Geniza Lab

Legal document. In the hand of Efrayim b. Shemarya. "Another woman, Mubāraka bt. Maḥfūẓ, already separated for over four years from her husband, Yefet b. Ḥalfon, who had “escaped the court” and later passed away, appointed Aharon b. Ḥalfon to sue her brother-in-law, Moshe b. Ḥalfon al-Ziyādī, for her husbandʼs burial expenses (for which she was forced take a loan), for her maintenance, and her release from levirate duty (ḥalīṣa). . . . She is presented as addressing the court in Hebrew: 'I could not dwell there, and returned to Egypt, four years ago today [...] hungry, naked, lacking everything. And now, my lords, receive [greetings] of peace, perform for me an act of kindness, have mercy upon me and help me.' At three later points in the document she asks to be 'saved.'" (Information from Zinger, "Women, Gender, and Law," p. 85.)

Document of ḥaliṣa (release from levirate marriage). In the hand of Efrayim b. Shemarya. At the bottom there appear the names Mufarrij b. Ṣāliḥ and Surūr bt. [...].

Legal document. In the hand of Ḥalfon b. Menashshe. Involves Mevasser b. Yeshuʿa and Efrayim b. Yefet and the moneychanging (ṣarf) shop of Abū l-Ḥusayn al-Ḥalabī al-Ṣayrafī (the moneychanger) in Murabbaʿat al-ʿAṭṭārīn in Fustat. It seems that Mevasser approached Abū l-Ḥusayn and struck a deal to pay him rent and manage the moneychanging shop, which is currently closed. If he should violate the terms of the agreement, there is a 10 dinar fee to the qodesh as well as a fee for the breaking (or annulling?) of an oath (ḥinth al-yamīn). Needs further examination for the details of the case.

Court record, draft. Location: Fustat/Cairo. Dated: Monday, 6 Sivan 5252 AM (=ברן), which is 1492 CE. One of the matters is the inheritance of Maṣliaḥ b. Binyamin כדידה who died in Damascus. Testimony is presented by Aharon b. Moshe Qalʿī from the Castro family and Shabbetay b. ʿAzrūn al-Masīnī (from Messina, Sicily). The other matter is the ketubba payment of the widow of R. Shemuel Zekhut and on ongoing case with her brother-in-law Yehuda Zekhut. (Information from Avraham David via FGP.)

Letter from the court, in Togarma (Istanbul?), to Moshe Abudarham, in Alexandria. In Hebrew. Dating: Second half of the 16th century, based on Avraham David's identification of the addressee. The letter informs Moshe that a woman named Simḥa, the wife of Yosef Lanyado, has testified that he owes her the 43 peraḥim that she had invested with him, "and she is crying 'violence!' against you" (cf. Jeremiah 20:8 and Job 19:7). The court orders Moshe, if what she testifies is true, to pay her back on pain of excommunication. Information from FGP.

Dowry list (taqwim) in the hand of Mevorakh b. Natan, for the marriage of Natan b. Shabbetay and […] bt. Yeshūʿa. Marriage payments: 10 + 30 = 40. Total value of the dowry is 250 dinars. (Information from Goitein’s index card)

Legal document, 12 lines, in Arabic script, dated 4th Muḥarram al-Ḥarām of an undecipherable year [8..?]. Concerning [...] b. al-Muʿallim Ṣadaqa the Samaritan Jew, a receipt of something (waṣala...), and a period of time. The occurrence of few sums of money indicates a fiscal account or commercial transaction - 'min al-fiḍḍat al-anṣāf al-judūd', which points to the Mamlūkī silver 'half' coin of al-Muʾayyad Shaykh and suggests that this letter is dated no earlier than 1415 CE, as this was the year when the ruler imposed the 'half' as the basic silver coin. Other measures mentioned are 'Khamsīn naṣṣan mā-huwa ḥāmiluhu', 'khamsat wa-thalāthīn fiḍḍa'.

Legal query addressed to Rabbenu Yehuda (likely Yehuda b. Yosef Rosh ha-Seder). It involves a complex business arrangement with 4 partners and one partner's heirs. Likely concerns the same case as Geneva 39, a query submitted to Elḥanan b. Ḥushiel approximately 5 years prior. (Information from Amir Ashur via FGP; see identification on FGP for further analysis.)

Trousseau list. Bride: Sitt al-ʿAshīr bt. Netanel ha-Zaqen. In Judaeo-Arabic. (Information from Goitein’s index card.)

Marriage document (?). Torn and damaged fragment, barely legible. Few words can be read, such as מתקאלי, זוזי. Also the verb ויהב, which suggest it might be a remnant of a ketubah, probably 10th-11th century. Hebrew and Aramaic. AA

Legal document. Long and narrow strip from a bill of gift, 11th century, probably from Acre or Tyre, since נחלת אשר is mentioned and [הים] הגדול. Hebrew. AA

Marriage document. Damaged and creased document. Contains list of items, commonly found in dowry lists included or attached to a ketubah. Here, not as usual, we find them with no prices for each item, so the actual value was combined into one sum. The additional mohar (marriage gift) was 40 dinars. 11 Century. Judeo-Arabic. AA

Legal document in Hebrew. A damaged bill of gift, 11th century. Might be a join with ENA NS 3.16, but it is too hard to tell. AA

Marriage document. Draft of a prenuptial agreement, by Ḥalfon b. Menashshe ha-Levi. Damaged. Aramaic. AA

Legal query or queries. In Hebrew. Late. Concerning a widow and a shop. Mentions the currency "grossos."

Marriage contract (ketubba). Fragment: bottom only. Contains a polygamy clause (the groom will not take a second wife or female slave). Mentions a bucket and a lamp, probably part of the dowry. On verso there is a halakhic or Talmudic discussion in Judaeo-Arabic.

Legal query addressed to Maimonides. Reuven gave a golden needle to Shimʿon, who was to pawn it with Levi. Shimʿon did so and gave the money to Reuven. Later, Reuven repays the money and wants his needle back. But Levi doesn't have the needle any more and claims that Shimʿon already redeemed it and forgot about it. (Information from Amir Ashur via FGP.)

Legal notes. A list of the complaints brought by the wife of the Rayyis against her sister the wife of Ṣāʿid. There are numerous claims. (1) The Rayyis used to provide wheat and loans of money to the wife of Ṣāʿid, and she now owes 30 dinars that she has not repaid. (2) The two sisters jointly owned (or rented?) a house near Bāb al-Yahūd worth 250 dinars. There is some issue with the rent, such that the wife of Ṣāʿid owes 14 dinars. (3–5) These entries deal with items such as salted meat, clothing, jewelry, and household goods, and the wife of Ṣāʿid owes ~10 dinars for each item. There is a single entry on verso phrased as a legal query, which may or may not belong together with the entries on recto. "She mentioned that she loaned two amber statues and golden rings and silver with which she contracted marriage. Does he have to return them or not?"

Recto: Legal document. Fragment of a shīmmūsh, or court ledger. Verso: List of payments. (Information from Goitein’s index card)

Legal query addressed to Mevorakh b. Saadya, with his responsum. Concerning a trader who shipped 100 silk fūṭas from Alexandria to his partner in Tyre, Lebanon, where they were sold for a sum of 149 dinars, amounting to 1 1/2 dinars per fūṭa. Information from Friedman, India Traders, p. 178 n. 21.