Geniza Lab

Letter fragment from Daniel b. ʿAzarya (active 1052–62), in Palestine, to a dignitary in Fusṭāṭ. An urgent request to ask the authorities to stop an expected decision about Israel. (Information from CUDL and Gil, Palestine, vol. 2 p. 698--699, #381) VMR

Letter from Manṣūr b. Sālim, in Alexandria, to his son Abū Najm, who has gone on an adventurous journey or had run away to the army. The father mentions that he has sent to his son twenty letters and then twenty more, but the son never replied. The father states ‘I have never seen a character or religion like yours and never heard of the like’ and closes his letter with an exhortation ‘return to God and bring your mind back to yourself.' Abū Najm's mother perishes on account of his actions, and her vision is fading (alternate readings are possible, but "inḍarra baṣaruhā" seems likely as inḍarra derives from the same root as ḍarīr/maḍrūr, both meaning "blind"). Several other letters by the same man are known, all of them either addressed to Manṣūr's contacts in Fustat, asking them to help him find his son, or directly to his son (like this one). See tag. (Information from CUDL and Mediterranean Society, II, p. 379; V, p. 189.)

Copy of a letter or responsum on the havdala (Information from CUDL)

Letter from Yūsuf b. Ismāʿīl in Alexandria to Abū l-Faraj b. Ṣedaqa al-Ramlī, announcing to him that five boats had arrived from Suwaydiyya, the port of Antioch, carrying gallnuts, jujube, raisins, walnuts, sumac and tragacanth gum, and specifying the prices of these goods. Yūsuf writes that because of the high price of the gall nuts he decided not to buy them. (Information from CUDL and Mediterranean Society, I, p. 213; IV, p. 405)

Letter from Abūn b. Ṣedaqa, in Jerusalem, probably to Nahray b. Nissim, in Fusṭāṭ. In Judaeo-Arabic. Dating: Ca. 1064 CE. Concerned with rent payments for a house belonging to Abū l-Aʿlā ʿAmram b. Levi Ibn al-Buhūrī. The sender describes his relations with someone who helped him in successful dealings with the government in Jerusalem. Mentions names such as Abū ʿImrān Mūsā b. Yaʿaqov Ibn al-Jāsūs, Abū l-Khayr the goldsmith (al-ṣāʿiḡ), and the cantor Harūn. (Information from Gil's edition and CUDL.)

Letter from Moses the schoolmaster petitioning ʿAmram ha-Levi for a charitable donation. He had not earned any fees over the holiday period. He asks for a loan of wheat, or its equivalent in cash, as he had nothing to eat. He had previously written to ʿAmram describing his family’s dire financial situation, but had not received a response. He now reproaches ʿAmram ‘you should favour me without my having to turn to you’. (Information from CUDL and Mediterranean Society, II, p. 188.)

Letter draft from Hillel b. ʿEli, in Tyre to the Nagid Mevorakh b. Saʿadya, in Fusṭāṭ. Ca. 1094 CE. (Information from CUDL)

Letter in Judaeo-Arabic dealing with the book trade. In a slightly crude hand with some orthographic features more usual for later Classical Judaeo-Arabic letter writing, although the formulae and vocabulary used points to the 11th-12th century. What remains of recto is almost entirely formulaic but contains interesting phrases such as "may your star shine opposite you (wa-yuḍī' kawkabuhu ḥidhāhu)." On verso, the writer mentions Sālim (?) and a sale of 50 dirhams' worth of books. Then, "Among the books that I found for you from him: Raḥamim (?), a grammar, a commentary on Job, a composition on love and companionship and passion, a nice siddur. . . ." The writer also discusses 8 maṣāḥif, and says that the dīwān was not among the books he found. Also mentions a dictionary, a Mishna, and a prayer book. (Information in part from CUDL.)

Letter from Ezra b. Hillel, in Alexandria, to Nahray b. Nissim, in Fustat. December 28, 1063. The writer informs Nahray about businesses he has in Alexandria, including one of medical herbs, which failed. Mentions selling goods that the money for them was late. (Information from Gil, Kingdom, Vol. 4, #774) VMR

F. 1r: Draft of letters, one to Abū l-Faḍl Sahl (maybe al-Tustarī?). Shelomo b. Aharon b. Abū […] and Shela b. Yehoshuaʿ are also mentioned. F. 1v: catena of biblical verses, such as Proverbs 9:10, 22:29 and 24:5, probably for epistolary purposes. F. 2r (unrelated to F. 1): Short note in a mixture of Judaeo-Arabic and Hebrew. “To my master the Great (Gadol [ha-Yeshiva]), from his slave Natan: Hey man, why did you forget about me and not talk to your parents on my behalf? May your peace increase.” (Information in part from CUDL)

Letter from Yiṣḥaq b. Simḥa ha-Levi al-Nīsābūrī to Abū l-ʿAlāʾ Ṣāʿid aka ʿUlla b. Yosef ha-Levi al-Dimashqī. In Judaeo-Arabic. Dating: Ca. 1100 CE. The sender expresses concern about the lack of letters. He sent goods with Abū Zikrī Yaḥyā al-Fāsī. He heard that the addressee had arrived safely (in Fustat?) together with a group of other merchants in a letter he received from Abū l-Faraj Hiba al-Ḥamawī (whose letter was delivered by Wahb the relative of Naḥrīr). The lower part of the letter is missing. On verso there are jottings of accounts in Arabic script and Greek/Coptic numerals, mentioning fruit of the Syrian ash (lisān ʿuṣfūr), clove, saffron, and sugar among other items. Several other letters from Yiṣḥaq to ʿUlla are preserved in the Geniza, for example T-S 13J21.26, in which ʿUlla is asked by Yiṣḥaq to provide for al-Ḥamawī’s family while he is away on business. (Information in part from CUDL.)

Letter from Araḥ b. Natan (aka Musāfir b. Wahb), in Alexandria, to the Nagid Mevorakh, in Fustat. The sender and addressee are not named in the letter, but Frenkel identified them on the basis of handwriting and content. Dating: toward the end of Mevorakh's tenure as nagid (1094–1111; Frenkel). This long letter, written between the lines of the Arabic text on recto, mentions disputes in the Jewish community, especially an ongoing dispute with the Maghribi community over the payment of the capitation tax. The Banū Naḥum family is involved (a well-known family from Alexandria). The letter also expresses the dissatisfaction of the community with its muqaddam. Araḥ functions in the letter as the 'nā'ib' (deputy) of the Nagid in Alexandria. (Another interpretation of the word niyāba in line 31 would be that "they [Araḥ's enemies] have destroyed the community in the name of representing you.") In a postscript, Araḥ reports to the Nagid how he dealt with a case of a widow who was exploited. Araḥ complains in passing about the severe illness that he contracted while traveling (lines 14–15), perhaps to support his self-presentation as someone who takes care of the community despite all that it costs him. Information in part from Frenkel. Note that this letter is written on an enormous sheet of paper that originally contained an Arabic state document, subsequently reused for a copy of Shemuel b. Ḥofni's Kitāb al-Shurūṭ on verso, and ultimately torn up and reused for this letter and other documents. Joins: T-S Ar.18(2).193 + T-S Ar.30.306 + T-S Ar.30.314: Marina Rustow. T-S 24.21: recorded in FGP from the Sussman Talmud catalogue.

Letter from Avraham b. Saadya the Hebronite, (the muqaddam of?) Bilbays, to Yiṣḥaq b. Shemuel the Sefaradi, Fustat, beginning of the twelfth century. Discusses in detail the communal problems that arose around the proposal of tearing down the synagogue and rebuilding it. The Muslm governor said that a synagogue may not be built under the reign of al-Mawla al-Afḍal. Verso has been reused for drafts of Arabic medical writings. CUDL description: Recto: letter in Hebrew and Judaeo-Arabic from Abraham b. Saʿadya he-Ḥebroni, on behalf of refugees from Hebron that are now in Bilbays. Abraham writes to Isaac b. Shemuʾel ha-Sefaradi (active ca. 1090-1130 CE) in Fusṭāṭ, concerning the building of a new synagogue in Bilbays, replacing an old synagogue that had been torn down. The entire community joined forces to dismantle the synagogue and rebuild the new building. The letter lists the donations given by members of the community, and describes in detail the surrounding properties and their owners. A muslim judge initially objected to the construction of the new synagogue, so the community tactically rebranded their construction as a ‘home’, to which the judge had no objection. Verso: jottings of an Arabic philosophical text. (Information from CUDL)

Bottom of a letter in Judaeo-Arabic addressed to an unidentified community (al-jamāʿa). Mentions the intention to build or rebuild "al-qodesh" but 100 dirhams are still wanting. "If the opinion of the community is behind what we have written, send us your signatures to the effect that you are happy with this." Dating: Probably ca. 13th–15th century, based on handwriting and some late linguistic features (e.g., תעתאז instead of תריד). (Information in part from CUDL)

Part of a letter explaining various talmudic sources and referring to a collection of responsa(?) which the recipient had sent to אדוננו שר השרים יחי לעד. (Information from CUDL)

Fragment of a report in Arabic script about fiscal matters (fishy accounting?). Mentions the large figure of 1,000 dinars. Some tentative readings: اخذ كتابه وحده عنده قد قدر لما لم يكاتبه عبده به الا... قدر ما يحتاج اليه... سعر الف دينار... في حساب عمارات سنة اربع واربعين من مال سنة ثلث واربعين جمل المال... لعبده لا ... يدعي انفاذه... وقد عاد بهذا الفعل يكشف... Needs further examination. On verso there are a few very faded words in Judaeo-Arabic.

Letter from a family member to a son or brother. In Arabic script. Dating: Probably late Mamluk or early Ottoman-era (based on handwriting, format, linguistic features). Mentions al-muʿallim Ibrāhīm Ibn al-Ṣawwāf and Ismāʿīl; the addressee's mother sends her greetings and says "by the [breast?] which you nursed, don't let her die in the presence of [...]." The addressee's sister Laṭīfa has had a baby boy, and she sends her greetings. As for the letter which the addressee sent concerning Jumayʿ(?) and the ghulām of the qāḍī Shams al-Dīn, "nothing of what you said is true." The letter concludes with greetings to various people, including the addressee's wife (zawjatak) and family (ahl baytak).

Recto: Letter from Muḥammad b. ʿUmar. In Arabic script. Dated: 538 AH = 1143/44 CE. Mentions the bearer of the letter, Karīm b. Zak[kūr? b.] Sayyid al-Ahl. Evidently asking the addressee to do a favor involving the children of Sayyid al-Ahl and their neighbor, and something which is good and cheap. Verso: Letter in Arabic script in a different hand. Written in a deferential style. The sender reports that he is still suffering the remnants of an illness (baqāyā al-maraḍ). Mentions "moving to Cairo (al-Qāhira al-maḥrūsa)" and "addressing the excellence" about something "at the time of his departure." It is not clear how the letters on recto and verso are related to each other.

Document in Arabic script. Probably late. Either a petition or an especially elegant lettter. On verso are jottings in Hebrew and Arabic script, perhaps accounts.

Fragment of a mercantile letter in Judaeo-Arabic. Dating: Likely 11th century. Instructing the addressee to buy spices (saqaṭ) on the trip to al-Mahd[iyya].