Geniza Lab

Letter in the hand of Daniel b. Azarya, ca. 1051-1062.

Guardianship document from the court of Daniel b. Azarya, Jerusalem. An unknown person b. Ezra appoints Ishaq b. Abraham to be the guardian and get what his brother left him in his will. (Gil, Kingdom, vol. 2, #216) VMR The second document, ENA NS 44.31 forms the second portion of lines 7 - 18. For the exact location of the tear please see the original text.

Letter from Daniel b. ʿAzarya (in the handwriting of his scribe), probably in Jerusalem, to ʿEli b. ʿAmram, in Fustat. The sender mentions the praises that he has heard about ʿEli b. ʿAmram from Moshe, a man who recently arrived in Jerusalem from Egypt. Daniel is not named in the letter or address, but can be identified by his ʿalāma, ישועה, which occurs at the end of the letter and next to the direction of the letter on verso. On verso there is the address of the letter. In a different hand, there is also a long text consisting of a collection of passages from the Babylonian Talmud, Ḥagiga 12; Moʿed Qaṭan 5, 9, 16, for liturgical-homiletic purposes. (Information from CUDL and Gil, Palestine, vol. 2 p. 693-694, #377). VMR

Letter from Yisrael B. Natan, Jerusalem, to Nahray B. Nissim, Fustat. Includes details about the agreement between Daniel B. Azarya and the brothers Yosef and Eliya the Cohanim, sons of Shelomo Gaon. December 20, 1051. VMR

Letter from Yisrael B. Natan, Jerusalem, to Nahray B. Nissim, Fustat. Israel suggests Nahariya to get out of a deal he made and asks for money to buy clothes. The letter includes the news that the "Rosh" - Daniel B. Azarya is coming to Jerusalem, via Nablus, and about his meeting with Eliya HaCohen, son of Shelomo Gaon. August 24, 1052. VMR

Letter from Daniel b. Azarya to Avraham ha-Kohen b. Yizhak Furat. Daniel is complaining that no letter had been received from Avraham for a long time, despite their agreement. (information from Gil, Palestine and Goitein's index card). VMR

Letter from Daniel b. Azarya (in his handwriting), 1051. He is worried for his status and thinks that people will prefer Yosef ha-Kohen b. Shelomo Gaon. (Information from Gil, Palestine, vol. 2 p. 643-645, #353) VMR

Letter fragment of thanks from Daniel b. Azarya (1051-1062) to the parnas.

Letter from Daniel b. Azarya to Eli b. Amram, Fustat. Daniel instructs Eli how to summon to the court. On the other side the letter from Eli b. Amram to Daniel b. Azarya. (Information from Gil, Palestine; and Goitein's index cards) VMR

Note in the hand of Daniel b. Azarya to Eli, the parnas of Fustat, concerning aid for a poor man, Wahb of the city of Raqqa, ca. 1051-1062.

Recto: Draft of a letter from Fustat to Daniel b. Azarya, concerning "tarima" - a room or apartment, made of wood, that was added to the house's top floor. The writer complains against Ali b. Amram. Around 1060 (Gil estimation). Verso: Arabic document, probably a letter. (Information from CUDL) VMR

Letter by Daniel b. Azarya, apparently in Ramla, to Avraham ha-Kohen b. Ishaq b. Furat, ca. 1054.

Fragment (last part) of a court bill in the hand of Daniel b. Azarya. (Information from Gil, Palestine, vol. 2, 715, #390) Verso: Arabic accounts and jottings (very similar to T-S 12.042 and T-S 12.157). (Information from CUDL) VMR

Letter fragment from Daniel b. Azarya to a man in Fustat. Daniel b. Azarya shows his joy that the man recovered from his illness. Daniel b. Azarya describes how he prayed for his recovery in front of Temple Mount and David's tomb. He mentions that he knows about his recovery from a letter he received from Yefet b. David. VMR

Letter from ʿEli ha-Mumḥe b. Avraham, in Jerusalem, to Efrayim b. Shemarya, in Fustat. In Judaeo-Arabic, with the address in Arabic script. Dating: ca. 1045 CE (Gil), and at any rate 1042–46 CE (Goitein), as there are no allusions to the conflict with Natan b. Avraham (which ended in 1042 CE) and Daniel b. ʿAzarya has not yet returned to live in Palestine (1045/46 CE). ʿEli complains about the lack of response to his previous letters and repeats his request for news of the cantor from Mosul, Abū l-Faraj, and for any developments with Daniel b. ʿAzarya, who was at that time in Fustat. He also says that "the Roshim" (=Eliyya and Yosef ha-Kohen the sons of Shelomo b. Yehosef ha-Kohen, who served as gaʾon for 6 months in 1025 CE) want to know the news of Abū l-Faraj and Daniel. The "Av" (=Yosef b. Shelomo Gaon, who then held the position Av Bet Din) has been staying in Jerusalem instead of Ramla (the usual seat of the Av Bet Din) because he bought a ruin in Jerusalem and is renovating it. Even though the letter is in the hand of ʿEli b. Avraham, he apparently is writing in the name of his father, Avraham b. Shemuel ha-Shelishi, as apparent from the Arabic address (ben ha-Shelishi). (Information from Goitein and Gil.)

Letter from Daniel b. Azarya to a man in Fustat concerning a replacement for the supervisor who was responsible for the butchers in Fustat, after Yefet b. David passed away. The beginning and end are missing. VMR

Recto: Letter from the Palestinian Gaon, Daniel b. Azarya (1051-1062), to the head of the Palestinian congragation in Fustat, Eli b. Amram, concerning ‘what was collected [from the] market’ (i.e., the proceeds of slaughter) from the beginning of Elul to the end of Kislev. Verso: Probably the draft of a sermon, quoting Isaiah 21:12, different hand and ink.

Recto: Letter fragment from Daniel b. Azarya, probably to Eli b. Amram, Fustat. Mentions the Gaon's opposition to Yefet b. David b. Shekhanya. (Information from Gil, Palestine, vol. 2 p. 625, #342) VMR

Letter from Eli Ha-Kohen b. Ezekiel, Jerusalem, to Eli Ha-Kohen b. Hayyim, Fustat. Discusses the matter of the 18 dinars owed to the poor of Jerusalem. Daniel b. Azarya is on his way back to Jerusalem. Possibly alludes to the drought and epidemic in Fustat ("I am very preoccupied about your situation," verso, line 2), and mentions several people in difficult straits.

Letter from Yefet b. David b. Shekhanya, Fustat, to Daniel b. Azarya, approximately 1053.