Geniza Lab

A Hebrew note from a bookseller to a potential buyer, listing several books and giving final prices for them (in qurūsh). The books include "Zutah" (?) in two parts, Bereshit and Shemot, one printed in Amsterdam and the other in Livorno; Hemdat Yamim; Hoq le-Yisra'el; Yemin Moshe on the laws of shehitah (first edition was Mantua 1624, giving an earliest possible date for this fragment); the small Ayn Ya'aqov; Sha'arei Tzion; two chumashim and tehillim. The list concludes, "This is the final offer with nothing beneath it. If you wish, send the money and keep the books. If this is good in your eyes, how good, and if not, send the books and keep the money, because they [the books] belong to the orphans and widows."

Recto: calligraphic note (complete) to Abu 'Imran regarding the binding of a book. Also mentions the color of the silk. As for a certain person coming to see the writer, he strongly discourages it. He refuses to see him at all. This person suggested something that his ears have never heard the like of. The identities of the people are not clear because of the allusiveness. Information from Goitein's note card. Verso: longer letter in the handwriting of Moshe b. Levi ha-Levi (and signed Musa) to a respected personage involving book business. R. Anatoli seems to have reneged on various promises, and his bad behavior became public knowledge. R. Anatoli said he would only give the Commentary and Masekhet Niddah. Moshe said to him, "But the buyer already [paid to] bind them!" He said, "I'll pay the price of the binding." The convoluted story goes on. The color of silk is mentioned -- so recto and verso must be related, though it is not clear exactly how. The writer is sitting in his house awaiting instructions. ASE.

Detailed but incomplete letter to an army doctor, possibly from his son-in-law, end of the 11th century. Contains many details about accounts, selling of books, the health of the family, misfortunes of acquaintances, and public affairs. The family had houses in Cairo and Fustat and also agriculture land where they kept sheep, certainly for the production of cheese. (Information from Goitein index card and notes linked below.)

Accounts of a bookseller from first half of the 12th century, as it mentions Netanel ha-Shishi. There are lists in Judaeo-Arabic on both sides, as well as lists of names and numbers in Arabic script on both sides. The Judaeo-Arabic portions are edited by Allony et al. Arabic portion awaiting transcription.

Letter from a synagogue dignitary to a donor. In Judaeo-Arabic. Dating: early 13th century (during the period of Eliyyahu the Judge and Avraham Maimonides). Concerning the restoration of a Bible codex called al-Jāmiʿ, "the brother of the codex called the Tāj (i.e., the Aleppo Codex," which was in need of restoration and could not be replaced even for 100 dinars. "For work requiring special skills, the usually low tariffs would not do. An ancient model codex of the whole Bible, which had been written, it seems, in the ninth century and was the property of the synagogue of the Palestinians in Old Cairo, needed to be restored at the beginning of the thirteenth century. Three experts were invited for the task, but declared themselves unable to carry it out, for "the resurrection of the dead is more difficult than bringing a human being into existence." Finally, a fourth scribe undertook the restoration of sixty particularly bad leaves, for which he asked a compensation of 1 dirham per leaf. This demand, as stated in the document, was far more than expected. (Information from Goitein's index card and Mediterranean Society II, p. 239, note 52.) Ed. S.D. Goitein, “New Documents from the Cairo Geniza,” in Homenaje: Millás-Vallicrosa, vol. 1 (Barcelona: Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientificas, 1954), 713–16, 719–20.

Letter. In Hebrew. Eliyya b. Elyaqim, in Damietta, writes to Moshe b. Yehuda, in Alexandria. The writer signs only his first name on this letter, but his full name on Bodl. MS heb. c 72/14. Dating: Tuesday 24 Kislev (written in the document), probably 1486 CE (the first year in which 24 Kislev fell on a Tuesday after 1484, the date of Eliyya's previous extant letter, Bodl. MS heb. c 72/14.) Subject: shipments of manuscripts. Eliyya reports that he received two letters from the addressee by way of Ibrāhīm Turjiman (טורצימן). Moshe had received the book Torat ha-Adam (by Nachmanides) from Eliyya, but complained in his letter that the writing was inferior. Eliyya apologizes, saying that when he was in Crete giving instructions to the scribe, he ensured that the paper and the writing were of a high quality, even higher than those of the samples he had sent to Moshe. The deterioration must have occurred after he left. Eliyya then reports on the price of the copying: he seems to have promised the scribe either 2 marcellos per volume (per Benayahu) or 12 marcellos for the full set (per David). The Marcello was a silver coin introduced by Nicolò Marcello, doge of Venice 1473–74. The addressee is to calculate the conversion rate between marcellos and Venetian ducats. As for the copy of Sefer Yosippon, the writer does not exactly remember the final price he agreed upon with the scribe. As for the copy of Megillat Esther, the writer urges the addressee to send it to Mordukh in Fustat, who will deliver it to the writer in Damietta. There is a cryptic reference to אלוייזה פיזן: a name? Eloisa Pizan? The writer sends regards to Ṣedaqa, whom Avraham David identifies with Ṣedaqa Nes of Bodl. MS heb. c 72/11. Information from Avraham David's edition and notes on FGP.

Letter. In Hebrew. Eliyya b. Elyaqim, in Crete, writes to Moshe b. Yehuda, in Alexandria. Dating: 1484 CE (written in the document in the Italian portion on verso). Subject: Commissions of a manuscript and shipments of wine and cheese. Regarding the manuscript, Eliyya has been tasked with acquiring a copy of Nachmanides's commentary on the Torah. He first approached the notable Vittore Royge (? השר ויטור רויגע) who knew nothing about how to obtain it. He asked further and found one copy on new paper in an excellent hand for 8 ducats. He has also heard rumors of another one on parchment for 15 ducats. Eliyya asks for instructions on how to proceed. Eliyya sends regards to Ṣedaqa (Nes or Nīs) and Avraham Talmid and Yosef Castro Sefaradi. Verso contains three lines of writing in Italian and the mirror-image imprint of some biblical verses.

Records of book sales, in the hand of Shelomo b. Eliyyahu. Dated: Monday, 16 Tammuz 1540 Seleucid, which is 1229 CE. "To increase their meager income teachers got involved in book selling. In this sales contract the teacher Shelomo b. Eliyyahu the judge (dayyan) sells books."

Records of sales of books. Written by Shelomo b. Eliyyahu, who was the broker in two of the sales and the buyer in one of them. The seller is a certain Abū l-Bayān in all three sales. (1) Abū l-Bayān sold The Small Art [of Medicine, by Galen] to Faḍl Allāh b. Abī l-Faraj the teacher. The price was 11 dirhams, of which Shelomo got 1 dirham as commission. (2) Abū l-Bayān sold Shelomo a copy of Bava Qamma for 7 dirhams. (3) Abū l-Bayān sold a copy of the Guide [for the Perplexed] to al-Mawlā al-Raṣuy for 32 dirhams, of which Shelomo got 2 dirhams as commission. The last sale is dated: Monday, 17 Tammuz 1540 Seleucid, which is 1229 CE. The first two sales happened earlier in Tammuz. ASE

Letter from Nissim b. Shela to the teacher Yiṣḥaq b. Ḥayyim Nafūsī. In Judaeo-Arabic. Contains detailed information about the sending and selling of books. People mentioned include the shammash Thābit, the Ḥaver, someone's father-in-law (ḥammūhu) Abū l-Ḥusayn; and Abū Isḥāq al-Ṣayrafī—this last is the person with whom Nissim sent his previous letter along with the medicinal electuary (maʿjūn). He is eager to learn whether taking the electuary has made any difference in Yiṣḥaq's illness. He signs off with the phrase עתרת שלום ואמת.

Note by Shelomo b. Eliyyahu to a scribe, also named Shelomo, in an urgent tone, to finish the copying of certain books including the targum of Kings and the targum of the haftarot.

Letter from ʿOvadya ha-Kohen b. Iṣḥaq to his cousin and friend Abū Zikrī Yaḥyā ha-Kohen b. Yosef b. Yiftaḥ in Tinnīs, mentioning other kohanim. ʿOvadya ha-Kohen received some money from Abū Zikrī Yaḥyā ha-Kohen so that he could obtain certain books which a group or a family of kohanim in Tinnīs wanted to study. ʿOvadya ha-Kohen was unable to procure the requested books. Instead, he sent to Tinnīs three parts (quires?) of a Babylonia rite prayer book and Saʿadya Gaon’s commentaries on Job and Proverbs. He advised his friends to study these until he was able to find the books desired. (Information from Goitein notes and index card linked below, Goitein, MedSoc, Vol. 2, p. 194 and Goitein, Jewish Education in Muslim Countries, pp. 137-138.)

Letter in Judaeo-Arabic. Unknown writer, unknown addressee. Dating: Likely early 13th century. The writer asks for the copy of Seder Neziqim that has the gemara with the perush of Rav Shelomo (=Rashi?). The writer asked R. Yeḥiel (b. Elyaqim?) to 'read to him' (or teach him? yuqrīhu). "All that is delaying me is the copies." As for the rhubarb, the writer sold some pieces of it for 10 dirhams. He awaits further instructions.

Bodl. MS heb. f 22/19–52 is a notebook of a notary and bookseller, containing drafts of legal deeds, some of them dated (1155, 1159, 1160, 1162), entries about books received in commission for sale or loaned out, accounts, and prescriptions. Within the notebook, Bodl. MS heb. f 22/20v–25r is a Passover Haggada. (Information from Goitein's index card.) See individual records for individual descriptions. The book-related portions were edited by Allony et al., The Jewish Library in the Middle Ages: Book Lists from the Cairo Genizah, 157–80. Transcription awaiting digitization.

Inventory of the books and furnishings of the Palestinian Synagogue received by Ṭāhir b. Maḥfūẓ al-Khādim. (Cf. previous fragment.) Dated: Ḥeshvan 1498 Seleucid, which is 1186 CE. An addendum notes that Umm Thanā' the female embroiderer (raqqāma) has had a new muṣḥaq copied and granted it to the qodesh (aqdashathu). (Information in part from Goitein's index card.)

Inventory of the books and furnishings of the Iraqi synagogue. (Cf. previous fragment.) Abū l-Faraj b. Abū Saʿd al-Miṣrī takes over the service of the Iraqi synagogue, receives from Maḥfūẓ what was listed before and many additional items. (Information from Goitein's index card.)

Flyleaf of a codex containing the Rosh to Gittin, labeled in a 19th century hand: "Purchased from Rabbi [Nachman Natan] Coronel May 15 1848. Price £5. On the Treatise Gittin a Talmudic Tract. by Asher Bar Jechiel." There is some additional writing and jotting. On verso are the remnants of glue.

Page from a bookseller's ledger, containing many names. (Information from Goitein's index cards)

Letter from Moshe b. Nissim to an unknown addressee. In Judaeo-Arabic. He asks the addressee to sell on his behalf four copies of th She'eltot de-Rav Aḥa (he seems to have been the copyist). He is in need of the proceeds, because before he left Cairo he took out a loan of 40 dirhams. The money is to be sent with al-Shaykh al-Rashīd Abū l-Fakhr, the brother of [Sayyid?] al-Ahl the Blind. (Information in part from Goitein's note card)

Small fragment of a letter. On verso there is a booklist including entries such as Kitāb al-Khalīqa, Kitāb Juʿrāfiyya (געראפיה = Geograph), Divrei ha-Yamim, Kunnāsh Bū Yaʿaqov, Kitāb al-Rasā'il.