Geniza Lab

Legal records. In Judaeo-Arabic. Dated: Av and Elul 1527 Seleucid, which is 1216 CE. Recto, document #1: Involves Abū l-Khayr b. al-Iskāf and al-Maḥāsin b. Abū ʿAmāma and a debt of 6.5 dinars. Recto, document #2: Involves the children of Maʿānī al-Ḥarīrī, several more people, the town of Sammanūd, and perhaps a sale. Recto, document #3: Involves Abū l-Faraj al-Ṣā'igh and a sum of 10 qirats and Abū l-Surūr b. Maṭrūḥ. Verso: Quite damaged. May involve [...] Majd and [...] Maʿānī and a debt. Needs further examination.

Small fragment, recto probably from a court record. Not much text has survived. AA

Mysterious document in Arabic script and Judaeo-Arabic. Listing numbers of "asbāb" and "abdān" and giving an explanation of some sort. Needs examination.

Recto: Legal document. In Hebrew. Location: Fustat. Dated: First third of Kislev 5439 AM, which is 1678 CE. Connected to the Maghrebi congregation (ק"ק מערביים). It has to do with property and financial arrangements following the death of Levi Jaryānī (? גריאני) known as Ḥefeẓ. His orphans are David, Nissim, and Yiṣḥaq.The document is quite long. Many names are mentioned. Currency: silver medin (מאי׳ כסף). Needs further examination. Verso: Legal document. In Hebrew. Location: Fustat. Dated: First third of Nisan 5439 AM, which is 1679 CE. Involves the wives of David and Yiṣḥaq Jaryānī(?), who are respectively Qamr bt. Avraham Dukkān and Simḥa bt. Shemuel Samḥūn. Needs examination

Legal document. In Hebrew. Location: Fustat/Cairo. Dated: First decade of Ṭevet 5561 AM, which is 17–26 December 1800 CE. Moneychanging (sarraflık) partnership agreement between three parties. First party: Ḥayyim ha-Levi, Merkado Karo, Avraham ha-Levi. Second party: Yom Ṭov Aripol, Shabbetay Yuʿbaṣ. Third party: Moshe ha-Levi known as ʿAkūbas, Ḥayyim Ḥezeq (or Ḥazaq?), Mordekhay Kapanṭon. The partnership will last for 12 months. The first party contributes 150,000 medins. The second party contributes 85,000 medins. The third party contributes 90,000 medins. The 8 individual partners each sign the document, in addition to the signatures of the scribe Meʾir ben Naʿim and the witness Shemuel Modaʿī(?).

Letter fragment, 20 lines, well preserved. The writer at the beginning of the letter mentions a sale that did not reap any profits (lam yūlij minhā ḥabba wāḥida) and describes his anguish and shame over it (lines 2-4). He then mentions the arrival of a letter on 11th Rabīʿ al-Ākhar and the news of the addressee’s safety joyed him but the affairs that he described saddened him. Another purchase (piece of land?) from Abī l-Tayyīb, who is honored with several words of praise is mentioned. This object of purchase (land?) was then entrusted to Abī Ghālib ( lines 5-11). The apples reached safely but 3 freights were found empty (lines 12-13). The addressee’s wife (al-Ṣaghīra) conveys her greetings and was saddened to hear about his unwellness during the journey but was happy to hear about his well-being and homecoming (lines 14-15). The writer in the last few lines expresses his desire for prompt correspondence from Abī Ghālib either through his messenger or through ʿAbd Allah and assures frequent communication regarding affairs from his side. Needs examination.

Recto: Letter in Hebrew and Judaeo-Arabic. Addressed to the Nagid or at least someone very important (נזר הנסיאות (sic)). Only the upper left corner is preserved. Verso: Legal document, draft. Involves a dyer, a payment to a wife, and a quarter-house.

Legal formularies. Late.

Legal document(s) in Judaeo-Arabic. Involves 13 dinars, a trip to Aleppo, Yiṣḥaq b. Shemuel ha-Sefaradi, and Barukh ha-rav ha-Gadol.

Legal document or documents in the hand of Ḥalfon b. Menashshe. Mentions a process of checking the qiyyum (validation of signatures) and the shimmush (court register). Also mentions Yiṣḥaq b. Makhlūf al-Nafūsī and a certain Fahd.

A Geonic responsum. AA

Probably a bill of sale for a female slave. In the hand of Ḥalfon b. Menashshe. No details preserved.

Recto: Legal document. In Hebrew. Dating: No earlier than 15th century; mentions the currency muayyadi. This appears to be a rental contract for a portion of a store betwen Binyamin Romano and Faraj Allāh b. Shelomo. There are no witness signatures. Verso: Several lines of accounts in Judaeo-Arabic.

Legal document. In Hebrew and some Aramaic. In the hand of Yefet b. David. Attests that Fā'iza bt. Yaʿaqov received as a gift a portion of a house (dira) that is close to Qaṣr al-Shamʿ.

Fragment of a will. Mentions 20 silvers. Last two lines mention that the testator is in sound health "la ʿilla wa-lā suqm wa-lā ḥāl yalzimuhu fīhi". The text in the right margin declares the responsibility and accountability of the testator and that he is on the right path "wahuwa dhimmatī wa l-ḥaq awwalan mā attabiʿu".

Legal document(s). In Judaeo-Arabic. In the hand of Ḥalfon b. Menashshe ha-Levi. Recto may be a deathbed will. Mentions a house; a man named Shemarya; oil for the synagogues; willing something to someone; a mutual release; and 'the shroud and such things.' Verso may or may not be related. Mentions: 3 witnesses; a man named Kalev(?); a man named Shemuel; 'the other one is Ḥasana, called [...]' (perhaps listing a man's daughters); someone 'now alive'; Wednesday the 29th of a month. AA. ASE.

Responsum? Small fragment from the bottom of the page, written by the hand of Menashshe b. Ya'aqov (1116-1132. Compare with DK 187, p. 6r, where he signed his name). To the best of my knowledge we don’t have legal documents written by him. Also, the format of the fragment is identical with those of his responsa. Judeo Arabic. AA

Legal document. Probably from an agreement between husband and wife regarding their domicile in Cairo. Torn and damaged, only few words have survived. Aramaic. AA

Recto: Legal document in Judaeo-Arabic. It seems that a communal official undertakes to not miss any obligations on certain days, regardless of adverse weather, and that he will not get caught up in the drinking of wine. If he is witnessed violating this agreement, he will owe 1000 dirhams to the qodesh. Verso: Legal document in Judaeo-Arabic, in a different hand. Stipulating that a certain person will only fry foods in sesame oil (sīraj/sayraj). Dated: Monday, 4 Av 1758 Seleucid, which is 1447 CE. Witnesses: Shemuel b. Naṣrallāh al-Levi known as ʿAṭṭār; ʿAbdūn al-Kohen b. [...].

Marriage document, parchment, middle fragment only.