Geniza Lab

Letter from a woman to Maṣliaḥ Gaʾon containing an update on a lawsuit between her and a male family member (possibly her son). She seems to be submitting this letter in order to postpone the lawsuit until after the end of the period of the man's "ḍamān" (tax farming tenure?). Mentions the death of the man's maternal uncle and his claim that he is not withholding anything that is due to the woman. Also mentions a garden (bustān).

Petition from Avraham al-Qushāshī to Maṣliaḥ Gaʾon. He says that he used to work and earn a living like everyone else [but now he is unable to and needs charity]. The lower part is torn away. On verso, in a different hand, there are eight lines of Hebrew piyyuṭ followed by the beginning of a letter in Judaeo-Arabic. The sender informs the addressee that he went in to visit (aftaqid) Maṣliaḥ Gaʾon, and "the noble council" (al-majlis al-karīm) was just saying their goodbyes and leaving, so he remained alone with Maṣliaḥ ("Sayyidnā"). The last line is damaged but includes the phrase "I have bestowed favor upon him." Maybe this is Maṣliaḥ speaking, referring to his willingness to help the addressee (=the original petitioner from recto?).

Petition from Abū l-Manṣūr b. Abū l-Faraj al-Qubaybiyya to Maṣliaḥ Gaʾon. He reports that he has opened a shop in Suwayqat [...] near the shop of Ibn [...]. The continuation is lost. See T-S 10J12.28 (PGPID 2817) for a discussion of his unusual name.

Letter in Hebrew. The writer is asking from the official (maybe the head of the Jews himself) to support Mevaser ha-Parnas, who claimed that he had an inheritence owed to him from his brother Sedaqa ha-Parnas, being held by Mevorakh. At the bottom of the letter is an addendum saying that the letter was delayed. The writer adds greetings to the head of the yeshiva, Shelomo Gaon. ENA 2806.5–7 are copies of letters to Shelomo Gaʾon and his son Maṣliaḥ.

Letter, poetic, contains mostly blessings, ending 'to our fourth (= fourth of the yeshiva) rabbi son [of ...],' that is, Masliah Gaon. ENA 2806.5–7 are copies of letters to Shelomo Gaʾon and his son Maṣliaḥ.

Letter, complete and poetic, written by same hand as ENA 2806.5, contains mostly blessings. ENA 2806.5–7 are copies of letters to Shelomo Gaʾon and his son Maṣliaḥ.

Letter from Natan b. Mevorakh ha-Kohen and Yeshuʿa b. Yefet, in Ashqelon, to Eliyyahu b. Evyatar ha-Kohen. Dated: 13 Ḥeshvan 1424 Seleucid, which is 1112 CE. None of the body of the letter is preserved (only the introduction, conclusion in the upper margin, and address on verso).

Letter from Masliaḥ Gaʾon. Dating: ca. 1120 CE (unclear on what basis). Containing his genealogy at the beginning.

Family or business letter in Judaeo-Arabic. Fragment (bottom part only). Addresses somebody named Abū l-Riḍā and exhorts him to help somebody, "first because he is of your family, and second because you (pl.) ... on the strangers who come to you." There are further urgings to respond and to act. The letter closes with some praises/blessings in Hebrew.

Letter in Judaeo-Arabic, in a beautiful hand with wide line-spacing. Quite faded. Approximately 9 lines are preserved from the main text and another 8 lines in the right margin. Dating: Perhaps ~13th century. May be addressed to somebody whose name begins with Zakiyy (...al-mawlawī al-saʿīdī al-shaykh Zakiyy...). The addressee is asked to write a letter to the sender's father with his news. Mentions Alexandria. Reports that Abū l-Ḥasan is in Damascus. Mentions Moshe al-Ḥabashī (the same as in T-S Ar.54.24? That letter looks earlier, though). Regards to various family members and others.

Recto: Business/family letter in Hebrew. Dating: Perhaps 16th century or later. The sender mentions someone named Meʾir סאול . . ., and greets his mother. Verso: List of goods in Hebrew script in a mix of a Romance language (perhaps simply Spanish) and some Arabic; e.g., nuez (walnut), jonjolí (sesame), Persian pepper (filfil ʿajamī), mastic, oregano (אוריגאנו). Merits further examination.

Business letter in Judaeo-Arabic. Fragmentary. The sender orders good needles (or lead? אבר, cf. DK 232.2) and thanks the addressee for depositing certain goods in the name of the sender's son. He reports that Abū l-Surūr has already traveled.

Letter fragment addressed to a certain Abū l-Faraj. On verso there is a letter in a different hand, probably the response.

Letter from Moshe b. Levi ha-Levi, in Qalyūb, to his family, in Fustat. Moshe congratulates his brother Bū Isḥāq on the fertility of his livestock but wants him to prepare the honey and flour and prepare a cake named ʿaṣīda that Moshe will enjoy when he comes on Sunday. Al-Shaykh al-Yesod also congratulates Bū Isḥāq and adds, cryptically, "May the end turn out well, and God willing we will see from it what was seen from the female donkey of our master al-Ḥāfiẓ." Moshe mentions the silver belonging (or owed) to Farrūj. He invites his brother Abū l-Ḥasan (Yedutun) to come out and spend Shabbat with him in Qalyūb, and they will return together to Fustat on Sunday. He also mentions silver, a donkey that has given birth, and a turban (radda). He asks the addressee to obtain the response to a fatwā that Moshe had previously sent. ASE.

Recto: Letter from Shelomo b. Eliyyahu to his father Eliyyahu the Judge. In Judaeo-Arabic. Recommending the bearer, Dā'ūd of Banhā, who is chronically in arrears for the capitation tax (ʿalayhi jawālī muzmina). Rabbenu Menaḥem has already helped him by writing a recommendation for him to the Nagid Avraham. At the end of this letter, Shelomo asks for copies of certain books from the Mishneh Torah. Verso: Shelomo continues, now writing on his own behalf. He asks his father to try to make sure that Shelomo is not sent to a place that is far away, because Shelomo is in a terrible state of isolation and ghurba and he could die any day, and then his father would regret having let him be sent away. ASE.

Business letter. In Judaeo-Arabic. "I had a few durayhims, hardly worth mentioning, and I tried to purchase yarn with them, but I could not. For I want someone who will buy from the silk weavers (al-qazzāzīn), and if a silk weaver comes into possession of something that cannot be believed, he will purchase it for himself." Somewhat cryptic; needs further examination.

Letter addressed to Najm the brother of Sibāʿ al-Muʿallim, who used to teach in the Iraqi synagogue. In Judaeo-Arabic. The same writer also wrote T-S 13J16.10, a letter to his mother.

Business letter from Yehuda Castro to Binyamin Castro. In Hebrew. Dating: 16th century. The sender reports on business developments in crops, fruits, and vegetables, and emphasizes his trade with Venice (l. 11). A piece of Binyamin's response is preserved at the bottom of verso. He asks Avraham to speak to the דפטדאר (=defterdar?). (Information from Avraham David via FGP.)

Letter from Avraham Maimonides (autograph) to Fakhr al-Dawla al-Kohen. In Judaeo-Arabic. He has heard that Fakhr al-Dawla is upset at him, and he is shocked and dismayed and tells him that there is no reason to be upset. Also mentions the Nasi Shelomo.

Probably poetic opening sentences of a Hebrew letter.