Geniza Lab

Legal document from Fustat/Cairo, dated 20 February 1829 (17th of Adar I, 5589), in which Avraham ha-Levi certifies that he has received his entire share from the estate of his late father and releases his mother (titled "senyora") from all his claims upon her.

Recto: Legal document, draft. In Hebrew. Location: Fustat/Cairo. Dated: 1 Tammuz 5494 AM, which is 1734 CE. Avraham Delmar (דילמאר) leases a property (an ʿaliya) to Yeshuʿa ha-Kohen. Period of lease: 1 year. The location of the property is described in relation to the houses owned by Rosh Mishmeret Yehuda Medina. The rent for the entire 12 months is 11 zincirlis. Yeshuʿa pays 6 zincirlis in advance. It seems that the remaining 5 zincirlis will be paid in two installments of 2 findiklis (2 findikli = 2.5 zincirli). There follow further conditions. There are no witness signatures and the document is crossed out with four vertical lines. Verso: Legal document, perhaps a draft. Dating: Not long before or after 1734 CE, based on the dating of recto. Involving a partnership between Yaʿaqov Mizraḥi b. David of Salonika and Binyamin b. Astrugo of Salonika. The joint business venture is the export of רופאס (=clothing, in Ladino?) from Rashīd and Alexandria to Izmir. Currency: findikli. Needs further examination. ASE.

Late letter in Judaeo-Arabic to Senyor Karo y Frances & Company (numerous letters to the same addressee have survived: see tag). Needs further examination. ASE.

Late accounts, listing sales of garments and syrups, mostly to Yaʿaqov ʿAṭias, Yūsuf Seviliah, and Avraham al-Darʿī.

Accounts in Judaeo-Arabic and eastern Arabic numerals. Late. Names are prefaced by סי׳ = senyor.

Engagement (shiddukhin) contract. Dated: Tishrei [5]566 AM, which is 1805 CE. Groom: Moshe Ẓvi. Bride: Simḥa bt. Barukh. Verso is a list of items and their values apparently relevant to the engagement (a dowry list?). A handful of the terms are in Ladino. The word "contante" (cash?) appears a few times. Mentioned in Ilana Tahan, "Judeo-Spanish Manuscripts in the British Library's Hebrew Collection," p. 152 (no. 37)

Letter from Yiṣḥaq bayt ʿAṭṭān, in Syracuse, to Moshe b. Yehuda, in Alexandria. In Judaeo-Arabic. Dating: Last quarter of the 15th century. Contains a colorful tale of the writer's voyage. His ship was taking on too much water, so they had to stop in Rhodes. He and his party stayed there for a couple months before resuming the journey. They landed in מדון/MDWN, probably Methoni (aka Modone) in Messenia, to do business in bread and wine. The locals were about to steal the boat, so they took off in a hurry and abandoned their companion R. Ṣuriel who was still in town. Then the purpose of the letter: it is a letter of introduction ("a benefit for you and for him") for the Catalan Messer Bernard Lo Azina (לו אזינה), "a good Christian," who is bringing 500 kosher cheeses the writer saw him purchase, along with a hekhsher letter from the local judge. There are several curious linguistic aspects, too, including באש for "in order to."

Formularies for divorce-related documents. The one on recto is clearly based on a real document and a real case, but gives "peloni" for the month and for some of the names. Location: Fustat. Dated: 5514 AM, which is 1753/54 CE. The husband is Barukh b. Yosef Ḥayyūn. The wife and her family are from Alexandria. Sums of money are given in silver dīwānī muayyadis and gold maḥbūbs. Somehow involved is a pin (in Ladino: אלפיניטי=alfinete) embedded with a precious gem (שקבוע בו אבן טובה). Two witnesses are named in the document but their signatures do not appear at the bottom. See also Bodl. MS heb. d 66/101

Two legal notes, amidst sundry other jottings, mostly calendrical (including the names of months in both Hebrew and Romance—perhaps Ladino). The first note states that R. Eliezer Griego repaid 300 levanim out of his debt to R. Shem Ṭov. The second note states that Shem Ṭov invested 1000 levanim with the youth Yaʿaqov who will conduct business with the money 'at half profit' for a period of 1 year beginning today, Friday, 4 Sivan 5258 AM, which is 1498 CE. The name Yiṣḥaq Ḥazzan appears below, likely as a witness. On verso there is an elaborate signature of a certain Shelomo. It is not immediately clear whether Bodl. MS heb. e 103/13 belongs together with Bodl. MS heb. e 103/10–12 or not.

Letter from Moshe Castro, in Jerusalem, to Avraham Ibn Shānjī, in Fustat/Cairo. Written in Hebrew. Dating: 1513/14 CE, based on the assessment of Avraham David. The writer requests for donations for the benefit of the Jerusalem community such as for building expenses (ll.21–31) and for needy individuals (ll.4–9). Mentions an "azul" (blue) garment. Information from FGP.

Ledger of accounts and letter drafts/copies. Perhaps some writing exercises, too. In Judaeo-Arabic with at least one Spanish word thrown in (אלסלאם עלה גמיע אלפאמילייה). One of the letters copied out at least twice refers to several months in the latter part of the year '32 and Rosh Hashana of '33. Presumably the century is either 55 (5532 AM = 1772 CE) or 56 (5632 AM = 1872 CE). Needs further examination.

Letter from Aryana (? אריינה) to her sister Shurbilliya (? שורבלייא), the wife of Avraham al-Ḥadīb. In Hebrew. Dating: Late, plausibly 16th century, which is Avraham David's assessment. The writer thanks the addressee for the cheese and insists on paying for it, "for our love does not depend on gifts." She reports that the son of Naftali left his father 13 "cintas" (שינטאש) in בית הבאגילירא(?). These should be collected either by a woman called שנייתי or by the addressee. The addressee is asked to purchase with them one אולייא and one דריאדא that should be larger than the ones sold 'by the French Ishamelite." Needs examination. ASE.

Business letter from Yehuda b. Yaʿaqov (fattore) to a certain Shelomo (employer). In Hebrew with occasional Ladino words (docenas, magazin, partidos).

Letter fragment. Late. Only the address is preserved. Addressed to Yaʿaqov Sofer. The word Damascus appears. There may be one or two words in Ladino, but this needs further examination. On verso there are pen trials.

Letter from (perhaps) Shelomo b. Moshe Lanyado to Shemuel Lanyado. Dated Shevat 5485 AM, which is 1725 CE. The letter is in Judaeo-Arabic but uses the Ladino "senyor" and "senyora" and איל שי״ת (=el shem yitbarakh; the definite article is probably Ladino because this writer consistently writes אל for the Judaeo-Arabic definite article). The writer reports on a difficult illness that befell him and his financial need and hunger and debts. A certain Yiṣḥaq Shalom helped him in his distress. He is still in great need and asks the addressee to send him money lest he die of hunger. It is possible to see how the letter was folded and what was written on each fold. On the middle fold, the name Shelomo b. Moshe Lanyado appears; this is in a different hand from the letter. It may be (but is not necessarily) the name of the writer. The address to Shemuel Lanyado appears on the outermost fold. On verso there is an ex-libris signature of the addressee (citing a barayta: "the rabbis taught (tanu rabbanan) that one ought to put his name on his books/letters. . . .). Information in part from FGP.

Interesting letter in calligraphic Judaeo-Arabic, probably 15th century or later, full of creative spellings, probably from someone whose mother tongue was not Arabic. The writer is probably Yosef פלקון (line 3), but someone named Yiṣḥaq Sūsī also 'speaks' in the first person starting 4 lines from the bottom. In any case, the letter was sent from Alexandria to Shemuel b. Avraham מחיץ, in Tinnīs. The content of the letter is not as interesting as its context and form; it mainly consists of inquiring about family news and small transactions. The writer sends regards to the addressee's mother Doña Dolsa—addressed as al-Ḥurra al-Jalīla—and to Simḥa and Seʿadya and Esther and Ḥanna and the little ones and big ones and Bū Najwā (?). The addresee is to forward some letters in "Frankish" (Spanish? Ladino?) to בונאנד (?). ASE.

Replacement ketubba drawn up in Safed in February 1539 (23 Adar 5299) for Moshe b. Yosef ʿAynos (? עיינוס) and Doña Hora Buena bt. Barukh Shabīb.

Bifolium from Mitzrayim, 1790–92 CE, apparently from a ledger of betrothal and marriage contracts. About nine are preserved, complete with names, and trousseau lists, and values of marriage gifts. The currency used is the riyal (ריאליס). There is also a lovely illustration of three birds. ASE.

Formulary for drawing up marriage documents. In Hebrew with some Ladino words (contante, joyas, mandiles). Location: Fustat/Cairo. Dating: Late. Currency: mithqāl/mathāqīl.

Hebrew letter dated dated 1687/8 CE (5448), addressed to "the Judges," regarding business transactions. Contains several words in Ladino that are marked with two dots: vueltas, "perlas ʿim fojetas (?)," etc. Signed by Aharon b. Avraham ha-Kohen.