Geniza Lab

Receipt for the payment of the rental of river floodland signed by the debtors Maḥmūd Ḥasaneyn and Muḥammad ʿAbd-al-Raḥmān to the creditor Kẖawaja Mūsa Abū Hārūn – 15 October 1915CE – Museum of Islamic Art – (number 88) – in Arabic.(information from Ḥassanein Muḥammad Rabīʿa, ed., Dalīl Wathā'iq al-Janīza al-Jadīda / Catalogue of the Documents of the New Geniza, 72). For other documents connected to Kẖawaja Mūsa Abū Hārūn see MIAC 15, 87, 211. MCD.

Certificate for a Jew indicating that he is elderly and unemployed and that he desires to receive lunch supplies for free – undated – Museum of Islamic art – (number 90) – in Arabic. (information from Ḥassanein Muḥammad Rabīʿa, ed., Dalīl Wathā'iq al-Janīza al-Jadīda / Catalogue of the Documents of the New Geniza, 61). MCD.

Certificate of assessment by the rabbinate in Jerusalem for religious instructors – undated – (number 96) – in Hebrew and in English. (information from Ḥassanein Muḥammad Rabīʿa. ed. Dalīl Wathā'iq al-Janīza al-Jadīda / Catalogue of the Documents of the New Geniza, 30). MCD.

Recto: autograph medical recipe in the hand of Moses Maimonides, prescribing an emetic and other drugs. The ingredients used include sticky sugar, lemon juice, oxymel, melissa, and green mint. The fragment includes dietary advice to avoid unripe dates, jujube, green almonds, carob, green broad beans, carrots and vinegar; whereas raisins, pistachios, figs and nuts should be eaten for dessert. Verso: draft of a witness statement related to a court procedure. (Information from CUDL)

Two forms for legal documents in Hebrew. On the other side is a grammatical treatise in Judaeo-Arabic.

Recto: part of a legal document, probably a will, mentioning quantities of dinars, names of months and the phrase ‘my death’. The name Abū l-Ḥusayn is preserved. Verso: a further part of a legal document, probably the continuation of the text on recto, which was written in Fusṭāṭ in Adar 1[...] of the Seleucid era and mentions various names, including ʿAmram ha-Kohen and Abū l-Barakāt ‘... descendant of Shemaʿya Gaʾon’. (Information from CUDL)

Karaite betrothal deed. Bride: Yamān bat David b. Isaiah, of Egypt. Groom: Shela b. ʿAmram al-Qirqisānī, of Tyre. Both the bride and groom are represented by agents. The groom appointed his agent (Shelomo b. ʿAdiya b. Menashshe al-Qazzāz, witnessed by Yefet […] Shelomo b. Abraham and Shemuʾel b. Moses he-Ḥaver) in Tyre in 1050 CE (date given according to the Seleucid erd), and the text of the deed of attorney authorising the agent was incorporated into the deed of the betrothal, and ratified by the Karaite court in Fusṭāṭ (under the jurisdiction of the Karaite nasi David b. Ṣemaḥ). The bride’s agent is Shelomo b. Musāfīr (appointment witnessed by Aaron b. Samīḥ ha-Kohen and Ṣedaqa b. Saʿadya). The betrothal took place in 1051 CE, in Fusṭāṭ (date given accodring the both the Seleucid and AM era). Witnessed by Manṣūr b. Mevasser and Shemuʾel b. […]. (Information from CUDL)

Thin strip of the right-hand side of a legal document, mentioning dinars, different quantities of wares, accounts, lead and olive oil. Probably a legal dispute over business affairs or possibly a partnership agreement. (Information from CUDL)

Legal document. Karaite court record in Judaeo-Persian from 951 CE signed by [...] b. Ismāʿīl, Abraham b. Padāwī (פדאוי) and Saʿīd ha-Le[vi]. "The present document derives, like the legal deed from Ahwāz of 1020, from the Cairo Geniza. It is earlier by 70 years than the Ahwāz document, being dated to 951 C.E. Its special interest lies in the fact that it is the first Judaeo-Persian document that is explicitly identified as Karaite. A text published not long ago by D. N. MacKenzie (BSOAS, XXXI, 1968, pp. 249—269) has been identified by J. Rosenwasser (The British Museum, Handlist of Persian Manuscripts 1896—1966, London 1969, p. 41) as being a fragment from a Karaite Sefer Miẕvot. This identification seems substantiated by parallels in Anan's Book of Precepts. The new document, which positively shows the use of Judaeo-Persian by Karaites, may help to remove whatever other doubts could be felt on the subject. The present text is also a legal document, and contains a number of features which are common to early Judaeo-Persian texts. It shares with the British Museum fragment of Sefer Miẕvot the peculiarity of using zayin to express j; it also uses gimel for the same purpose, whereas the British Museum fragment employs ṣade as an alternative letter to express j. These observations somewhat complicate the picture drawn by G. Lazard in a table showing how Persian phonemes are represented in different Judaeo-Persian texts (Studies in Bibliography and Booklore, VIII, 1968, p. 83), but in the absence of geographical indications with regard to the Karaite documents no conclusion can be drawn from this peculiarity. Features which occur in this document and which are shared by other Judaeo-Persian texts of the early period are the following: the prepositions ō (written either '-, 'w, or w-), 'zmr (usually followed by r' as postposition), mr (?). It may be observed that these prepositions have an original dative meaning, but tend also to be used for the accusative, and that 'zmr is attested in the Jewish-Persian colophons from K'aifeng (D. Leslie, Abr-Nahrain, VIII, 1969, pp. 1—35) as a postposition with a genitive effect. The expression gan 'eden ba(h)r 'who has a share in Paradise' occurs as a constant epithet for the deceased, and is reminiscent of the epithets 'eden bereḵ, 'edenī (or 'adanī), employed in a similar manner in the Judaeo-Persian tomb-stones from Ghūr (Afghanistan), published by G. Gnoli (Le iscrizioni giudeo-persiane del Gūr (Afghanistan), Rome 1964) and E. Rapp (Die jüdischpersisch-hebräischen Inschriften aus Afghanistan, Munich 1965). One may point out the words 'by, tys, zwyšt, pzyšt and the interesting use of zyst=Classical and Middle Persian jastan 'to jump', hence 'to occur, happen' and here in a sense like 'to accrue, to be added to an account'. (The Ahwāz document may also be Karaitic: it concerns the Tustarī brothers, according to Professor Goitein, and they are known to have been Karaites.) Translation of the document: "There were present [at the court of] the Karaites at this time(?) Samuel, Ḥayyim and Aharon, and they put a question before us (??) for admonition (?) on the 16th of Ab in the year 1262 Sel. The said Samuel made a petition to Ḥayyim and Aharon, trustees of Ḥasan the Custodian, whose share be in Paradise, their maternal uncle, and he said: 'He made a thing which accrued to me, who am Samuel, and which was to be debited to Ḥasan the Custodian, may the spirit of God put him to rest.' We said to them: 'We draw (an agreement) between you, so that we make a settlement incumbent upon you, (by the terms of which) whatever we do to your persons or for your sake, you should accept and should not act otherwise, and should not go to court other than this for (any) demand.' They agreed to this pact and condition, and the said Samuel took (?) this condition, and confirmed it upon himself by oath to wit, if (he does) otherwise than what they tell him in this court of the Karaites [the oath is left uncompleted]. Then we said to the said Ḥayyim and Aharon: 'Just as this Samuel undertook it upon himself, it should also be incumbent upon you.' They said: 'Yes, it is incumbent upon us.' And then the said Samuel made a petition concerning (the property of) Ḥasan the Custodian, whose share be in Paradise. Much talk went on between the three of them in this matter, and the said Ḥayyim and Aharon presented the books of Ḥasan the Custodian, whose share be in Paradise, and we saw that there resulted for us by research into it nothing, viz. that there would accrue anything to Samuel's credit against the said Ḥasan. Finally, the said Samuel consented and was agreeable thus, by his own choice, and said: 'I consent and am agreeable that these Ḥayyim and Aharon, my brothers, make by themselves a search in our uncle's account-books, and whatever they say they have found there, whether it is for me or against me, their word will be true and accepted, and they are trustworthy in whatever they say concerning which they are well informed and which they have found in our uncle's books of that I owe. If they say that they have found some thing in his book which I owe, I shall pay it without refusal and without delay and without excuse.' The said Samuel gave an extension to Ḥayyim and Aharon his brothers to make a search in those books till the month of Marḥeshvan in the year 1263 by his own will. The said Ḥayyim and Aharon were also agreeable to this manner and departed from the court of the Karaites (with agreement) as to this manner. We made it two parts, and gave one to Samuel and two to Ḥayyim and Aharon, so that it should come to the hand of each one of them as memory, choice and proof. ... ʿAlī . . . Bū Ismā'īl ... Sa'īd... Abraham b. Pādōy, witness." The letter is labeled "L16" in Shaul Shaked's (unpublished) classification of Early Judeo-Persian texts.

Beginning of a legal document. In the hand of Yosef b. Shemuel b. Saʿadya ha-Levi. Location: Fustat. Dated: 1505 Seleucid (= 1193/94 CE), under the authority of the Gaʾon Sar Shalom ha-Levi. Involving Abū Naṣr. (Information in part from CUDL)

Recto: Fragment (right side) of a legal document invoking the reshut of David b. Avraham b. Moshe Maimonides, so mid-13th-century. Without the join, the names are only partially present: [...] b. Berakhot ha-Sar (?); [...] ha-Zaqen ha-Yaqar ha-Rofe known as [...] ha-Levi ha-Rofe. A sum of 150 dirhams is mentioned. There are at least a few other documents in the hand of the same scribe, including T-S 16.355, dated 1261. Recto and verso: Piyyutim. ASE.

Legal document written in the court of Ḥananya Av Bet Din b. Yosef Gaʾon, 1318 of the Seleucid era (= 1007 CE), dealing with a legal matter between Efrayim b. Shemarya and Shelomo b. Fashshāṭ. The names Yishaq b. Ṭayyib, Ḥasan b. Wahīb and Abū l-Ḥasan b. Yoshiyyahu are mentioned. Signed by Levi ha-Levi b. Yaaqov, Shemuʾel ha-Kohen b. [...] and [...] b. Ṭoviyya. (Information from CUDL). See also Goitein notes and index card linked below.

Receipt written and signed by Natan ha-Kohen b. Shelomo, documenting that Abū Naṣr al-ʿAṭṭār received from the court 19 muthallath (triple-weave?) garments, as set forth in the conditions, on Thursday the 10th of Iyyar 1446 Seleucid (1135 CE) in Fusṭāṭ, in the presence of Abū l-Ḥasan b. Ṣāliḥ the brother (?) of Ṣedaqa the deceased. Witnesses: Natan ha-Kohen b. Shelomo ha-Kohen and Yehuda ha-Kohen b. Yosef ha-Kohen. ASE.

Small fragment from a legal document, mentioning Yefet.

Fragment of a partnership document (per FGP), involving R. Shemuel, Abū l-Faraj al-Yatom, Yiṣḥaq ha-Dayyan, Abū l-Bishr. Written by Mevorakh b. Natan, during the reign of Shmuel b. Hananya ha-Nagid, so we can date it to 1150-1160 (AA).

Fragment from a legal document or letter. In the hand of Ḥalfon b. Menashshe? Mentions (Abū l-)Faraj and Dāʾūd, the court of 'our master' (Maṣliaḥ Gaʾon?), and [...] b. Hillel Rosh ha-Qahal. (Information in part from CUDL.)

Order of payment in the hand of Avraham b. David b. Sughmār, middle 11th century. The order is for 2 1/6 dinars. The name of the payer is not given. The money is backed by a ḥaver and a raʾīs, perhaps, ʿEli b. Amram and Daniel b. ʿAzariya. (Information from Gil, Kingdom, Vol. 4, p. 1.)

Legal document in Arabic script. Dated: 4[..] AH (so no later than 1106 CE). Needs examination.

Recto: fragment of an official Arabic document. (Information from CUDL)

Responsum. In Hebrew: Dating: ca. 16th century. Concerning two partners who sue a third ex-partner. Currency: Mentions 1700 grossos (silver coins).