Geniza Lab

Letter from Avraham b. Seʿadya the Hebronite, in Bilbays, to Moshe ha-Kohen b. Ghulayb, in Fustat. Dating: beginning of the twelfth century. Recto 1-15: Flowery Hebrew greetings and Passover blessings for Moshe and his three boys, Yoshiyahu, Sa'adya, and Yeshu'a. Recto 15-19: Updates on the health of family members since Moshe departed. Abu l-Bayan and his sister and mother are healthy. Recto 19-24: Avraham and everybody are extremely anxious about the outbreak of smallpox (juddarī) among aṣḥābunā. It afflicted one house, then two, then three. Suhayl's 3-year-old son died, and Mevorakh's son Khulayl is critically ill. Recto 24-25: Avraham and Abu l-Husayn and Abu Sa'id and Umm Abu l-Bayan and Bayan and _____ all send holiday greetings. Verso 1-3: Avraham's knee pain has gotten worse. He wrote this letter while lying on his side. Verso 4-7: Avraham enclosed another letter to his in-law Abu l-Surur and asks Moshe to forward it to Cairo. He asks Moshe to send him some kohl. ASE.

Letter in Judaeo-Arabic. Very faded. The writer excuses the messiness with the fact that he is writing this in the aftermath of an illness and while traveling. Most of what remains appears to bemoan the vicissitudes of fate. The margins have been reused for something in Hebrew script.

Note by Shelomo b. Eliyyahu addressed to Abū l-Rabīʿ (in the note) or Abū l-Barakāt (in the address on verso). Accompanying payment for rose marmalade. Shelomo apologizes and says he has been ill and is writing the note while lying down (or "(half-)asleep). (Information in part from CUDL.) ASE