Geniza Lab

Draft or notes of court proceedings (legal document) regarding a sale of half a house for 300 dinars. Abu Sahl, Menashshe b. Yehuda, sold half of a house that he inherited from his mother to Abu al-Faraj, Amram b. Yosef. Apparently the second half was sold by Menashshe to Yosef Lebdi in a transaction which was probably a cover for a loan with interest. In order to remedy this situation, it was decided that Amram would buy Lebdi's share while permitting Menashshe to continue to dwell in the house and even to rent it to others. The document is written in the hand of Hillel b. Eli and is dated to January 22, 1102. At the end of the document there are the remains of a legal opinion, in another hand. Apparently the draft of the agreement was shown to a rabbinic authority who gave his opinion regarding how it should be formulated to remedy the appearance of taking interest from a fellow Jew. The document is full of interesting corrections and additions.

Legal document. Partnership record. Dated: 1140. Location: Fustat. The brothers Abū al-Faḍl and Abū al-Riḍā Yosef b. Berakhot, owners of a sugar factory, take on Yosef b. Peraḥya and Peraḥya b. Nissim (possibly Ibn Yiju, great-grandson of Avraham Yiju, the India trader) as investors, investing 400 and 200 dinars respectively. There is a reference to "Arabic documents" which record the dimensions and location of the factory, and the fact that the brothers inherited part of the factory and purchased the balance from their father. The investors allow the brothers to pursue other investments outside the partnership with partnership funds. Withdrawals from the partnership capital are recorded as a transfer of a share of the ownership from the brothers to the investors, and any rent on this share goes to the investors. The investors are required to return the partial ownership of the factory when the funds are repaid. The Arabic documents record the sale of the factory (and presumably the transfer of the shares) as a "fixed" purchase. The brothers remain active partners in the five-year partnership. Partnership profits are divided equally, despite the unequal investments. The brothers will account for their expenses by subtracting from partnership profits 2 dinars per molded block of sugar. Per Goitein, a document at shelfmark T-S NS J215 describes the eventual sale of the factory discussed in this document. (Information from Lieberman, "A Partnership Culture", 23-25)

Only the lower part of this document has survived. It is written in the form of a letter and contains a commercial account and also a court record of legal proceedings. The hand is that of Ḥalfon b. Menashshe. It seems that on his way to India, Abu Barakat met Issac al-Nafusi in Aden and the latter gave him some merchandise to sell for him there. It is probable that the lost part of the document listed the selling of this merchandise in India. Next we have an account of what Abu Barakat bought for al-Nafusi in India. Then he lists the expenses (taxes, rent of warehouse etc) of his dealings in Aden. The last part consists of a copy of legal proceedings where Abu Barakat declares that he spent the rest of al-Nafusi's money that remained with him on the recently purchased house of al-Nafusi in Fustat. He did this according to the instructions of Ḥalfon ha-Levi b. Nethanel, al-Nafusi's appointed representative.

India Book I, 17: Letter from Yehuda Ibn Sighmar, at Alexandria, to Nahray b. Nissim, at Fustat, from the year 1097. The letter contains three parts: First, blessings over Nahray's recovery from illness. Second, a survey of the dealings between Yehuda and Nahray, the details of which remain unclear. Third, the lawsuit of Moshe b. Labrat, the nephew of Yehuda, against Yosef Lebdi. Yehuda, the writer of the letter, was the intended recipient of the gift that Moshe b. Labrat sent with Lebdi from the west. It is clear that this letter was written before the first court session was held.

Awaiting description

Diwan of the poetry of Yiṣḥaq b Khalfūn (active around 1000). There is a poem addressed to Abū l-Faraj Yehoshuaʿ Ibn al-Qamūdī; a poem addressed to Shemuel Ibn al-Lebdī (hence Goitein's inclusion of this fragment in the 'India Book'); a poem addressed to Abū Sulaymān, complaining about the delay of the response to his panegyric from Menashshe b. Ibrāhīm al-Qazzāz; a poem that he sent together with a Purim present; poems on generic themes (parting, elegy, praise); and a poem that he wrote to a friend who gave him some cheese instead of the wine that he had asked for. The identification of the poet was made by Schirmann. (Information in part from Goitein and Friedman, India Traders.) ASE

The engagement contract of Abu Mansur, Semah b. Yefet, to Sitt al-Khassa in Fustat, 1146. Sitt al-Khassa was the daughter of Abu Barakat, son of Yosef Lebdi, the India trader. The groom deposited the very large early marriage gift of 40 dinars with a third party and promised the delayed marriage gift of 100 dinars. The bride received five shares (out of twenty four) of the house that used to belong to her grandfather, and half of her father's house. Moreover, 'the rent from her real estate will be in her hands, not in his hands, and she may deal with it as she sees fit.' She also is promised the right to choose the domicile. Her very large dowry amounts to 500 dinars (actually it adds up to 496 dinars), and it is stated that this sum was not exaggerated. The document begins with Bodl. MS Heb d 66 48r then continues to Bodl. MS d 66 47r and then to the latter's verso. Previous description: Engagement of Sitt al-Khāṣa bt. Abū l-Barakāt al-Lebdī and Ṣemaḥ al-ʿAṭṭār. In the hand of Natan b. Shemuel ha-Ḥaver. 11 November 1146. Information from Goitein's note card.

India Book I, 6–7: Court proceedings dealing with the dispute between Yosef ha-Lebdi the India trader, and Yequtiʾel b. Moshe, 'the representative of merchants' in Fustat. This Monday morning session of the Fustat court followed immediately that of document no. I, 4-5 which was held on the preceding Thursday. In this session the questioning of Yosef Lebdi was concluded. The document is written in the hand of Hillel b. Eli. Dated: Monday, 8 Iyyar 1409 Seleucid, which is 12 April 1098 CE.

India Book I, 12: Court proceedings from Fustat dealing with the dispute between Yosef ha-Lebdi the India trader and Yequtiʾel b. Moshe, 'the representative of merchants' in Fustat. These are the proceedings of the eighth session. With no news from Aden, Yequtiʾel and Yosef came up with the idea of sending a man to Aden to fetch the disputed goods. After some discussion, however, the parties retracted their proposal. No signatures are attached to this deed. Dated: Dated: Wednesday, 18 Elul 1409 Seleucid, which is 18 August 1098 CE.

India Book I, 13: Draft of a letter from Yosef Lebdi, the India trader, to Ḥasan b. Bundar, 'the representative of merchants' in Aden, dealing with the dispute between Yosef ha-Lebdi and Yequtiʾel b. Moshe, 'the representative of merchants' in Fustat. This letter, as Lebdi makes clear, was composed under the instructions of the court of Fustat. Lebdi informs the recipient that the court has instructed him to write to Aden and request an official account, approved in court, of the dealings made with Yequtiʾel's share of the property. The letter can be dated to 1098 and was written in the hand of Hillel b. Eli. The letter begins in the verso of Bodl. MS Heb d 66/66 and then continues to Bodl. MS Heb d 66/67 (recto and then verso).

India Book I, 10–11: Court proceedings from Fustat dealing with the dispute between Yosef ha-Lebdi the India trader, and Yequtiʾel b. Moshe, 'the representative of merchants' in Fustat. Dated: Monday, 12 Tammuz 1409 Seleucid, which is 14 June 1098 CE. These are the proceedings of the seventh session. Just before Lebdi and Yequtiʾel were about to make a solemn oath by the Torah, important merchants intervened in an attempt to prevent such a serious undertaking. The two sides agree to postpone the oath ritual until the arrival of the messenger of 'Yemen and India.' This agent was to deliver the testimony of Ḥasan b. Bundar, the representative of the merchants in Aden. A few further claims between the two were also dealt with.

India Book I, 18a: Settlement (canceled draft) in the lawsuit between David ibn Sighmar, the representative of Moshe b. Labrat, against Yosef Lebdi. The final version of the settlement is preserved on the verso (I, 18b). The cancellation is marked by three vertical strokes.

India Book I, 18b: The settlement of the lawsuit between David ibn Sighmar, the representative of Moshe b. Labrat, and Yosef Lebdi. A draft of the settlement is preserved in the recto (I, 18a). This final version was signed by five prominent members of the community: Yiṣḥaq b. Shemuel, Avraham b. Natan, Nethanel b. Yefet, Hillel b. Eli and Avraham b. Shemaya.

India Book I, 1–2: Court proceedings dealing with the dispute between Yosef ha-Lebdi the India trader and Yequtiʾel b. Moshe, 'the representative of merchants' in Fustat. Dated: Monday, 2 Kislev 1409 Seleucid, which is 9 November 1097 CE. The document lists their commercial dealings and contains much information on trade of textiles, silverware and corals. The document is written in the hand of Hillel b. Eli. Note that the lower part of CUL Add.3421 is Doc. I, 4 in the India Book (see separate record).

India Book I, 3: Court proceedings dealing with the dispute between Yosef ha-Lebdi the India trader, and Yequtiʾel b. Moshe, 'the representative of merchants' in Fustat. The document deals with Lebdi's debt of 40 dinars to Yequtiʾel for a sale of indigo. The document is written in the hand of Nethanel b. Yefet (though the title was written probably by Hillel b. Eli) and is dated February 22, 1098.

India Book I, 15: Three testimonies regarding collateral given by and returned to Yosef Lebdi, the India trader. Lebdi owed Ḥasan b. Bundar, 'the representative of the merchants' in Aden, 40 dinars for an indigo deal. Until Lebdi could pay the debt in full he had to deposit collateral, probably because he was a foreigner, who was expected to leave the town. The first and last of these three entries are written and signed by Nethanel b. Yefet. This is the recto of the second leaf of CUL Add.3420. The first leaf contains document I, 3 and the verso of this page is document I, 8. Goitein referred to this document as CUL Add.3420c.

India Book I, 8: Court proceedings from Fustat dealing with the dispute between Yosef ha-Lebdi the India trader, and Yequtiʾel b. Moshe, 'the representative of merchants' in Fustat. This is the verso of the second leaf of the bifolium that CUL Add.3420 once comprised. Goitein cited this side as CUL Add.3420d. At the bottom of the document there is a separate record (not found here) dealing with a complaint of Karima, known as Wuhsha. The recto contains the text of I, 15 and CUL Add.3420.1 contains the text of I, 3. At this court session it was agreed that Yosef Lebdi should settle his accounts with Yequtiʾel. He would then be entitled to take out of Yequtiel warehouse all the goods to which the latter could not make claim. Both agreed not to appeal to a Muslim court. The document is written in the hand of Hillel b. Eli and is dated April 19, 1098.

Legal document: testimony on the date of a bill of divorce written by Yaʿaqov b. Avraham, Yosef Lebdi's travel companion. The document is dated to April 5, 1095.

Letter from Nahray b. Natan b. Nahray, in Alexandria, to a certain Abū Saʿīd. Fragment (upper part only). In Judaeo-Arabic. Dating: Late 11th century. The sender and his father, both residents of Alexandria, are known to have exchanged letters with their relative, Nahray b. Nissim. (Gil mistakenly identified the sender as Nahray b. Nissim himself.) In this letter, Nahray b. Natan writes that he has received a letter with a list of merchandise sent to Fustat by Abū Sulaymān Dāʾūd Ibn al-Lebdī. The list of merchandise is valuable for the study of the Indian Ocean trade. The sender says that he has sent two purses of 100 dinars each with two different messengers and asks the addressee to buy several items for him. (Information from Goitein and Friedman, India Book I.)

Recto: Legal document. Last will of Abū al-Barakāt b. Abū al-Riḍā Yosef Lebdi. This deathbed declaration was made in the presence of his sons and of the partner in his sugar factory. This document is largely damaged, but several interesting points emerge. For instance, when his eldest son reminds him that according to Jewish law the firstborn was entitled to a double share (Deuteronomy 21: 17), the dying man replies: "I do not prefer one child over another." Also, he and his business partner mutually declare that they trust each other completely; Abū al-Barakāt’s account books would speak for him after his death. At the end, a large bag with ʿūd (aromatic wood) was brought in, a purse with gold was put into it; the bag was laid into a Rumī (European) chest, which was locked, and the key was put into the hand of the dying man. Location: Fustat. Dated: 25 Av 1538 Seleucid, which is August 9, 1227 CE. (Information from Goitein’s index card)