Geniza Lab

Two fragments of a late letter in Judaeo-Arabic to Sulaymān Palias (?).

Two fragments of a late letter in Judaeo-Arabic to Sulaymān Palias (?).

Fragment of a begging letter addressed to Avraham Maimonides in the name of a poor, sick man.

An Abū Zikrī Kohen order of payment.

The earliest document on this fragment is a legal document in the hand of Ḥalfon b. Menashshe (dates: 1100–38). Only a few letters from the beginnings of a few lines are preserved. Ḥalfon then tore up the document for scrap paper. On verso, he wrote an informal note to an unnamed court official, "I searched the shimmush [court ledger] thoroughly and found nothing. My master the Nezer (=Natan b. Shemuel, active 1128–53) said that it is to be found in the old shimmush that is in the house of Sayyidnā." Back on recto, there may be the response to Ḥalfon's request, likely written after the addressee had checked the old shimmush for the desired information: "Write for her two skullcaps and a veil worth two dinars, and a red skullcap worth half a dinar." (Information from Oded Zinger's forthcoming edition.)

Recto: Letter from Moshe b. Levi ha-Levi to his brother Yedutun ha-Levi. Stating that he has sent with the bearer 1 3/4 dirhams, along with small quantities of other items, and he requests to borrow a notebook and copy it, and he tells him twice to come see him this very night. Verso: The response, from Yedutun to Moshe. Stating that the silver is actually 1 5/8 dirhams, perhaps a correction to what was written on recto. ASE

Letter to a friend of the late Shemuel b. Ḥofni Gaon complaining that the latter’s son did not keeps the agreements between the writer and Shemuel b. Ḥofni. Verso is blank. Goitein identified the writer as Hayye Gaon (see Goitein notes linked below). Gill and Mann considered the writer to be Dosa Gaon b. Saʿadya (Gil, Kingdom, Vol. 2, p. 163 and Mann, Texts and Studies, Vol. 1, p. 153.)

Recto: Fragment of a Judaeo-Arabic letter, perhaps involving a muqaddam and a communal dispute. But needs further examination. Verso: Complete but very faded Judaeo-Arabic letter. The last line: "In the corner there is a kerchief in which there is verdigris (zinjār) and coriander."

Letter from Yefet b. Menashshe to his brother Abu l-Surūr Peraḥya b. Menashshe. In Judaeo-Arabic. Fragment (left side of recto). Mentions: something that was in the bag (kharīṭā); white giant fennel (? kalkh abyaḍ — see Gerrit Bos et al, Marwān Ibn Janāḥ, nos. 460, 797); a request to purchase 'Judaic stone' (ḥajar al-yahūdī — ibid., no. 363), long pepper (dār filfil), some more commodities which are difficult to decipher (חב כלא? שירכשך?) and seed of the marking nut (ḥabb balādhur). Regards to Abū l-Khayr.

Letter fragment, preserving only the opening line, seven lines from the top margin and, on verso, the address. The letter is addressed to Abū Zikrī Yehuda ha-Kohen b. Yosef ha-Kohen descendant of Yehosef ha-Kohen Bet Din. Greetings are sent to Ibrāhīm b. Yaḥyā and his brothers Abū l-[...] and Abū l-Maʿālī. Verso contains the address in Arabic script and in Judaeo-Arabic. (Information from CUDL)

A ten-word note to Abū l-Najm the Parnas to give bread to the bearer. The text on the other side is from a table of Psalms, see Moss. VII,192.3 for the page from which it was torn

Recto: A table of Psalms. Verso: The same note as on the preceding shelfmark, for Abū l-Najm the Parnas to give bread to the bearer. There are also two introductory lines of a letter to Moshe the Judge.

Opening of a letter, with address on verso; no names preserved. (Information from CUDL)

The middle (vertical) third of a very long letter addressed perhaps to Mordechai ha-Kohen b. Abū ʿImrān al-Kohen Sarārifī (?). Due to the fragmentary nature it is hard to follow the story, but the topics include the following: the writer's arrival in al-Maḥalla; staying in the funduq, sad and weeping; nobody giving him any money; Damascus; and perhaps the writer's dependence on the addressee's charity. He sends regards to Abū l-Maʿānī b. al-Amshāṭī and to Abū Faḍā'il al-Talmid. ASE.

Letter of appeal from a blind (maḍrūr) man Moshe who is unable to work and distressed on account of the capitation tax. Rather than asking for charity, he asks the addressee if he can think of any employment in his shop for the writer ("do you plan to open? . . . I heard from Ibrāhīm that you mentioned to him that you plan to open this Friday.") If there is no work directly in the shop, he writes that he would even work for a Gentile. He then asks for a loan of two dinars for the jāliya and promises to repay it as soon as possible. He perishes from sitting at home all day on account of the capitation tax owed. ASE.

Fragment of a business letter in Judaeo-Arabic.

Fragment of a letter in Hebrew addressing 'the elders.'

Fragments from a letter, probably an 11th-century mercantile letter.

Letter of appeal in Hebrew, probably 14th century or later, including lengthy praises for the addressee and then a request to help with the [poll?] tax, as the writer and his family are unable to leave the house.

Fragment from a letter of appeal in which the writer alludes to news 'that made my chest constrict and the world collapse on me.' He intends to travel in the Rīf in search of a living, but he does not even have the money to rent a pack animal. He asks the addressee for a loan of three dirhams to rent an animal, and perhaps a little more for provisions.