Geniza Lab

Elegy on the death of the wife [actually: the mother] of the Nagid Mevorakh by Sedaqa b. Yehuda in which condolences to the Nagid and his two sons are offered.

Miscellany containing formularies for excommunication (invoking the Shem ha-Meforash) on 74/70v, flowery rhymes for letter openings, etc. On 74/72r a copy of letter of interest to scholars of pilgirmage routes: a letter of recommendation for a pilgrim who came to Salonica from "Russia" (רוסיאה) and does not know neither Hebrew nor Arabic or Greek, but only "the language of Canaan", the local language of his homeland. On 74/71r a formula to be written on the last page of a daftar of the Torah when the copying is finished.

Tafsīr on Leviticus in Judaeo-Arabic in a beautiful hand. Of documentary value because of the ownership notes (on verso of Bodl. MS heb. e 74/81): Avraham b. Yeshaʿya ha-Ḥaver and Shemuel ha-Levi b. Seʿadya (ZL) (a judge who served in Maimonides' court).

Poem by Yosef Abitur, sent to the community of Andalusia from the place of his exile.

Literary work on the calendar, in the hand of Moshe b. Levi ha-Levi. Bodl. MS heb. f 102/36 and Bodl. MS heb. f 102/38–39 may be in Moshe's handwriting as well (and Bodl. MS heb. f 102/32–35, also calendrical, is in the hand of his brother Yedutun).

Title page of al-Ḥāwī by David b. Seʿadya al-Ger ("the convert"). See David Sklare, ר' דוד בן סעדיה אלגר וחיבורו אלחאוי, Teʿuda 14, pp. 103–23. (Identification provided by Moshe Yagur.)

Calendrical text in Judaeo-Arabic.

Literary text in Judaeo-Arabic. Giving alchemical recipes, occult correspondences between celestial objects and metals (called ʿaqāqīr), and handy recipes for getting stains, e.g. saffron stains, out of clothing.

Hebrew poetry or liturgical text.

Poem for a groom.

Two poems.

Two poems, celebrating a circumcision.

End of two poems, praising and praying to the Lord; poem for a fiancee.

Poem praising the Lord, by Shelomo b. Yehuda nin Berekhya.

A lament.

Literary.

Copy of a story about the edicts against the Jews in Baghdad and how they were saved. Dating: ca. 1120 CE. The scribe reused numerous documents to create this booklet; see individual PGP records. (Information from Gil, Kingdom, Vol. 2, pp. 228-229.) VMR. ASE.

Hebrew poetry. In a familiar hand. There is one line of Arabic script at the bottom of each page; one of them is clearly Arabic poetry, the other requires examination.

Hebrew poetry. Including some alliterative tongue twisters.

"In Geniza times the Kaddish was a solemn doxology, including a prayer for the living, and, in particular, the spiritual leaders of the community" (Goitein, Med. Soc., viii, C, 2, n. 154). Cf. DK 457. Bibliography: Fleischer, Kovetz al yad 13 (1995-96), p. 94-95.