Geniza Lab

Fragment (narrow sliver containing the beginnings of the lines) of a letter by Yefet b. Menashshe b. al-Qaṭā'if

Tiny fragment of a Judaeo-Arabic letter.

Tiny fragment of a Judaeo-Arabic letter.

One side: small fragment of a Judaeo-Arabic letter. Other side: Arabic text. Needs further examination. The name Abū l-Barakāt appears, and perhaps the phrase "ḥaqq al-bayʿ" and perhaps the names of different streets.

Fragment of a Judaeo-Arabic letter mentioning Gaza and appealing for money for the redemption of captives, citing various biblical and rabbinic dicta, and how virtuous deeds rescue you from the Day of Judgment and hellfire (nar jahannam). Interestingly, "The bearer of this letter will be the translator (?! turjumān) for you of these letters."

Fragment of a late letter in Judaeo-Arabic, including the sad phrase "your brothers died."

Small fragment of a Judaeo-Arabic letter, probably mercantile, including the phrase "I sent it to Qayrawan."

Fragment of a Judaeo-Arabic business letter, mentioning Shabbetay b. Yosef.

Fragment (left side of recto, right side of verso) of a Judaeo-Arabic letter. Mentions Purim and Abū l-Faḍl. Very faded.

Fragment of a Judaeo-Arabic letter to Nahray b. Nissim (address in Arabic)

Recto: Brief note in Judaeo-Arabic, reassuring the recipient that everyone is well and that conditions in the region are the same as they have been. After the holiday, certain people will decide whether or not they will visit the recipient. Verso: Shabbat zemirot?

Recto: Beginning of a letter in Arabic from Abū l-Barakāt to a person with a long string of titles ending with al-Ḥakīm Abū l-Maḥāsin. Verso: A short account in Judaeo-Arabic. "That which I owe to Abū l-Barakāt al-Q[...] b. Sulaymāt al-Kohen: 33 dirhams. He collected on the Friday of Ki Tetze 7 dirhams, so the remaining amount is 26 dirhams."

Late letter in Judaeo-Arabic from a certain Reuven [Najjar y Feliz?] to Moshe Najjar y Feliz, probably his brother, dated 4 Settembre '56. It deals primarily with the trade in textiles and clothing. In addition to the recipient, two other business partners are awaiting news and a shipment from the writer: Se. Simḥa (אלס׳ סמחה) and Se. Iro (? אלס׳ אירו). The writer has sent a shipment bearing the the name "Fratelli Najjar" in Italian ("fī-l-talyāno") and bearing the initials FN (which he writes out in Latin script). Another interesting linguistic feature: the recipient seems to be addressed in the second line as "O Mosas" (יא מוזאז). In the second line of the margin, the writer alludes to information that R. Moshe Castro had conveyed to the recipient, suggesting a date of mid-16th-century—so perhaps 4 September, 1556 CE. ASE.

Almost certainly the address of the letter in the previous shelfmark: to Fusṭāṭ, to Fratelli Najjar. Again mentions Moshe Castro in a postscript.

Judaeo-Arabic letter, very faded.

Fragment of a deferent Judaeo-Arabic letter mentioning something that arrived form Damascus; something the writer sent with Yaʿqūb; Rabbenu Ḥananel; "the matter of the dyer"; and a matter that the mawlā is asked to take care of.

Fragment of a Judaeo-Arabic letter including the phrases: "I have not done [...] for three months. . . Rabbenu [...]a ha-Dayyan arrived. . . al-Shaykh al-Shammās was present with us. . . . the Sefer Torah."

End of a petition from someone identifying himself as a certified hazzan to two people in Cairo requesting their assistance. The writer refers to someone, perhaps al-Ḥasan Abu Sahl (?), taking an oath in the Palestinian synagogue. Undated. Verso is blank.

Probably a continuation of the letter on recto, referring to 'the medium board' (al-lawḥ al-wasṭānī) of the boy Yiṣḥaq. The writer wants to be informed about everything.

Letter written by a man to his nephew. The lines preserved are mostly in Hebrew and mention the addressee's father. Dating: Probably no earlier than 13th century, on paleographic grounds. Verso appears to be in the same hand and is probably the continuation.