Geniza Lab

Draft of a letter from Yefet b. Shekhanya, from Fustat, to Daniel b. Azarya, around 1053. Daniel did not reply to Yefet's requests to supervise the slaughter in the community. Yefet has heard that a rejection is already included in Daniel's letter to Avraham ha-Masos and feel like people harassing him. The community in Fustat gave Yefet the authority to be the supervisor in the markets. The letter is unfinished. (Information from Gil, Palestine, vol. 2 p. 745-746, #401) VMR

Letter in Judaeo-Arabic. Deferent and filled with patronage idioms. The writer asks the addressee to fulfill a certain promise, the nature of which is not clear.

Letter from Nahray b. Nissim, in Fustat, to Salāma b. Nissim al-Barqī, in Buṣīr. Dating: ca. 1046. Asking him to acquire various items in Buṣīr, and asking him to draw a special symbol on the packages he sends. (Gil.) Also mentions saffron packed in paper. (MR.) NB: This was previously listed on PGP as T-S Ar.25.19.

Verso, with the address on recto: Letter from Madhkūr to Bū Yaʿqūb Yūsuf. In Judaeo-Arabic, with a ḥamdala in Arabic script at the end. He sends enclosed 1 1/8 dirhams as payment for a half raṭl of syrup (sharāb). Half should be [...] and half rose. If Abū l-Karam should arrive, he should hire a riding animal from Malīj. (Information in part from Goitein's index card.)

Bottom of a letter in Arabic script. The two lines in Hebrew underneath may be part of the same document (אמת אמונה...). The upside down Hebrew script on recto, and the entirety of verso, are from a reuse.

Letter from Simḥa ha-Kohen, probably in Alexandria, to Abū l-Majd, probably in Fustat. In Judaeo-Arabic. Dating: Early 13th century. After many nice phrases, the body of the letter begins in line 19. Abū l-Rabīʿ al-Segan and Abū l-Munajjā had written to Simḥa regarding the payment of the remainder of the capitation tax and obtaining the barā'a/receipt and sending it quickly. Simḥa apologizes for the delay (there was an untrustworthy messenger, so he did not send it with him), but he has obtained the barā'a and is sending it enclosed with this letter/khidma. Regards to Abū l-Faraj Yeshuʿa ha-Talmid. Regards to Abū l-Maḥāsin al-ʿAṭṭār Iskandarānī. Abū l-Maḥāsin's barā'a has been sent to the shop of Abū l-Riḍā, Simḥa's brother in law, where Abū l-Maḥāsin can pick it up. Addressed (in Arabic script) to the shop of Abū l-Munajjā al-ʿAṭṭār, who is to pass it on to Abū l-Majd. (Information in part from Goitein's index card.)

Beginning of enormous letter addressed to Yiṣḥaq ha-Rav ha-Gadol b. Shemuel. (Goitein: "In the hand of Ḥalfon b. Menashshe?") The writer has enclosed a letter to the Nagid. The rest is very fragmentary, something about waladī and something that begin in the time of Sayyidnā. On verso there is a selection of biblical passages. (Information from Goitein's index card.)

Letter from Nissim b. Khalfūn b. Benaya to Abū Isḥāq Barhūn b. Mūsā al-Tāhirtī. In Judaeo-Arabic with the address in both Judaeo-Arabic and Arabic script. Needs examination.

Recto: Letter from Ṭurfa, in Fustat, to her sister Esther in the house of Subayʿ (?), unknown location. In Judaeo-Arabic. Dating: No earlier than 1422 CE, based on the mention of the currency ashrafī. The writer conveys her concern when she heard that the addressee and her children were sick, and she has sent her 10 ashrafīs with ʿAbdallāh the son of the maternal uncle of Esther's husband. Verso: Response from Esther confirming receipt of the money and begging for news of everyone in the family.

Recto: Informal note (ruqʿa). In Arabic script. Perhaps containing detailed orders of payment--consists almost entirely of sums of money and begins with the word "yaṣil." Verso: Informal note. In Judaeo-Arabic. Addresed to Yaʿaqov ha-Ḥazzan. Asking him to speak to various people on behalf of the writer, including Ḥasan and ʿAqbān. All those people are to pay what they owe (? mā rusima bihi) (referring to recto?) to Abū ʿAlī who will deliver the money to the writer.

Letter from a Ifrīqiyan merchant writing from Alexandria to Nahray b. Nissim (Fustat) in which the writer outlines his problems with the capitation tax and notes that after Nahray’s intervention he paid two dinars this year, which he would not have minded, if other had been treated in the same way. Furthermore, “the tax-gatherers (ḥushshār, “ralliers”) and the director of the jaliya are not to blamed; all this is entirely the work of the Jews.” The opening formulae of the letter is preceded by the basmala in Aramaic-Hebrew form: בשמך רחמנא כתאבי אטאל אללה בקא מולאי (In Your name, O Merciful One, my letter, may God prolong the life of my master). (Nahray, 118; S. D. Goitein, Mediterranean Society, 2:385, 611; and Esther-Miriam Wagner, “The Weakening of the Bourgeoisie,” in From a Sacred Source: Genizah Studies in Honour of Professor Stefan C. Reif,” ed. Ben Outhwaite and Siam Bhayro, Brill, 2010, 345-6) EMS

Letter from Khalaf b. Ghanīma, probably in Alexandria, to 'my brother' Bū Yaʿqūb b. Nissim, in Fustat. In Judaeo-Arabic. The writer reports that he went to the Rīf to purchase a julla (? גלה) for the addressee, but the cheapest available would have been 3 or 4 dinars. He entered Alexandria with the julla he already had and obtained new gold for the addressee. He went back to the Rīf looking for the julla. He brought the donk[ey?] to the addressee's house (in Alexandria?). The wife and the boy are healthy. The boy had an attack of ophthalmia but it subsided. The writer sends regards to the addressee's maternal uncle Bū Saʿīd. He adds a postscript on verso: "After writing this letter, I went to the Rīf" apparently to buy wheat, but it was too expensive, so he didn't buy any. ASE.

Letter from Nissim b. Ḥalfon, from Damsis, to Nahray b. Nissim, Fustat. Around 1055. The writer deals with cloths and scarves for Nahray. Also mentions money delivery and asks Nahray to check it, weigh it, and write its account. (Information from Gil, Kingdom, Vol. 3, #590) VMR

Letter from Avraham b. Abi al-Hayy, from Alexandria, to his brother Musa. Around 1075. The writer describes his difficulties, especially financially, as he depends on the wheat and money that Musa sends him. Their sister, Garba, needs help as well to have the products she needs for weaving. Avraham is a teacher for young children and the payments are small and not constant, and he is missing several books. (Information from Gil, Kingdom, Vol. 3, #472) VMR

Letter in Judaeo-Arabic. The writer reports that he still has to rest in the house for several days after every one day in the market. He was saddened to hear about the addressee's trouble (shaʿath, likely an illness) on his journey. But when he heard that the addressee had not yet sold the merchandise that is with him, he rejoiced even more than he was pained at the bad news, evidently because he wants to seize the chance to make better business arrangements. He mentions Yūsuf b. Ayyūb in the margin. He eagerly awaits the response. On verso there are some lines of Arabic poetry.

Verso: Letter in Judaeo-Arabic from Yūsuf to his 'brother.' The writer reports that he obtained from Abū l-Faraj 20 dirhams nuqra and discusses several further transactions.

Recto: Letter/petition in Arabic script to a qāḍī (al-majlis al-sāmī al-ajallī al-qaḍāʾī al-shamsī). The sender's name is given at the top but is tricky to read (al-mamlūk al-aṣghar Abū l-[...]). There is a large upper margin. The hand appears late, but this is tentative. The sender only gets to the substance of the petition in the last preserved line (wa-siwāhu inna muʿrīḍ(?) hādhih al-khidma al-shaykh al-jalīl Abū l-[...]...." On verso are Hebrew poems, at least one of which is by Yehuda ha-Levi.

Recto: Letter in Arabic script. Dating: Mamluk-era, probably. Mentions al-akh al-ʿazīz Mubārak in the margin, so probably related to the Judaeo-Arabic letter on verso (PGPID 35947). Needs further examination.

Verso: Letter addressed to Mubārak. In Judaeo-Arabic. Dating: Likely Mamluk-era, based on the handwriting and the typical names. We did not expect you to fail to arrive with Rabbenu David and ʿAbd al-Ghaniyy. What is this behavior?! You know that your mother has her eye on the road... and your sisters, too." Mentions Elʿazar he-Ḥasid. Describes the difficult times: "....your hand in our hands. We hide nothing from you, my brother(?), we used to depend on him (the dead man mentioned earlier?) and he departed, only the Creator can support us in His mercy. Now, we eat what we had stored up before we die, because the city today is shut (mughlaq). One raṭl of kharjī(?) bread goes for 2 dirhams... and there is nothing cheap in the city. " Further down, mentions travel to Fustat and that (al-shaykh) al-Saniyy R. Shemuel traveled to Beirut, and from Beirut to Cyprus. Greetings to ʿOvadya, Elʿazar, Natan, and various others.

Letter in Ladino with interspersed Hebrew phrases. Dating: ca. 18th century? This is a letter of appeal for charity. There may not be any information to identify the sender or the addressee ("my noble and virtuous master"). The sender complains that he has no money to clothe his wife or children ("tengo mi mujer desnuda..."). (Information in part from http://www.investigacion.cchs.csic.es/judeo-arabe/sites/investigacion.cchs.csic.es.judeo-arabe/files/Genizah-Al-Andalus.pdf.)