Geniza Lab

Medical recipes and remedies in Ladino from an extensive chain of joins that suggest the existence of a broader compilation. On the recto there are ingredients and/or components such as a "wick / קאנדיל" (l. 5r) and below that there is mention of "pearl" and "coral" (l. 8r). On the verso, one entry is dedicated "para kurar la kabesa / for curing the head" and "sesame oil / טאחינה" may be in use. Further down on the verso, olive oil is also mentioned as an ingredient. MCD.

Verso: Genesis 2:17–22 in Arabic translation and Arabic script. Recto: Genesis 2:1–3 in Hebrew with interlinear Arabic translation in probably the same hand.

Recto: Literary text in Hebrew. Verso: Literary text in Judaeo-Arabic. The excerpt is either from Kitab Zahr al-Ādāb wa-Thamar al-Albāb by al-Ḥuṣarī al-Qayrawānī (d. 1061 CE) or from the source that he quotes, Abū l-Faḍl al-Mīkālī (d. 1045 CE). ASE

On recto a dirge in Hebrew. On verso probably from book of Josiphon. AA

Prayer, probably. In Judaeo-Arabic. Calligraphic/blocky hand.

Hebrew poetry.

See join for description.

Leaf from a geographic treatise written in a combination of Judaeo-Arabic and Arabic script.

Four tiny fragments, on vellum. Fragment No. 1r – two pieces from the same text. Deals with the obligations of the groom toward his bride. It is not a marriage or a legal document, but a literary text from the genre of אזהרות, usually to be read in Shavuot. Fragment 2r contains two minute fragments, one is from the same manuscript as fragment 1, while the other one in a completely different hand and probably belonging to another document. Hebrew. AA

Small fragment, probably from a literary text (astronomical?) in Judaeo-Arabic. The Lieberman catalog (cited in FGP) connects this shelfmark with ENA 3571.2, but the two shelfmarks are not related. There was also a previous PGP description that said that verso includes a qedusha for Purim, but that must also be referring to a different shelfmark.

Poetry in Judaeo-Persian with a sprinkling of Hebrew. One part enumerates miracles in the time of the prophets (e.g., Daniel in the lions' den).

Literary text(s) in Hebrew and Judaeo-Arabic.

Autograph fragment of Maimonides' epitomes of Galen. Belongs together with T-S Ar.21.112 and JRL SERIES A 1019, ed. Hopkins, "A New Autograph Fragment of Maimonides's "Epitomes" of Galen ("De Locis Affectis")," BSOAS vol. 57 no. 1 (1994), pp. 126–32. (Information from Amir Ashur.)

A tale from Kalīla wa-Dimna in Judaeo-Arabic. In the hand of Yosef b. Yaʿaqov Rosh ha-Seder ha-Bavli (active late 12th and early 13th century). A goldsmith fell into a pitfall (zibya) together with a monkey, a snake, and a tiger. A traveler passed by and peered in and lowered a rope to save the man, but each time he lowered the rope, one of the animals came up instead. The animals instructed him not to save the goldsmith, because they would be sincere in their gratitude whereas the goldsmith would not. The traveler doesn't heed their advice and saves the man. All the animals and the man honor the traveler and tell him that they will help him if he ever comes through their city, Nawārjūr. The Geniza fragment ends here but the continuation can be read in the versions of Kalīla wa-Dimna available online (e.g., https://al-maktaba.org/book/26537/296#p1 or Bodleian Library MS. Pococke 400, fol. 143a at digital.bodleian.ox.ac.uk). When the man comes to the city, the monkey welcomes him by bringing him fresh fruit. The tiger welcomes him by killing the king's daughter and bringing him her jewels. The traveler brings the jewels to the goldsmith intending to have him sell the jewels on his behalf. The goldsmith betrays him and goes to the king and says that he's captured the man who murdered his daughter. Ultimately the snake cunningly manages to save the traveler from execution, and the king executes the goldsmith in his place as punishment for betraying a benefaction. Interestingly, in the published editions of Kalīla wa-Dimna and in the Arabic manuscripts, the third animal is a babr (tiger/leopard/lion) whereas in this fragment it is spelled "nabr," which does not refer to any large cats according to the Arabic dictionaries. Presumably the letter was undotted in the Arabic manuscript which Yosef used as a template and he mistakenly read it as a nūn, or else "nabr" was a dialectal variant. Another interesting discrepancy is that the name of the city seems to have as many spellings as there are manuscripts: here it is spelled Nawārjūr/נוארגור/نوارجور. You can compare ~25 different editions of this story in ~10 different languages with the Kalīla Reader app: https://www.theobeers.com/kwd-reader/#ch=17-Tg&ver=prompt. On verso there is additional (unrelated?) text also in the hand of Yosef Rosh ha-Seder. It is fragmentary and difficult to understand; needs examination. ASE

Not a legal document. Poetic phrases, probably from a piyyut, based on the title גירה (= another) in the middle of the page. On verso ,מולאי אלדיין אלאגל, which can denotes to the name of the poet of this piyyut. AA

Medical recipes in Ladino.

Love/wine poetry in Judaeo-Arabic.

Love/wine poetry in Judaeo-Arabic.

Calendrical text. In two different hands; one of them looks like Moshe b. Levi ha-Levi.

Instructions for a would-be ascetic. In Judaeo-Arabic. Dating: likely first half of the 13th century. On recto: אעלם באן //טאלב// אלזהד.. אלא באן יתקדם... וסאלך וכאיף [ומ]חב ועאבד... ומתגה דאים נחוה ועאמל... פארח שאכר כמא ירד.... אעמאלה מא קד אמר... [מצות] עשה... מצות לא [תעשה]... On verso: ושרב אלכמר... אנקטאע פי אלברארי... בין אקואם קד גלבת...