Geniza Lab

Letter from Shelomo b. Eliyyahu to his father Eliyyahu the Judge. In Arabic script, with isolated words and part of the address in Hebrew. Very little is preserved: only the first line, the address, and the last word in the right margin (al-ḍurūra / "distress" / "need").

Affidavit of a loan by Berakhot b. Yosef to Perahyah b. Adahay signed by Judge Eliyyahu in 1220-- see Goitein Nachlass material

Letter of condolence from a certain Yaʿaqov to Eliyyahu the Judge ("wherever he is"). Dating: Early 13th century. In Judaeo-Arabic and Hebrew. The orthography, including of biblical quotations, is phonetic and idiosyncratic. It is not clear who died. The main text consists almost entirely of condolences and exhortations to have patience (ṣabr). Four lines from the bottom, Yaʿaqov writes, "As for Abū Zikrī, the world very nearly departed him. But he is still wretched. He had patience and was consoled. He was hardly able to write to you after the terrible blow, had we not made him him write to you. . . . He lay sick in bed for a period of three months. [. . .] took up his treatment . . . until God saw fit take to His trust." (For the strange-seeming phrase "lahu marīḍ," see also ENA 2738.37.) The context is unfortunately quite difficult to decipher. It is possible that Abū Zikrī died, or, perhaps more likely, the 'taking of the trust' refers to the same person whose death provided the occasion for this letter. There is no way to know for sure, but it is plausible that this letter is connected to T-S 24.72, a letter of condolence from Abū Zikrī to his father Eliyyahu in which he describes the terrible illnesses that afflicted him after he learned of the death of his brother. ASE.

Letter in which Shelomo b. Eliyyahu asks his teacher, the judge R. Hananel, to inform his father Eliyyahu that he is very ill, suffering from weak eyesight, headache, and general weakness. He wishes to come for the holiday to Fustat rather than stay in the small town (Bilbays?) that resembles Sodom and Gomorrah and is devoid of worthy people. VMR; ASE.

Letter on behalf of a Byzantine woman named Rachel, in Alexandria, to Eliyyahu the Judge, in Fustat. The main part of the letter (in Judaeo-Arabic) is scribed by the teacher and court clerk Yehuda b. Aharon Ibn al-ʿAmmānī; there is a postscript (in Hebrew) added by Shemuel (a.k.a. Kalev) b. Yaʿaqov. Dated: 19 Adar 1538 Seleucid, which is 1227 CE. The letter concerns Rachel's husband, Yosef of Barcelona, who is about to marry a local woman, leaving their children orphans in their lifetimes (and "pieces of meat"). Eliyyahu is asked to relay her case to the Nagid Avraham Maimonides (1205–37), to intervene and prevent Yosef from doing this to her. Yehuda switches to writing in his own voice on verso, line 3. He sends various respectful greetings and adds that Rachel's eyes (or those of her mother?) have developed ophthalmia (ramad) from all her weeping. The postscript in the hand of (and signed by) the French rabbi Shemuel b. Yaʿaqov corroborates the story in the body of the letter and blames the husband's mother, who tempted him to do these bad things, and also "his wife, the snake, who married him against his will"—which makes it sound that Yosef has already married the local woman. Shemuel seems to conclude by saying that he has taken on the name "Kalev" (or vice versa?) on account of his illness, evidently an effort to change his fortune by changing his name. ASE

Letter, fragmentary, to Judge Eliyyahu, mentioning issues in connection with the Muslim authorities: writer mentions fatwa to the Nagid, wants a tawqi from the Sultan.

Letter from Judge Eliyyahu to his colleague David ha-Kohen in Bilbays addressing a query; asks whether one Bushr, daughter of Asad, had formally dissolved a previous engagement and is free to remarry.

Letter from Judge Eliyyahu to his two sons Abu Zikri and Shelomo. He wants them to come back from Jerusalem. 13th century.

Letter from an unknown writer in Bilbays to Judge Eliyyahu, dated 1237. The writer complains about the meagre salary of public officials there.

Letter from Avraham b. Rav Shelomo the Yemeni, in Jerusalem, to Eliyyahu the Judge, in Fustat. Written not long after T-S 8J16.3 (same sender, same addressee). Dating: ca. 1214 CE (Goitein's estimate). Avraham mentions a "brother-like" relationship with Abū Bishr that he entered into at Eliyyahu's recommendation, however Abū Bishr has died and the authorities have confiscated all his property. Avraham also mentions divorcing a woman in Jerusalem "after much suffering and paying her more than was due her." Abū Zikrī, Eliyyahu's son and Avraham's former roommate, can tell Eliyyahu more about what happened. Avraham requests that Eliyyahu convey the news of the divorce to Avraham's son and to the son's mother. He also requests charity for a man who recently arrived in Jerusalem after a harrowing journey. (Information in part from S. D. Goitein, Mediterranean Society, 3:47, 262, 437, 485.) EMS. ASE.

Instruction by the Dayyan Eliyyahu to his son Barakat (Shelomo) in Qalyub.

Letter from Simḥa ha-Kohen (Alexandria) to his father-in-law Eliyyahu the Judge (Fustat), explaining a recent incident involving two cloaks worth 109 dirhams and a brush with the police. He congratulates Eliyyahu on the upcoming wedding of his son Abū l-Barakāt (=Shelomo). Simḥa has been unable to fulfill an obligation to Eliyyahu because his wife (Eliyyahu's daughter) has been sick for the last year, and he has been unable to travel. See also T-S 13J24.10.

Beginning of a letter from the judge Elijah b. Zechariah to Abū l-Faraj. (Information from CUDL)

Letter from Bū l-Faraj to Umm Yūsuf the mother-in-law of Bayān al-Bukhtaj ('the cooked,' from Middle Persian pokhtag), sent via Eliyyahu the Judge. In Judaeo-Arabic. Dating: Early 13th century. The occasion for the letter is that the writer heard that Umm Yūsuf, probably a woman of some social standing, had fallen ill. The letter is prefaced with a note to Eliyyahu, asking him in urgent terms to read the note to Umm Yūsuf and to greet her sons (ashbāl, lit. 'lion cubs') on his behalf. In the letter proper, Bū l-Faraj first reports to Umm Yūsuf that he remains in the same distress (illness?) as "on the day you met me in the synagogue," and that was before his heart was afflicted with anxiety on her behalf, especially when the dreadful news reached him today (of her illness). "If you wish to consult me (in istanṣaḥtīnī), send to me Bū l-Ḥajjāj Yūsuf or whomever you see fit." The nature of this consultation is not clear. Is Bū l-Faraj a physician who wishes to help treat her in her illness? He urges her repeatedly to send a mesenger without delay. He excuses himself for not visiting her in person, 'due to my condition which is not hidden from you.' (See S.D. Goitein, Mediterranean Society, 2:144, 550; and Eve Krakowski, “Female adolescence in the Cairo Geniza documents,” PhD diss., University of Chicago, 2012, p. 134.) EMS. ASE.

Letter from Eliyyahu the Judge. He is prepared to give a refresher course in the reading of the Torah to Abū l-ʿAlā ha-Kohen and his father the Segan (ha-Kohanim) and is prepared to come to his house if he is ashamed to attend classes at Eliyyahu's place. Information from Goitein's note card. Verso: 2 lists of contributions, see PGPID 4594.

Letter to the judge Elijah. (Information from CUDL)

Letter addressed to Elijah the judge, mentioning the elders Joseph and Judah. Verso: Judaeo-Arabic and Arabic accounts, mentioning names such as Abū Manṣūr and Ibn al-ʿAnbar. (Information from CUDL)

Letter or note from Sitt Rayḥān; on verso mentions Zachariah, possibly the addressee, and Alexandria. (Information from CUDL)

Address of a letter sent to Fustat to Eliyyahu the judge (beginning of 13th century). (Information from CUDL)

Fragment (upper left corner) of a letter to Eliyyahu ha-Dayyan ha-Gadol.