Geniza Lab

Letter from Nissim b. Ḥalfon, from Tinnis, to Nahray b. Nissim, Fustat. Regarding shipment of clothes and scarves. The writer asks for the prices of linen in Busir and asks Nahray to send him lemon-water. (Information from Gil, Kingdom, Vol. 3, #601) VMR

Letter of appeal addressed to the Nagid David I (b. Avraham Maimonides, r.1237–1300). In Hebrew and Judaeo-Arabic.

Fragmentary letter (on vellum) from Tunisia by Manashe b. Ammar to Joseph b. Salman b. Ya'ish, expressing the wish to give up the hard "service of the people" (public office) for another profession, for he is weak or sick (ḍaʿīf) and frail (naḥīf al-jism). Information from Goitein's notecards and Mediterranean Society II, 87-88.

Letter fragment from Yoshiyya b. al-Dhahabī to Abū Saʿīd b. al-ʿAfaṣī (=gallnut merchant). In Judaeo-Arabic.The writer congratulates the recipient on his recent marriage and mentions a business deal of exchanging flax for medicine. The writer and the recipient are cooperating with Spanish merchants. (Information from M. Gil, Kingdom, Vol. 4, p. 368)

Letter fragment from Abū l-Faraj. In Judaeo-Arabic. Mentions al-Shām; 20 nuqra dirhams; dār sayyidinā in Fustat, and various people's names.

Recto and verso: Letter from Meir (b. Yakhin) to a certain Ḥalfon. In Judaeo-Arabic, with the address in Arabic script. The identification is based on handwriting. Dating: Early 13th century. Meir asks for the money that belongs to the shop and for a list of what should be bought. Verso: Apart from the address, some further lines in Arabic script, and a Judaeo-Arabic pen trial, there is the four-line response from Ḥalfon mentioning ḍarībat al-jumʿa ('the tax of the week'?). Ḥalfon has also gone back and fixed the titles from Meir's letter. In lieu of "his slave Meir" he writes "rather, his master" and in lieu of "the master Ḥalfon" he writes "his slave." ASE

Letter in Judaeo-Arabic. Possibly addressed to 'the dear brother al-Kohen Hadar ha-Soḥerim." Dating: Early 13th century. The writer mentions things that were lost during this travel (the ḥalīb/milk? and the 'qāriṣ'?). He advises the addressee to look after the boy and not to beat him (lā tasṭū ʿalayhi bi-ʿunf) and to tell him to look after his sister and mother (at least if "your mother" refers to the boy rather than the addressee). He complains about al-Raḍiyy. Regards to Samḥūn and his siblings and father; to Eliyyahu and his son; to Abū l-Faraj and Bū Mubārak and their wives. The letter ends: "Do not tell anyone our secret."

Order of endive seed (bizr hindibā') and purslane seed (bizr rijla) and unripe dates (busr) and sugar from al-Shaykh al-Makīn. On verso there is a very elaborate draft of the beginning of a letter addressed to Abū l-Majd. (Information in part from Goitein's index card.)

Letter from an unidentified Torah scholar. Dating: Likely 11th century. The writer mentions the city of Fez and people who have become affluent and are honoring him ('and the station of the Torah'). He very happily reports on the birth of a son to him—"may God keep him alive and preserve him and send him a speedy recovery(!)"—whom he named after his late father. The letter may be addressed to a woman, based on the verb endings in the margin of recto, but this part is difficult to read. On verso, it seems that the writer's brother had died without offspring. He prays that God will keep his son alive so that he can 'toil over him like my father toiled over me.' There seem to be blessings for a female family member around here (wa-razaqakum tanẓurū awlād awlādhā). The writer says he is always praying for the addressee during Birkat Kohanim. He greets Abū l-Khayr Ṣadaqa ha-Levi and his two sons Moshe and Yeshuʿa.

Letter addressed to the shop of Abū Ṭāhir b. Abū Naṣr al-Kohen Kelil ha-Yofi, in Sūq al-ʿAṭṭārīn, in Fustat. The writer inquires about news of his son and mentions Abū l-Barakāt Ibn ʿAmmār. (Information from Goitein's index card.)

Letter in which the recipient is asked to collect funds, even if only 5 dirhams, for the holiday. (Information from Goitein's index cards)

Letter probably from Yedutun ha-Levi, in Fustat, to his brother Moshe b. Levi ha-Levi, in Qalyūb. (Identification is tentative, based on handwriting and typical phrases and names.) Someone, possibly ʿImrān (but not their paternal uncle of the same name), recently died in or around the addressee's location. The 'kabīra' (old woman?) has arrived back safely. Abū Zikrī (=Sar Shalom??) is making a big fuss and swearing that he saw Moshe in Cairo on Wednesday with two baskets of apricots. Yedutun complains about how everyone repays him with ingratitude, and he seems to refer to his activities as a physician (although Goitein read יטבהם in line 9 as יכצהם). Yedutun had to swear to Abū Zikrī that he must have been mistaken about seeing Moshe in Cairo and that Moshe doesn't know Ben Shaʿya either. Abū Zikrī apparently gave an exceedingly long sermon (דראש) on Shabbat. Tāhir is asking about Moshe's news and wants him to know that the new wālī is a relative of the old wālī, and he will take revenge on people who defy him (or defied his predecessor?), so Moshe should watch out. Moshe should also pass on Yedutun's prescription to Yaḥyā al-Khuḍarī, because Yedutun owes him a favor. He is very sad about ʿImrān and can't even eat bread (a standard phrase to express grief). He asks Moshe to pass on condolencees to ʿImrān's brother. And if Moshe wants the family to come visit him at the end of the month, he should let them know with a day's notice. Previous description: Warm letter by a man in Fustat to his brother in the countryside, mentioning an old woman, probably the bearer of a message, best not confided to paper. (Information from Mediterranean Society, III, p. 338). ASE

Letter of recommendation for charity for the judge Avraham b. Yosef. The addressee is on a boat and about to set out for a voyage. The poor scholar likely carried this note with him to the boat. The addressee and his companions on the boat are all asked to contribute, and it is suggested that this good deed will increase the likelihood of a safe trip. (Information from Goitein's notes.)

Letter from Ibrāhīm to his 'father' Nissim b. Shemarya. In Hebrew and Judaeo-Arabic. Not much of the body of the letter remains.

Letter or 2 letters. The handwriting is different between recto and verso, which suggests that one might be the response to the other. The letter on recto is very damaged. The writer reports on items that he sent with Avraham, including a fūṭa. He mentions Sulaymān and Abū l-Ḥasan and Yosef and Abū Saʿīd. The letter on verso is from Bū Saʿīd b. Yefet to his son Abū l-Ḥasan (even though this is not the usual placement of the address, the handwriting matches). Mentions a woman and some codices and perhaps paper (if כאגץ is an alternate spelling of كاغذ). This side was later reused for Hebrew poetry.

Postscript to a letter, probably. The addressee is asked to continually convey greetings to Abū l-Faḍl al-Ṣayrafī al-Kāzarūnī.

Letter addressed to 'Sayyidnā.' in Judaeo-Arabic. Dating: 13th century, based on the handwriting. There is not much by way of content; it is heavy on the flattery and seems to be encouraging the addressee to come visit.There is a response on verso.

Copy of a letter from Yehuda Zarqo (a 16th-century Hebrew poet of Rhodes and Salonica) to the physician Yosef Hamon on the occasion of Hamon's wedding. This copy may be much later, perhaps 18th or 19th century.

Copy of an ornate Hebrew letter, mentioning R. ʿImmanuel Yoel. Late. From the same volume as Bodl. MS heb. f 105/17, but it is not immediately clear whether it is the same letter or not.

Business letter. In Judaeo-Arabic. Dating: Likely 12th century, based on handwriting. Mentions red sulfur (kibrīt aḥmar), the estate of the addressee's dead brother, and perhaps Jibla in Yemen.