Geniza Lab

Letter of recommendation. In Judaeo-Arabic. Written on behalf of the bearer, Abū l-ʿIzz b. Abū Saʿīd. Apart from the conventional material, we learn that the recommendee has been working since Purim as a slaughterer, "one or two heads a day," in order to conceal his face from having to ask or having to ashame himself before the congregation (wa-lā yanfaḍiḥ ʿind al-qahal). It seems that he now wants to make a pilgrimage to Jerusalem.

Fragment (lower right corner) of a letter in Judaeo-Arabic, conveying concern for the addressee, distress and anxiety of the writer, mentioning someone's arrival in and departure from Alexandria, and conveying good wishes for the High Holidays. There are a few lines of calendrical notes on verso as well as the end of the letter.

Letter. In Judaeo-Arabic. Dating: Late, maybe 15th century or later, based on handwriting, abbreviations, formulae, format. The main letter on recto deals with various business matters; mentions rose water; sends many greetings. Somebody else added a postscript. On verso there is another note, mentioning three jarā'ir of barley, and the sufferings of Ibn Manṣūr(?) from the day the qaẓin arrived, and also that R. Levi "stays at the dīwān night and day." Needs further examination.

Letter from an anonymous writer in Jerusalem to a certain Elʿazar, probably 16th century. The writer seems to genuinely yearn to travel to the addressee's location (Fustat?). First he was in Damascus, "and they did not let me leave. I do not wish to tell you all the respect they paid me." Due to the difficulty of leaving, he resorted to "a trick" and told them that he wanted to visit all the graves of the righteous in Palestine, so he left and his party traveled the country from Dan to Be'er Sheva. Then he came to Jerusalem, where the Sephardic congregation again refuses to let him leave. "They wish to catch me so that I preach to them every Shabbat. I escaped Damascus for this? And here these other ones are catching me, and I do not wish to stay with them." Summary based on Avraham David's transcription, who, however, reads "I escaped from Damascus for this" as a sincere statement. ASE

Letter from Yeshuʿa [...]. In Hebrew. Dating: Late, probably 16th–18th century. Mentions the currency גורושוש; Yiṣḥaq ben Ḥabīb; regards to Yeshuʿa Azulay in the margin. Needs further examination.

Late letter in Hebrew. Needs further examination. Mentions the unbearable heat of the sun.

Letter fragment (upper part) from Avraham probably to his elder brother (called 'father' but, later, 'from your brother'). In Judaeo-Arabic. Dating: Late, probably 15th–17th century. Several names are mentioned.

Hebrew letter from Yiṣḥaq b. Zeraḥya known as Faryol (?), a physician, to Avraham Talmid (known from other letters, fl. ca.1600). The first part of the letter deals with business matters. The writer mentions that he wished to examine some books, but the bookseller refused to untie them. He then asks the addressee to look after and mentor R. David ha-Kohen who is visiting Damascus with 200 gold pieces to exchange them for other gold and silver. The second part of the letter conveys information for al-Shaykh Ghāzī who left his wife in the hands of the writer to cure her from her illness. Thanks to the medicines sent by the husband and others that the writer gathered, the cure has been successful—her face has completely healed, and her legs, thank God. "Please remind him to send me a suitable gift, something suitable. In truth it has been nine months since I have seen my home (or: wife). Now, for Purim, they have begged me to come, but the sick woman, his wife, did not wish to let me go, and I could not go against her will. Copy out these words for him. . ." Information from Avraham David's edition. ASE.

Letter from Moshe b. Abudarham, probably in Rashīd, to Elʿazar al-Kātib, probably in Alexandria. In Hebrew. Dating: Second half of 16th century, based on Avraham David's identification of the writer. Regarding business in resin, saffron(?), soap, and myrtle. Mentions Damietta and Alexandria. See tag for other letters by the same writer. Information from FGP.

Verso: Letter or letter draft in the hand of Efrayim ben Shemarya (d. 1055). In Hebrew (possibly with Judaeo-Arabic toward the bottom). Dating: During or shortly after the range 1019–29 CE. Apparently addressed to 'the community' (ha-qahal) and mentioning the 'standing court' (beit din qavuaʿ).

Right half of a letter in Judaeo-Arabic. The writer was recently ill.

Upper part of a family letter in Judaeo-Arabic, probably no earlier than 15th century. The writer addresses his father, "the boy" (his brother?) Shemuel, his sisters Ghuzla, Sumayḥa, and Ruḥama, and his mother. He has sent with Raḥamin, the bearer of the letter, some money (ashrafiyyīn dhahab) which is to be given to Ḥafṣa "to free herself with it." The writer would have come himself if he had completed the sales he needs to make. He exhorts Shemuel to look after everyone. They are going to receive 200 eggs; his siblings are to get 100 and Raḥamin 100, and his mother is to receive 50 eggs from those of Ḥafṣa. ASE.

Late family letter in Judaeo-Arabic, it seems from a man to his brother Shemuel (or less likely his father, if the letter is read as a ב). Alexandria is mentioned in the first line. The addressee is to tell something confidential to Sari (?) Muḥammad—not to Malīḥ, not to Wuḥaysh, not to his brother. Then: "Be a man and take care of your siblings." If the addressee wants money, he can get two dinars from uncle (ʿammī) Sulaymān, or from Ṣāliḥ. The writer is sending the addressee 20 muayyadis with Reuven. Possibly the same handwriting as ENA NS 35.4. ASE.

Business letter in Ladino to Avraham דאלותה (?) from "your little brother." Mentions people such as Menaḥem and Yiṣḥaq ha-Levi. Needs further examination

Complete, but very faded late letter in Hebrew from Jerusalem to ha-Ḥakham ha-Shalem ha-Dayyan ha-Meẓūyan Raysh Metivta Qedishta [...] Shemuel Sid[i?], Fustat. There are several letters in Ladino from a 17th-century Shemuel Sidi (see tag); unclear if this is the same person. This document would benefit from multispectral imaging. ASE.

Letter in Judaeo-Arabic from a man to a woman regarding the education of the writer's son, who either lives with or is merely the pupil of the addressee. He first thanks her for her care and attention that she has lavished on his son, which have fulfilled his hopes for this arrangment—and then transitions into his chief disappointment. He has tested his son several times and found that he cannot sing (fa-lam ajidhu yaʿrifu yulaḥḥin wa-lā ʿindahu khabar min al-laḥn) and that he can hardly even read (wa-lā yuḥsin yatahajjā ḥarf wa-lā ʿindahu khabar min al-hijā' ra'san). He states that he is not happy with this result, not least because of all the favor (karāma) and money (not only dirhams but dinars) that he has given her. "For the most important thing for me is a beautiful and correct melody and pronunciation (al-laḥn al-malīḥ al-ṣaḥīḥ wa-l-hijāya). Do not allow him to mingle with youths or walk with youths in the street." The writer concludes by demanding that she teach him how to sing a couple nice qinnot (?) with cantorship (qiṭʿatayn qīnā milāḥ bi-laḥn ḥazzānī malīḥ. . . . wa-yakūnū min aḥsan qawl wa-aḥsan laḥn). He must be prepared to recite them in front of al-Shaykh al-Kabīr. No bibliography. ASE

Late family letter in Judaeo-Arabic from Khuḍayr to his brother-in-law in the Fayyūm. Possibly the same handwriting as ENA NS 35.2. The writer has been sick and bedbound for 15 days, but now he is better. He inquires about business matters: if the money has been sent, if all of it was spent on flax, whether flax is cheap or expensive, whether the addressee has any requests from the neighborhood. Mentions ʿAbd al-Wāḥid al-Zayyāt, who says no one brought him anything. The writer asks for money and wool and eggs and olives. Umm Qamar says to send her the flax belonging to her. The letter has several interesting colloquial forms such as ונכאן for وإن كان and the modern ולאלא for "or not." ASE.

Late letter in Judaeo-Arabic from Avraham Reuven, in Tripoli, to a business partner in Fustat.

Late letter in Hebrew, mentioning Avraham Castro (line 5). Needs further examination.

Late family/business letter in Judaeo-Arabic from Elʿazar Sadīd. He greets numerous people including Yūsuf Shoshan, Doña Najma, the boy Aharon Shoshan, the brother David Sadīd, Murayḥib, Maryam, and everyone else in the house. Needs further examination