Geniza Lab

Letter from Shemuel the Third b. Hoshana, Jerusalem, to Shemarya b. al-Hanan, the leader of the Babylonian Jewish community in Fustat ca. 1010. Shemuel writes to introduce the young Natan b. Avraham. (Information from CUDL)

Letter from Yaʿaqov b. Ismail al-Andalusi, in Sicily, to Yoshua b. Natan al-Andalusi, in Fustat. Dealing with business matters and listing prices of goods in Sicily. Dated ca. 1050 (Gil's dating). (Information from Ben-Sasson, and from Gil)

Strongly worded circular letter sent by Moses Maimonides to the country-side community, soliciting them to contribute to the ransom of captives. The two senior judges of Fustat, Hiyya b. Yiṣḥaq and Efrayim b. Meshullam had been sent to Palestine, probably to approach the Franks, who might have taken captives when they sacked Bilbays on November 3, 1168. A sermon in Hebrew is written in the wide spaces between the lines. verso, in Hebrew, unrelated. (Information from Mediterranean Society, II, pp. 548, 549; V, pp. 54, 55.) BL OR 5533.1, T-S 12.238, and T-S 16.9 are all versions of the same letter.

Copies of letters by Rav Sherira Gaon, dealing with money matters.

A booklet containing copies of eight letters by Rav Sherira Gaon and one letter by Rav Hayye Gaon. End of the 10th century. The letter by Rav Hayye Gaon is addressed to the sister of Yosef b. Ḥasan b. Bundār, probably a community leader in Northern Iraq. All letters mainly deal with financial matters; the first seven mention places in Yemen. (Information from Gil, Kingdom, Vol. 2, pp. 83-84.)

Letter, probably from Damascus, in which fifteen elders admonish a community in another country to bring to court a merchant against whom a widow held no fewer then twenty documents of indebtedness. His claims against the orphans of Ibn Saba had to be dealt with separately. Dated 10th century.

Fragment of a letter by Israel ha-Kohen Gaon b. Shemuel to a certain Alluf, concerning books which he promised to send the addressee. The sender also mentions a conflict he is engaged in and describes his efforts to conciliate his rivals. Dated Heshvan 1334/ October 1022. (Information from Gil, Kingdom, Vol. 2, p. 171)

Letter to Abū l-Ḥusayn b. Abū l-Khayr al-ʿAkkāwī, Fustat, from his uncle (khāl) Ṣadoq b. Namir he-Ḥaver, Tiberias. "The imprisonment (and torture) of defaulting debtors was common practice. The letter here tells about the imprisonment of the wives and children of absconding debtors, who owed money to Eschiva (Echive), the countess of Tiberias and wife of the renowned Raymond III of Tripoli. One wonders for what services Jews could owe considerable sums to the countess so that they had to flee to Egypt in order to try to collect there funds for repayment. The most likely assumption is that the services were the same as those found so often as a source of disaster in the relations with the Muslim government, namely: tax farming, see Med Soc II, 361–63. Raymond, who is referred to in this letter, returned from Muslim captivity in 1173/74, and Eschiva remained ruler over Tiberias until it was taken by Saladin in 1187. Thus the letter must have been written sometime in between these two dates." Goitein, Nachlass material. This document is also mentioned, considering the perspective of the addressee's wife, in Ashur, Engagement and Betrothal Documents, p. 116, no. 121. VMR. ASE.

Letter from Minyat Zifta to Fustat. The writer had been sent to Minyat Zifta to deliver an instruction to the judge Shabbetay b. Avraham (active 1135-78), it seems to summon him to Fustat. Upon arriving in Minyat Zifta, he found an epidemic that had caused a large number of deaths in the Jewish community. The writer emphasizes Shabbetay's willingness to obey but awaits instruction on whether he still needs to come in light of the circumstances. The writer also conveys the complaint of various locals that every other town in the Rif has a synagogue, but they do not. (Information from Mediterranean Society, V, pp. 113, 537). EMS; ASE.

Letter in the handwriting of the Ascalon scholar and scribe Natan b. Mevorakh, from Avraham (Ibrahim) b. Ḥalfon b. Nahum to Eli ha-Kohen b. Yahya in Fustat, Egypt, regarding communal friction over the muqaddam (local community head) of Ascalon appointed by the Ra'is al-Yahud (Head of the Jews of the Fatimid empire) David b. Daniel. November 17, 1087, or November 13, 1090.

Letter from Simḥa Kohen, probably in Alexandria, to Abū l-Manṣūr. Dating: ca. 1205 CE. The writer complains about the extortions of a tax farmer who claimed that many people had executed the transfers of the ownership of their houses before a Jewish court without registering them with the government. (Information from Mediterranean Society, IV, pp. 90, 365). See also Goitein notes and index card linked below.

Letter from Avraham Kohen. In Judaeo-Arabic. Dating: Ca. 15th century. Reports on the complaint of a teacher from Ṣafad who had settled in Gaza, to the effect that the local leader had incited the boys of the congregation (sibyan al-yahud) against him, a charge that the leader strongly denied. (Information from Mediterranean Society, II, p. 62, Goitein's index cards, and CUDL.)

Recto: letter. The top half of the leaf contains greetings to various people (including several cantors), written in brown ink. The lower half consists of an addendum, in a different hand and ink, with business instructions, On the top on recto, greetings to various persons, dated 1578 of the Seleucid Era (= 1266/67 CE). Verso: a few lines in a different hand. (Information from CUDL.)

Letter of recommendation. Avraham Maimonides recommends the Nasi ʿOvadya to the community of Bilbays ('to honor him and give him hospitality') after having given special instructions to its dayyan Perahya. (Information from Mediterranean Society, V, p. 490, and from Goitein's index cards)

Letter from a file of Avraham Maimonides' court, written to the Dayyan Nissim, in the hand of Shelomo Ha-Melammed b. Eliyyahu the judge.

Two letters (attached to each other), from Farah b. Isma’il b. Farah and from Yosef b. Eli ha-Kohen Fasi, from Alexandria, to Nahray b. Nissim, Fustat. Around 1054. Both letters are in the handwriting of Farah and probably were written separately and were attached later. The first letter contains details about shipments of coins and importing metals as copper, iron, and lead, as well as wax, and Persian fabrics. The other letter contains details about deals with Muslims, different instructions to Nahray, and some information about ships. (Information from Gil, Kingdom, Vol. 3, #395) VMR

Barakat b. Abu al-Ḥasan from Alexandria writes to his relative, Eliyyahu b. Zechariah, the Judge, in Fustat. In the letter, Barakat reports the death of Anatoli, the Judge, and the appointment of R. Shemuel to the post of Muqaddam (community official), despite the enactment forbidding the appointment of Jews of French or Byzantine origin for this post. The year is 1228. (Information from Frenkel)

Letter from Tanḥum b. Sulaymān, in Jerusalem, to his mother and three brothers, Abū Mūsā, Ḥayyim and Aharon (or two brothers, Abū Mūsā Ḥayyim and Aharon?), in Baṣra. In Judaeo-Persian. Dating: late 10th or early 11th century. The writer discusses the transfer of money and trade of different goods, such as textiles; precious stones and pearls from Aleppo and Homs; and Torah codices from Basra and Baghdad. The writer mentions the Maghrebis, who arrived (in Jerusalem?) during the year and made purchases. Several individuals are also mentioned in the letter: Abū l-Ḥasan, ʿAlī, Yehoshuaʿ, Daryā(?), Mūsā, Hārūn and Abū ʿUmar. The letter is labeled "L3" in Shaul Shaked's (unpublished) classification of Early Judeo-Persian texts. OH. Ludwig Paul's 2021 translation, which was in turn based on an unpublished translation of Shaked's (this version received a very light edit from Marina Rustow): 1. In the name of God. 2. (To) mother, (may you have) a long life and a good end, and (to the) dear exalted(?) brothers … 3. (to) Abū Mūsā, Ḥayyim, and Aharon, sons of Sulaymān, (from?) Tanḥūm, (son of?) Sulaymān, eternal … 4. May God‘s blessing be upon your body and soul. In that week, your letter … 5. Baghdad in his heart. But God [may ...?] upon the dear mother (and) [brothers?] … 6. I was aware. I wrote you two-three letters (in) response, for explanation … 7. Abū l-Ḥasan, may he have a long life, (and) may God give him strength. And I wish that it arrives (at) your hands. You wrote th(at) … 8. I want to go. I hope that you arrived in peace, and (that you) se(nt) your letter … 9. (in?) health from Basra quickly, God willing. And (by) my day and night, I … 10. so as to see you, and so it is my resolution that (I come?) after Passover … 11. And I do not know what has befallen me, but of that which is in my heart … 12. all kinds of things, on account of you and on account of mother, may she have a long life, and the [dear?] sister[s] … 13. I cannot describe it in writing. May God illuminate upon [your] body … 14. and the whole of Israel, and may He send His relief by His grace and me[rcy] … 15. You wrote, “I have given 500 s.” I was aware (of it), and I also sent, before this, 16. a bi[ll of exchange] … over 300 s, so that you (pl.) may give it by way of assignment … (?) … 17. Sīnīzī fabric. Then, from the (?)check, he wrote a bill (of exchange) over 100 s. 18. I have given back (the) 100 [s]. Then, (if?) he gives 200 on a day, this ʿAlī comes back 19. and takes an additional invoice from him, upon (the account of) Yehoshuaʿ, Daryā, Mūsā, 20. (and) Hārūn. Don‘t act otherwise and fulfill your work. You wrote that someone 21. came from Damascus and brought rubies, emeralds, and pearls for 1,000 dinar and 22. sold (them) in Baghdad. Know (sg.) that he brought this from Aleppo and Homs and that region. 23. And whenever they bring (it) from that region, (it is) in abundance here 24. and they make a nice profit with it, because in that region 25. it comes (lit., “falls”) cheap. Then, anything of this kind that comes (along), buy (pl.) (it) cheap. 26. And buy old pearls, because they are valuable here. This year, many Maghrebis 27. came and made (their) purchases. And I wrote you (pl.) quite some copies (i.e., letters), 28. and whatever I wrote, act according to it. You, dear mother – (may you have a) long life –, 29. know that anything you wrote, I was aware of the bitternesses that have befallen you, 30. but what can one do except thank God? Whatever He does, 31. all (of it) is just judgement. (?Even) more of this (has) remained: let Him strike us 32. (with) hardship, and may He end (it), with His grace and mercy. I cannot 33. write you now (out) of (my) grief on account of you and on account of the dear sisters. 34. And (as for) the complaint(s) of brother Abū ʿUmar, (of which) you wrote, and the losses (which) they were (for) you, 35. one cannot do anything. Verso 1. Then, for these reasons, I (will) arrange to come after Passover, 2. because my heart is not calm. May God, the Exalted and Mighty, illuminate 3. your body (and) the whole of Israel, by His grace and mercy. 4. And fulfill your task, and treat brother Abū ʿUmar well, for it is possible that 5. he may return to you these 5,000 s after all these years, 6. because I know that he has made some profit with it. And (if?) he does not 7. give this, he will do it for God’s sake, may God put (“throw”) mercy for you (lit., “your mercy”) in his heart, 8. amen. Now, arrange to fulfill (your) task, in any 9. way there is, do not stop (writing) (“do not cut off”) your letter(s). May God’s blessings be upon 10. your (pl.) body and soul. This letter (was) written from Jerusalem, 11. (on) Monday, the 20th of Ṭevet. Accept greeting(s) from our house, upon 12. young (and) old of you. Greeting(s). Make an effort to read (it) to (my) 13. dear young sister, may she have a long life, so that she reads (it) quickly. And 14. write me your letters. May that the Lord of this world not cut me off, so that I may see you again, 15. by His grace. Greetings. Fine Torah codices, anything that would come 16. from Basra and Baghdad, buy (it), for there is (a) good profit in it. Address: right 1. (To?) ... and? Abū Mūsā, may God give them both a long life and extend (their) glory 2. (To?) Abū Sulaymān, may God make them both happy Address: middle From Tanḥūm b. Sulaymān Address: left (To be delivered) in Basra, God willing.

Fragment of a letter from Sharira Gaon. (Information from Gil, Kingdom, Vol. 2, #35) VMR

Letter, detailed, sent from Tripolitania, Libya, by a man to his brother who had settled many years before in Alexandria. Dated August 1089. (Information from Goitein's index cards)