Geniza Lab

Letter of for charity addressed to an official. In Hebrew. Mentions the heqdesh.

Letter in the hand of Yosef b. Shemuel b. Seʿadya (court scribe, active ca. 1181–1209). He is describing a marital dispute: "...four sessions... in the last session, and that they... with them, and when that was said to me, I sent... with what was said to me, and I chastised him and restrained him in that, and he said... to him the duty that she should move from this place to another.... Some time later, he came to me screaming for help, saying, 'Divorce me from this woman lest I kill her and lose my life on her account,' and I said to him, 'What is the meaning of this?' ... the falsest thing that could be said about her, until I saw with my own eyes, and... divorced..."

Recto: Letter in the hand of Ḥalfon b. Menashshe to his 'brother' Abū Naṣr. In Judaeo-Arabic. Mentions a previous rebuke; the arrival of the physician today; possibly medically-induced vomiting (...[isti]frāgh min kull budd allāh yajʿal al-ʿāqiba...); 20 dirhams; and something he needs. On verso there is probably the response from Abū Naṣr, stating that the order has arrived, and he was distressed at the news, and probably that he will act on it. This fragment also contains two words in Arabic script from an earlier state document, perhaps a decree.

Letter in Judaeo-Arabic. Too fragmentary to understand content. The writer mentions the 'mezonot' and complains about not receiving anything for weeks. ASE

Letter in Judaeo-Arabic. Writer and addressee are unknown. The letter is an appeal for private charity. The writer is under duress from difficult times (awqāt al-shadā'id). There is a sick person in his household who has had a nosebleed (ruʿāf) for the entire week (the word "sick person" could plausibly be emended to "maraḍ" from "marīḍ," meaning that the writer himself has a nosebleed, but the next line, "I was away," suggests that it was rather someone in his family). When the letter resumes on verso, the writer mentions Cairo; that he is emptyhanded and helpless; that the addressee should not blame him; and that he has [?] his face from shame. ASE.

Letter in the hand of Avraham b. Farrāḥ of Alexandria. In Judaeo-Arabic. Needs examination for content. (Information from Goitein's index card.)

Letter fragment. Only the first eight lines (in poetic Hebrew) and the last 10 lines (mainly in Judaeo-Arabic) are preserved. Ismāʿīl sends his regards. In the postscript, the sender reports that 5 days earlier Abū Saʿd b. [...] al-Tājir died, and Sayyidnā has been guarding (? iḥtāṭa) his estate, and the sender attended his funeral. He asks the addressee to convey condolences.

Letter from an unidentified man, in Damascus, to a female family member, in Egypt. In Judaeo-Arabic. On recto, there are elaborate instructions for where to send the letter of condolence upon the death of the sender's father: "to Bilbays (אבלביס!), to the ḥaver Abū l-Waḥsh, who should deliver it to Damascus, to Suq al-Ṣāgha, to Makārim b. Ibrāhīm al-ʿAjamī or to Surūr. Explain in it all that has happened to you (or maybe: all that came over you (from grief)). And greet Abū l-Bahāʾ b. al-Muʿallim and his father. On verso (which seems to be written in the same hand, but the ink and the size of the letters look different), the sender again mentions Abū l-Waḥsh al-Ḥaver (spelled both אבו אלוחש and אבו אלוחס); 15 dirhams; something about the holiday and the journey 'to here'; and that he has sent her 1 Egyptian dinar which Abū l-Waḥsh will forward to her.

Letter from Mūsā, in Ṣandafā, to his brother, in Fustat. In Judaeo-Arabic, with the address in both Judaeo-Arabic and Arabic script. Written in a lovely hand, with rudimentary orthography. The sender arrived safely in Ṣandafā, but things are not going well there, and he plans to come to Fustat. There is an issue with the tax collector (ṣāhib al-kharāj)—maybe Mūsā has the tax receipts for other family members, since he offers to come quickly and bring something with him.

Letter in Judaeo-Arabic. Fragmentary (upper right corner). Addressed to someone titled Raʾs al-Kull (=Rosh Kalla). Mentions a woman who was connected to a certain kind of man (wa-kānat muttaṣila bi-rajul ḍā[...]...). Also mentions Riḍā al-Ṭabīb (the physician).

Letter in Judaeo-Arabic. Fragmentary (horizontal piece from the middle). Mentions a woman going up to Fustat and litigating over 20 dinars. "And if her travel is delayed to pay him the 20 dinars that is part of his merchandise (? raḥluh), she is excused, because her daughter died and she herself became mortally ill, and illness annuls debts." Then the letter, confusingly, appears to address the woman: " go up (iṭlaʿī), and if there is no going up and no payment...." The text in the margin suggests that this letter is a query addressed to a legal authority. On verso there is an unidentified text in a crude hand that includes words in Hebrew, Aramaic, and maybe Judaeo-Arabic.

Letter of appeal for charity. In Hebrew. Mostly blessings

Note from a certain Mūsā to a notable. In Judaeo-Arabic. Dating: Likely ca. 13th century (the hand may be known). The sender reminds the addressee to fulfill a promise (the details of which are only alluded to). "The only thing that prevented me from coming in person was removing a burden from your noble mind."

Letter addressed to Yehuda b. Yosef. Dating: Perhaps Mamluk-era. Needs examination.

Fragment of a letter in Arabic script, with some Hebrew words for the concluding blessings. Probably a letter of appeal for charity. The sender says that he is an orphan boy and mentions the coming holiday.

Letter from an in-law to Shelomo b. Eliyyahu, entreating him to divorce his wife (Sitt Ghazāl).

Beginning of a letter. Only the blessings have survived.

Four lines from a Hebrew letter. Dating: probably 11th century.

Letter fragment. In Judaeo-Arabic. Shelomo b. Eliyyahu’s hand? Mentions an old woman, then somebody's (probably the writer's) intention to bring a matter before the state authorities ([anā] ʿāzim ʿalā l-dukhūl ilā l-sulṭān. . . fī qaḍiyyatī wa-injāz qiṣṣatī. . . al-salāṭīn ʿazza naṣruhum. . .), then perhaps returns to the old woman and the desire for her to enjoy peace of mind and tranquil years. If [...] agrees, the writer will send another letter, and if a certain woman also wishes something. . . otherwise, let her sit until God has mercy . . . [it ends around here]. ASE.

Letter fragment in Judaeo-Arabic. Dating: Late, perhaps 14th–17th century. Mainly the closing greetings are preserved. In a postscript, a woman named Muʾnisa (מונסה) asks the addressee to send her something (מרבטה?).