Geniza Lab

Letter addressed to Hodaya b. Yishai the Exilarch from Damascus who visited Egypt in the 1230s to solicit money from the communities there and overstayed his welcome. This letter mentions that Hodaya's brother (probably Shelomo b. Yishai) had visited the community from which the letter was sent. From other documents we know that Hodaya spent a lot of time in Alexandria, and this letter may have been sent to him there. Verso: Letter in Arabic with pen trials written between the lines. (Information from CUDL)

Recto and verso: Last leaf of a letter from a woman to Sitt Khuṣrawān. In Judaeo-Arabic. Expressing deep regret that the addresse, whom she revered more than her own mother, was leaving the country. This regret was shared by Abū l-Fakhr b. al-Dimyāṭī. On the reverse side a male person addresses another male leaving the country. The same scribe wrote both sides; the hand is notable for large, beautiful letters and the substitution of shin for sin. The names Menashshe and Zayn are mentioned. (Information from Goitein's index card.)

Fragment of a Judaeo-Arabic letter in poor handwriting, including alephs that are often separated by internal spaces and gimels that extend well below the baseline. Many people are named: Abū l-Barakāt; Yiṣḥaq b. Abū l-Ḥusayn; Abū l-Faḍl; Aḥmad b. ʿAlī al-Baghdādī; and Abū l-Fatḥ.

Letter in Judaeo-Arabic. Fragment (right lower part only). Dating: Late 11th century. Describing communal strife and what appears to be an uprising of common people (such as cobblers) in Alexandria. The dispute also involved a Jewish judge, a Muslim Judge, the Rayyis and the Nagid Mevorakh. Some of the leaders of the community and their families are mentioned in the letter. On verso there is a portion of the Passover Haggada, including the Ha Laḥma and Four Questions, fully vocalised with Judaeo-Arabic instructions (unvocalised). (Information from Frenkel and CUDL.)

Fragment of a calligraphic letter from the head of the Palestinian Yeshiva in Tyre (located there in 1090 CE), to the dignitary Shemuel b. Yehuda (called הוד המשכילים עזר הישיבה). Wide space (2.5cm) between the lines. With greetings to Shemuel's son Yaḥyā. The addressee may identical with the person mentioned in T-S 13J34.5, v10. (Information from CUDL and Goitein's index card.)

Letter from the merchant Abū l-Riḍā ha-Kohen in Tiberias to his brother Seʿadya, in Jerusalem. In Judaeo-Arabic with the address mainly in Arabic script on verso. Abū l-Riḍā had traveled from Jerusalem to Tiberias via Nablus and Beisan (Beit Shean). Dating: ca. 11th century (unclear on what basis). Verso: Arabic letter mentioning sums of money. On verso there are several different text blocks in Arabic script. One is a formal letter with wide space between the lines, which probably was the earliest writing on this fragment. Another is an order of payment for Abū l-Riḍā to give the bearer 5.5 dinars. Needs further examination.

Long letter from Yaʿaqov b. Salīm, in al-Juwwa (near Aden, Yemen), to the judge and parnas Natan ha-Kohen b. Shelomo, in Fustat. Quoting Deuteronomy 32:43 and Isaiah 33:24. Dated: Tishrei 1445 of the Seleucid Era (= 1133 CE). Natan had previously written asking the Aden community for money on behalf of the Palestinian Gaonate but Yaʿaqov reports that because of disagreements with the community in Yemen he is not on good terms with them and has moved away. (Information from CUDL.) See also Goitein notes linked below.

Shelomo b. Eliyyahu writes to a relative (his father-in-law Abū l-Faraj?) complaining about the behavior of Abū l-Barakāt (Sitt Ghazāl’s paternal uncle and Shelomo’s first cousin), who sent a letter to Abū l-Faḍl b. ‘Atā’ b. Ḥasan inquiring about Shelomo's mistreatment of his wife Sitt Ghazāl. Abū l-Faḍl confronted Shelomo after he exited the synagogue. This behavior sickened Shelomo, who alludes four times to his “relapse” (naksah). Shelomo complains that Abū l-Barakāt sees himself as too important and Shelomo as too inconsequential to write directly to him, instead involving strangers in the matter. Those who extend greetings are Shelomo, Sitt Ghazāl, his father (Eliyyahu the Judge), his mother (Sitt Rayḥān), his brother the physician Abū Zikri, his brother-in-law Simḥah, his maternal aunt (and mother-in-law) Umm Abū l-‘Izz, and her son Abū l-‘Izz. Greetings are extended to the recipient, to Abū l-Barakāt with blessings for his son, and to their father Abū l-Ḥasan (Shelomo’s paternal uncle). Sitt al-Fakhr and her daughter are also mentioned. Cf. Mediterranean Society, III, p. 435 and Goitein's index cards.

Letter from the beginning of the thirteenth century from a man who was staying in Alexandria to the Nasi, Shelomo b. Yishai, who was in Cairo. The writer arrived to Alexandria on commercial business, to deal with an order of pillows, carpets and clothes for the Nasi from local artisans. The local Judge, R. Elazar ha-Dayan, was also involved with the Nasi's order. (Information from Frenkel. Frenkel does not mention that Gil published the verso of the document and treats the two sides as parts of the same letters. Gil summarizes the letter: Letter sent from Alexandria to the Nasi Shelomo b. Yishai in Fustat by one of his students. The letter deals with making linens and pillows for the Nasi in Alexandria. The people of Alexandria are anxious to hear the lessons of the Nasi.

Letter from Alexandria to the nasi Shelomo b. Yishay, Fustat, from one of his supporters. Around 1240. The letter mentions products that people make in Alexandria for the Nasi, such as robes, turbans, pillows, and bedsheets. Also mentions that the people of Alexandria are eager to hear the Nasi’s lessons and lectures. (Information from Gil, Kingdom, Vol. 2, #100) VMR

Letter in Judaeo-Arabic, probably 13th-century or later, from a physician or druggist to a respected person named Avraham who also has a son named Shelomo. The writer greets Avraham's wife and wishes her a speedy recovery. He then says he was greatly distressed ("it utterly blotted out my mind") to learn of the illness "of the noble mother." The word used to describe her state is khudūra—numbness or paralysis? withdrawal to women's quarters? Another possibility is that the khudūra refers to the writer's own mental faculties and the impact on him of the news of the mother's setback. In any case, the great bulk of the letter it taken up with conventional expressions of longing and respect. He concludes, "As for what you insisted that the slave respond to every letter and letter, I have done so in a separate letter that has been sent with this one. As for what you mentioned regarding the hiera [a medicine], the slave intends to make it this very week, God willing." ASE

Letter from Avraham b. Yaʿaqov Der'i to Mevorakh b. Saadya. A new governor arrives at the city and is received by the leaders of the Jewish community, who are headed by Avraham. The new governor promises to protect the community and carries a recommendation letter from Mevorakh. The tax burden also seems to have been somewhat lifted. This is a monumental letter, meant to be hung in the synagogue for public view. The letter was written after 1094, as can be seen from Mevorakh's titles. (Information from Frenkel. Goitein adds that the letter complains that a certain 'Rum' had rented storehouses belonging to one merchant, but had left for 'their' country without having paid for them. For reasons not stated, the governor of the city was not prepared to take action to redress that complaint).

Letter from Shelomo b. Yehuda to David b. Aharon, ca. 1040, concerning an inheritance that was left by a person from Ramla (Mevaser) who had three sons. Zabga b. Yehoshua ha-Ḥaver has been requested to represent the two younger sons but has not fulfilled his role. David b. Aharon is requested to solve the problem. (Information from Gil, Palestine, vol. 2 p. 226-227, #125). VMR

Recto: Letter from a Karaite in Alexandria to the Karaite Nasi David b. Hasdai, concerning support for the Nasi from the Karaite communities in the Maghreb. Dating: 12th century. The letter opens with many very deferent phrases and congratulations on the addressee's recovery from illness. Verso: Draft of a rhymed Hebrew opening to a letter. (Information from CUDL)

Letter from Barhūn b. Yiṣḥaq to Nahray b. Nissim, January 27, 1047

Letter from Shelomo b. Yehuda to Efrayim b. Shemarya. Dating: ca. 1030. In Hebrew, with the address in Arabic.

Letter from the community of Rabbanite Jews, in Ramla, to the community of Rabbanite Jews in Fustat. Dating: ca. 1050 CE. In a mixture of Hebrew and Judaeo-Arabic, with the address in Arabic script. Discusses the following matters: (1) praises for the congregation of Fustat (r1–12); (2) greetings (r12–17); (3) acknowledging the letter received from the Fustat congregation (r17–20); (4) apologies for the brevity of this letter (which is at least 50 lines and half a meter long), as the community is being persecuted and the Av Bet Din is wanted by the government (r21–24); (5) reporting that when Daniel b. ʿAzarya passed through Ramla en route to Egypt, they honored him, but they hadn't realized that Daniel had previously gone to Jerusalem, where the Gaon Shelomo b. Yehuda and his son Avraham ha-Reviʿi prayed for him and declared him the heir-apparent to the gaonate (r25–30); (6) when Daniel arrived in Ramla, he "took control" of the marketplace and appointed a Maghribī as deputy; there was a dispute over kosher slaughter, and the community of Ramla decided to boycott meat (r30–36); (7) a new kashrut supervisor was appointed, which was even worse; Daniel b. ʿAzarya gained further power (r37–47); when the conflict worsened, Daniel asked Ibn ʿAllūn, an influential Jew in Ashqelon, to intervene with the amīr to have Yosef Av Bet Din fired and banished. The amīr wanted the approval of the gaon before doing this, so Daniel wrote to the gaon (l. 50), who granted approval. The amir then required further approval from... (the fragment ends here) (r47–54). One of the important new pieces of information contained in this letter is that when Daniel b. ʿAzarya assumed the gaonate in 1051 CE, this was exactly as planned by Shelomo b. Yehuda and his followers. (Information from Goitein's published edition, index card, Mediterranean Society, IV, p. 442, and CUDL.)

Letter by the Palestinian cantor, Yefet b. ʿAmram Ibn al-Jāzfīnī/Ghāzfīnī, praising his host Hillel, the elder son of prince Yosef b. Yaʿaqov Ibn ʿAwkal, and asking Hillel to come to his rescue after he had traveled to Alexandria, where he hoped to make money with his vocal art, but incurred debts and pawned some of his indispensable belongings. Dating: ca. 1040 CE. (Information from Mediterranean Society, V, p. 35)

Recto: letter by Elḥanan b. Shemarya, referring to Abū Saʿd and Abū Ibrahim al-Andalusī, with three lines of a piyyuṭ composed by Sahlān b. Abraham. Verso: piyyuṭ composed by Sahlān b. Abraham. (Information from CUDL)

Letter from Elijah (probably in Salonika) to his brother, a scholar (probably in Fusṭāṭ), written in the 11th-century. The letter mentions Elijah’s compatriot, Abū ʿAlī, who had visited Fusṭāṭ and brought back letters from Elijah's brother, and letters for a community leader, Elijah b. Shabbetay, dealing with the case of a Jewish man in prison. Elijah’s brother had sent him a gift of a scroll of Esther on vellum, and in return Elijah sent his brother a collection of piyyuṭim. Elijah describes friction between the Karaites and Rabbanites in Byzantium and requests his brother’s help in championing the Karaite cause. (Information from CUDL)