is going to marry Shelomo Maymūn b. Yaʿaqov Maymūn. Dated 1 July 1794 (3 Tamuz 5554).

A writ of qiddushin (betrothal), Tyre, ca. 1011-1037.

Bifolium from a late Hebrew register of monetary transactions. Every time the date appears it contains a tricky ligature, but it may be 549[.] (?) = 1730s CE. Many names are given throughout. The signatories for respective entries are David Samḥūn, Avraham ha-Levi, Aharon Ḥanūn, and Yosef Beirav. One of the entries is about the betrothal of Yaʿaqov Orta b. Mordekhai and Ruḥama (?) bt. Ḥayyim Mizraḥi. Needs further examination.

Contract of betrothal dated the 27th of Nisan, 1157 CE (1468 Seleucid), from Fustat, under the reshut of Shemuel ha-Nagid. The contract is between Abu l-Wafa b. Abu l-'Ala and Sitt al-Thana bt. Yosef the cantor. It contains, in addition to the usual conditions (not to marry a second wife, etc.) the stipulation that the wife's earnings would belong to her. The mohar (dower) is fixed at a muqdam of 10 dinars and a me'uhar of 30 dinars. Signed by Se'adyah b. Avraham and Elazar ha-Kohen b. 'Atiyyah ha-Kohen. Information from Goitein's note card.

Betrothal (erusin) contract, Karaite. Fragment (upper right corner). Groom: Yehuda b. Khalaf(?). Bride: Miriam bt. Shelomo, a widow. Although she is a widow, she has a paqid (representative), Faraj b. Shelomo. (Information from Goitein’s index card)

Engagement (shiddukhin) agreement. Since there are no betrothal (erusin/qiddushin) agreements in the Geniza before the twelfth century, this document is probably an engagement agreement despite the fact that 'amlaka' means either 'betrothed' or 'engaged,' and despite the fact that the word engagement is not mentioned directly in the document. he engagements were conducted in front of both the Babylonian and the Palestinian congregation as both Yefet b. David, the leader of the Palestinian congregation, and Avraham b. Sahlān (mentioned here as the 'Aluf he-Ḥaver) and his son Neḥemya from the Babylonian congregation are mentioned. Friedman (Jewish Marriage in Palestine, 2:447) dated the document to 1028 CE, despite its verso: Bodl. MS. Heb. c 13, fol. 22v(?). From the same ledger: ENA 4010.28, ENA NS 8.15, and Bodl. MS heb. c 13/21.

A renewed betrothal contract from the month of Tamuz 1182. The date for marriage is set for the month of Av but the groom is given permission to 'delay' the marriage for another month, until the month of Elul. If he fails to marry her by the month of Elul the match will be cancelled and the bride will keep the money and the rings she was given in the early marriage gift.

Betrothal deed from 1185. According to Goitein, the bride and groom are also cousins. They are both extremely young, but still in the age of legal majority as can be seen in the expression of mutual consent in line 5. (Med. Soc. 3:29, no. 7)

Recto: Several drafts of legal documents. Item #1: Legal document regarding a business partnership (but not the original partnership agreeement), from Fustat/Cairo, dated January 1790 (end of Tevet 5550), between Yiṣḥaq Aripol b. Shelomo who lives in Fustat/Cairo and Moshe b. Nehoray Torongi (?) who lives in Istanbul ["Costa"]. Item #2: Drafts of a document regarding a partnership between the same Moshe Torongi and Yaʿaqov Bibas. Item #3, at a right angle: Draft of a betrothal document for Seʿadya Angel (?) b. Avraham and Galiya (?) bt. Ḥayyim Madikhah (?). Verso: Contains some text from a legal document with 5 elaborate witness signatures (but at least two belong to the same person--perhaps someone is practicing their signature?). Also contains an account, a draft of a letter, and medical prescriptions for an infertile woman, all at different angles.

Original document: Accounts in very small Arabic script. Subsequent document: Letter fragment in Judaeo-Arabic addressed to a woman. Written in the spaces around the original Arabic script. The writer reports on his meeting with the prospective groom of the addressee's daughter, in which they reached an agreement that the man would go to Bilbays and betroth (yuqaddis ʿalā) the woman (al-ṣughayyira) there and maintain her until Shavuʿot (al-ʿAnṣara), at which time the wedding will take place (yadkhulu baytahu). The early marriage payment is to be 5 dinars "with the conditions" (bi-l-shurūṭ: on this term see Ashur's dissertation, p. 217, n. 9) and the late marriage payment 20 dinars. Following the betrothal, the fiance's brother is going to take her to Cairo and rent her a house and maintain her until Shavuʿot when the marriage will take place. The writer warns the addressee 'not to let him come close' without paying the 5 dinars of the early marriage payment. He then suggests that there will be a second betrothal (taqdīs/qiddushin) ceremony in Cairo. He exhorts the addressee to be diligent in all this so that her daughter will obtain her livelihood/support. The letter becomes more difficult to understand around here. The writer mentions the army or army camp (al-ʿaskar) in connection with his own affairs. The letter is very faded in some places; this reading is provisional. Merits further examination. ASE.