Geniza Lab

Letter to the Gaon Daniel, as identified by the titles “our Nasi, our Gaon,” in which the correspondents state they are well, “though troubles passed over us during the years of famine, from all of them our God rescued us.” The correspondents also assure Daniel of their loyalty to him, “rejoicing in thy kingdom (a reference to his descent from King David) and taking pride in they epistle.” Eleventh century. The verso contains a copy of a letter mentioning the Babylonian and Palestinian synagogues, Shemuel of Tahort, Efrayim ha-Ḥaver, and Abū Katib b. Abraham. (Jacob Mann, The Jews in Egypt and Palestine under the Fatimids, (1920-22; reprint 1970), Vol. 1, 81-2, Vol. 2, 217-18) EMS

Beginning of a letter from Daniel b. Azarya Gaon or David b. Daniel to a community, ca. 1092. NB: The shelfmark has since changed, and it will take some work to find the current shelfmark.

Note of a Nagid to the 'noble congregation' of Fustat (same type as described in Mediterranean Society, II, App. C 101-112) asking them to complete the collection of the pledges made on the Day of Atonement, especially those for a traveler from Europe, ifranji, who was to leave on the morning after the first two days of the Feast of Tabernacles. The interesting fact to be learned from this note is the speediness with which the pledges were collected. There are only four days between the Day of Atonement and the beginning of the Feats of Tabernacles. The letter seems to assume that, say, on the third day of the interval between the two holidays most of the pledges had already come in. Another interesting point is the Nagid's admonition to think of the poor on the Siyyum (Heb.), the festive conclusion of the yearly reading of the Pentateuch, which takes place at the end of the autumn holidays. (Information from Mediterranean Society, II, p. 506, App. C 132)

Fragment of an anonymous letter emanating from Babylonian Geonim or members of the schools. The content emphasizes the need of communal leaders and includes biblical citations from Ezra 7.28, Ezekiel 10.11, and Proverbs 16.20. (Jacob Mann, Texts and Studies in Jewish History and Literature, Vol. 1, Hebrew Union College Press, 1931, 185-6, 194) EMS

Letter from Mufaḍḍal, probably in Fustat, to Abū l-Majd al-Melammed, in Qūṣ. In Judaeo-Arabic. Dating: Uncertain, but perhaps ca. 1230s CE, since T-S 13J26.6 (1234 CE) is a letter from Abū l-Majd in Qūṣ to Abū l-Mufaḍḍal in Fustat requesting guidance from the capital on communal affairs; if this decade is correct, plausible options are 1230 and 1237 CE (since the letter was written on Thursday, 1 Tammuz). Concerning a distinguished physician, evidently also the Head of the Jews ("Sayyidnā al-Rayyis") whose burdensome medical responsibilities affected his ability to respond to the needs of the Jewish community. This physician is likely Avraham Maimonides based on the above identifications as well as corroborating evidence (cf. T-S 10J14.5 and Cohen's discussion of this possibility, pp. 134–35 in his article). The sender reports that two different queries for legal opinions (fatwās) had been sent to the physician in the Egyptian capital. He had misplaced the first query and had recovered it only after the second arrived. The sender informs the addressee, who had submitted the two questions, that the physician had composed an answer (jawāb) to both and it was enclosed it the present letter. The verso contains greetings from Abū l-Faraj, Abū l-Riḍā, Yosef, Hiba, and their mother, as well as the address. Upside down, there is also a list of medicinal herbs in Arabic script, unrelated to the letter. The scribe of this letter has distinctive handwriting with very tall, hooked lameds. (Published by Mark Cohen, “The Burdensome Life of a Jewish Physician and Communal Leader,” Jerusalem Studies in Arabic and Islam 16 (1993), 125–36.) Join: Alan Elbaum. EMS. ASE

Letter fragment. Beginning of a solemn letter addressed to the community, apparently of al-Mahalla, probably by Mevorakh ha-Nagid b. Saadya (1094-1111). Verso: Arabic jottings including the basmala (twice). (Information from CUDL) (Some information from Goitein's index cards).

Letter (communal) in the hand of Yosef b. Yoshiyyahu, writing on behalf of the community of Alexandria. Only the elegant rhymed prose opening of the letter has survived. Neither the recipient nor the context is known. (Information from Frenkel.)

Letter in calligraphic style from a community written by Sahlān b. Avraham. (Information from Goitein's index cards and CUDL)

Three lines of a calligraphic letter to the community of Sambutiyya. (Information from Goitein's index cards)

Letter from the office of the Gaʾon Sar Shalom b. Moshe ha-Levi (in office ca. 1176–95) to a certain community. Mainly in Judaeo-Arabic. Written by Mevorakh b. Natan, with the signature of the Gaʾon at the bottom. Dated: Iyyar 1497 Seleucid, which is 1186 CE. Concerning two teachers, saying that both of them would continue to receive "ṣibbur" (pledges for public charity), but that one of them was permitted to act as a teacher and as a slaughterer, while the other was only entitled to receive fees for writing marriage and divorce contracts and other legal documents, and for performing circumcisions. Lines 1–6 can be found on T-S 10J 29.4, lines 7–16 on T-S 10J 24.7. (Information from Mediterranean Society, II, p. 122, and from Goitein's index cards.)

Letter, apparently to the holy congregation in Shafrir Misrayim (Fustat), similar to 10J24f. 9 recto. (Information from Goitein's index cards)

Letter fragment from the Yeshiva directed to 'all the communities of Israel in Palestine and in its fortresses, its town and villages...which have remained in Palestine and to those in the land of Egypt calling themselves Palestinians', i.e. to the Jewish communities of Palestine and Egypt, dating from the end of the 10th or the beginning of the 11th century.

Letter opening from Shelomo b. Yehuda to the communities, first half of the 11th century.

Beginning of a letter by the Nagid Shemuel b. Hananya (in office 1140-1159) to the community of al-Mahalla, written in the hand of Shemuel b. Natan. Praises their charitability. (Information from Goitein's index cards)

Letter fragment from Yoshiyyahu Gaon to a community, approximately 1020.

Beginning of a letter, sent by Rav Sherira Gaon to Qayrawan. Dated ca. 970. (Information from Gil)

Fragment of an opening of a letter by Shelomo b. Semah, Ramla, to the communities of Fustat, probably December 1033.

Letter from the Jerusalemite Yosef b. Moshe ha-Levi to Yefet ha-Neʾeman b. Elʿazar, the representative of the community of al-Maḥalla. Dating: Late 11th or early 12th century, as the same Yefet b. Elʿazar appears in T-S 6J2.25 (a legal document in the hand of Hillel b. ʿEli). Yosef reports that he stopped in (New) Cairo, planning to continue to Jerusalem via Alexandria. He was sick (wajiʿ) when he entered Cairo. The Nasi in Cairo honored him by letting him lead the congregation in prayer—"may God answer my prayers in my illness (ḍuʿfī) for the whole congregation, small and great." See e.g. ENA NS 6.24 for the notion that it is good for a sick man to lead prayers. Yosef sends greetings to a very large number of people by name, then apologizes, "As I write this, I am in a different world (?). Please forgive me for not being able to name everyone." (Information in part from Goitein's index cards.) ASE.

Letter from the Nagid David I Maimonides (d. 1300) to the community of Ashmūm. In Hebrew and Judaeo-Arabic. Concerning someone named Yosef who was in a dispute with Abū [...].

Beginning of an official epistle to a community headed by [Goitein left empty] b. Shela the judge (הדיין), the fifth judge in the group (Havura) enumerating the various groups of which the community consisted. (Information from Goitein's index card). VMR