Geniza Lab

Letter that purports to be from the followers of the King Joseph b. Solomon, near Ancona (Italy), addressed to a certain Avraham. In Hebrew. King Joseph has crossed the Sambatyon river and amassed a mighty army of all the tribes of Israel. The tribes have drawn lots to determine who will march on whom. One part is "camped in the desert" a 4-day march from Rome, and they will soon attack it and conquer it. A second part will conquer Mecca and Jeddda, a third part will gather the dispersed Israelites from the West, while the fourth part will gather the Israelites from 'beyond Eden' (though Mann understands this as Aden) and come back with Elijah the Prophet. This letter is likely related to the messianic activities of David Reuveni in Italy in the years following 1524 CE. See Miriam Eliav-Feldon, "Invented Identities: Credulity in the Age of Prophecy and Exploration," JEMH 3,3 (1999), p. 209f.

Printed copy of a letter that purports to be from the tribes of Gad and Reuben, in the Holy Land, to the tribes of Judah and Benjamin. The latter are urged to repent, especially those who live in Christian lands and have succumbed to mixed marriages. The letter refers to the Jews in the "city of Spain" (note that this is spelled אספיא) and the "city of Italy" (spelled טליא) and among the Philistines. The letter reports that the tribes of Gad and Reuben are living in security and prosperity, successful in all their wars and living in perfect piety. Also, the Jews of India are reported to be more powerful than all their neighbors. Dating: Mann suggests that the reference to the Jews in Spain means that it comes from before the expulsion in 1492. If this surmise is correct, the printed letter does not pertain to the activities of David Reuveni (in contrast to T-S 8J33.2, which probably does) but rather to a more general ferment of interest in the lost tribes of Israel.

Letter from Yeḥiel b. Yiṣḥaq ha-Ṣarfati, in Jerusalem, to an unnamed addressee (probably the judge Menaḥem b. Yiṣḥaq b. Sasson), probably in Cairo. In Hebrew. Dating: Early 13th century. He is inquiring what should be done with the money of the heqdesh that the addressee had endowed for the building of a ritual bath (miqve). There is no need for a miqve, as Yeḥiel has already made one in his own house. The rains have already ended, and the Gentiles do not permit bathing in the Shiloaḥ spring, so there is nowhere else to build one. Yeḥiel argues that it is good for the women to immerse themselves in his house, so that his wife can instruct them on proper practice (including ḥafifa and immersing in the evening rather than the morning). He wants to know if his previous letter arrived with a Gentile named ʿAskar(?). See Roni Shweka's article on this letter and Yeḥiel's subsequent letter, Moss. IV,9 + T-S NS 312.98 + T-S 8J31.4 + T-S 6J9.12 (PGPID 3783).

Letter opening, fragmentary, from Natan b. Avraham to Shelomo b. Natan (Natanel ?), Fustat, approximately 1040. The main body was probably in Judaeo-Arabic. Verso: only the letters רשל in Hebrew script (marked as an abbreviation). (Information from CUDL)

Letter from Ṭoviyya b. ʿEli to Elʿazar b. Yosef, the brother of "the great rabbi" Seʿadʾel b. Yosef. In Judaeo-Arabic with some Hebrew. Fragment (upper part of recto). (Information in part from CUDL)

Upper part of a letter from Musa b. Yusuf b. Nissim, possibly to Ishaq al-Nafusi (line 8), who had written regarding the wife of his son Abu Zikri, apparently asking her to travel. Musa tells him that she cannot travel for several reasons, among them that she has been sick since Sukkot.

Letter written by a woman and sent to the address: 'money-changers' square' in Cairo. (Information from Mediterranean Society, I, p. 448)

Letter, fragmentary, containing greetings and mentioning the Gaon Yaʿaqov and Nethanel ha-Sar, a descendant of Shemarya the Sixth. Alternate description: "Letter in tiny script, addressed on verso to Nathaniel ha-Sar ha-Gadol [...], mentioning a number of other partial names and titles. Letter continues diagonally in the right-hand margin. There is a short note in a different hand written upside-down in the margin on recto, giving Passover greetings from Mevoraḵ ha-Kohen b. Nathan ha-Kohen he-Meʿulle the judge to a woman whose sons are greeted as ‘ha-Sarim ha-Gedolim’. A Judaeo-Arabic letter in a third hand fills the blank space above the address on verso. (Information from CUDL.)

Letter, fragmentary, from Tyre in Hebrew and Arabic, including a Passover greeting and mentioning Natan ha-Kohen and Mevorakh ha-Kohen.

Letter to Abu al-Faraj Nissim b. 'Ayyash from an unidentified sender in Alexandria concerning the payment of 43 dirhams. Reference is made to a woman who should stay with the addressee. Various other people are also mentioned in the body of the letter and in the greetings.

Recto: Letter addressed to Shelomo b. Yehuda, the gaon of the Palestinian yeshiva. Dating: 1025–51 CE. This is a fragment containing 12 lines from the beginning of the letter. In the margins of recto and on verso, there is also a will concerning gold for a man's daughter.

Letter concerning the delivery of a consignment of peas by a slave-agent, which is to be paid for in sal-ammoniac rather than money, and instructions to send sal-ammoniac, garlic, and candles with a third party named Abd al-Wali.

Informal note to Abū Isḥāq Ibrāhīm. The writer was amazed to learn of Abū Isḥāq's worry/fear (ḍuʿf al-qalb) and urges him not to worry so much ("the heart of a man should not be weak"). "Even if אהל אלתקלין all gathered together, they could not do except what God wills." Goitein's note card suggests that this might refer to demons, probably a deduction from context. It might also be "ahl al-thaqalayn," i.e., the people of the two weights (the Qur'ān and the family of Muḥammad), meaning Muslims. (Information in part from Goitein's index card.) ASE.

Letter from Yehuda b. Yosef of Qayrawān (active 990s–1030s), apparently sojourning in Alexandria, to the three senior Tustari brothers (Sahl, Yosef, and Saʿīd the sons of Yisraʾel), in Fustat. In the letter Yehuda states that he will bring all the letters except those for Abū l-Faraj Yosef b. Yaʿaqov (Ibn ʿAwkal), which he had already given to Abu Mansur Ghalib to deliver. (Information from Mediterranean Society, V, pp. 239 and 572, and Goitein's index cards.) On Yehuda b. Yosef, see Menahem Ben-Sasson, "ראשי הציבור בצפון-אפריקה — הדמות והתדמית: היצירה הספרותית כמקור היסטורי," Peʿamim 26 (1986), 134f.

Letter of Perahya b. Yosef Yiju to his father in Mazara Sicily, probably June 1154. (India Book III, 45)

Fragment of the beginning of a letter from 'Ayyash b. Sadaqa in Fustat to Barhun b. Moshe Tahirti of Qayrawan in Alexandria. Dated to the 11th century.

Fragment of a letter from Malij in Lower Egypt to a Nagid informing him that Yosef the proselyte was received in town with due honor. He had left some codices with the Nagid and another scholar, which he now wanted back. (Information from Goitein's index cards)

Letter (possibly a copy, as it is blank on verso and is set out more like a page of text than a letter) sending greetings to ‘ha-Sar ha-Niḵbad ha-Rav ha-Muv[h]aq [...] Moses’. Also refers to ‘Moses Sar ha-Alef’. (Information from CUDL.) NB: A previous description on PGP said "Letter to Abu al-'Ala and Abu 'Aja, written in Hebrew. The address on verso is in Judaeo-Arabic and contains instructions concerning personal matters and about the delivery of the letter." However, there is no address on verso, so this description (together with the transcription for verso) must belong to a different fragment. PGP also previously listed a transcription for the erroneous verso: לשיך אבו אלעלא ואגא פציצא בעד ארסאל האדא אלכתאב ננפדה מע מן נערף.

Letter from Mubarak ha-Levi b. Yosef to Alexandria concerning business matters. The writer calculates how much he has paid the addressee and how much of the account between them remains. The addressee is also ordered to borrow ten dirhams from a third person for trading purposes.

Beginning of a letter from Abu al-Faraj to Abu al-'Ala the glassmaker, containing eulogies and ending with an extensive list of greetings. On verso are some Arabic notes of amounts.