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HUMANISTIC SERIES
VOLUME

XIII

FRAGMENTS FROM THE CAIRO

GENIZAH IN THE FREER
COLLECTION

THE MACMILLAN COMPANY:

NEW YORK BOSTON CHICAGO

DALLAS

SAN FRANCISCO

MACMILLAN AND CO., LIMITED

LONDON BOMBAY CALCUTTA MADRAS
MELBOURNE

THE MACMILLAN CO. OF CANADA,

TORONTO

Ltd.

FRAGMENTS
FROM THE

CAIRO GENIZAH
IN

THE

FREER COLLECTION
*

08

EDITED BY

RICHARD GOTTHEIL
COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY

AND

WILLIAM

H.

WORRELL

UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN

^orfe

THE MACMILLAN COMPANY

LONDON

MACMILLAN AND COMPANY,

I927
All

rights reserved.

Freer Gallery
f Art

Washington, D. C.

Ltd.

Copyright,

1927,

By FRANCIS W. KELSEY, Editor.

Published

BY W. LEWIS,

May

1927.

PRINTED IN GREAT BRITAIN

M.A., AT THE UNIVERSITY PRESS, CAMBRIDGE.

PREFACE
The documents

from the Cairo Genizah published in this

volume were obtained by Mr Charles L. Freer in Egypt in 1908.
They now form a part of the collections in the Freer Gallery of
Art in Washington, D.C.
In December, 1906, Mr Freer had purchased at Gizeh the now
well-known Greek manuscripts of Deuteronomy and Joshua, the
Gospels and the Psalms, and fragments of a manuscript of the
Epistles of Paul.

Henry A. Sanders

at the

them was made by Professor

report upon

meeting of the Archaeological Institute

America in Chicago at the end of December, 1907. Much

interest was aroused; and since it seemed probable that the manuscripts had been found in the ruins of a monastery and had formed
of

a part of a monastic library,

Mr

Freer resolved to spare no

effort

same collection in case such should

With this in mind, he made a special

to obtain other portions of the

have been brought

trip to

Egypt

to light.

in 1908.

to elicit information that

The most

would lead

manuscripts of value; but

Coptic parchments,

in

diligent inquiry, however, lailecl

in his

to the

quest

recovery of other Greek

Mr

Freer did secure some

which was included a

Psalter,

and the

Genizah fragments.

The

Coptic Psalter was handed to

on September

me

at the

15,

1908.

few days

me by Mr Freer

later his

in

Detroit

Curator brought to

University of Michigan the remaining Coptic leaves

and the Genizah documents. All this material was at once examined by Dr William H. Worrell. The Coptic Psalter and the
other leaves afterwards were published by Mr Worrell in Volume X
of the Humanistic Series of the University of Michigan Studies;
in the same series, Volumes VIII and IX, Mr Sanders had already
published the Greek manuscripts.
Fearning of the presence of the Genizah documents in Detroit,
and appreciating, as few scholars would, their value as source
material for the history of an obscure but important period, Professor

1912 undertook to prepare them for publication.

had accomplished the extremely difficult task of transcribing

Richard Gottheil

He

in

when the war broke out. Responding to the call of duty,

with much personal sacrifice and risk to health, he devoted himself
to humanitarian work in New York until the Armistice, and beyond.
the texts

PREFACE

vi

Resuming

his preparation of the

Genizah material as soon as

possible, he finished the first draft of the translation of nearly all

had commenced the preparation of notes,

when an accumulation of work, due to having been called to spend
an academic year at the University of Strasbourg, obliged him to
ask to be relieved from further responsibility for the completion
the documents, and

of the volume.

Very

reluctantly the request of Professor Gottheil

and he placed

all

was granted,

the material in the hands of Professor Worrell

November, 1924. It is not possible to distinguish by marks the

work of the two scholars, but for the final form of the volume
in

Professor Worrell

examined

sonally

is

alone responsible.

certain

Genizah

Schechter, Bodleian, British

lections

and

his

name

is

number

documents

Museum and

Similarly his

of other instances in which

Mr

name

XLIV

printed just as

came from

the

Taylor-

is

mentioned

Worrell was unable to

verify sources or to express a personal opinion.

worked out No.

in

Paris Consistoire col-

therefore given with the observations

bearing upon these collections.

in

Professor Gottheil per-

Dr Samuel

Feigin

number has been

upon his responsibility.
Professor A. Marx, Professor Ginzberg, and Professor Israel
Davidson, all of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America,
Mr David Yellin, of Jerusalem, and Mr B. Chapira, of Paris,
assisted Professor Gottheil with particular matters which have been
acknowledged in their place. Mr Leon Nemoy, of Yale University,
verified references to books in distant libraries. Anne MacKenzie
Worrell gave vital assistance with references, analyses, manuscript,
and proof. The Jewish Institute of Religion, New York, the Case
Memorial Library, Hartford, Ct., the Hebrew Union College,
Cincinnati, and the University of Michigan, loaned books of
reference.

To

it

all

independently, and that

his pen, entirely

of these the editors unite in expressing their

indebtedness.

The

heliotype plates of the volume were

executed by the

Heliotype Company, in Boston, under the direction of Mr W. C.

Ramsay. The cost of publication was defrayed from the Freer
Research and Publication Fund of the University of Michigan.

FRANCIS W. KELSEY.
University of Michigan,
July

10, 1926.

CONTENTS
Introduction

vi.
vii.

Arabic

ii.

iii.

iv.

v.

PAGE

The
The
The
The
The
The

i.

Cairo Genizah

xi

....

Freer Collection

Paper

xiv

Dating

xv

....
....
....
....
....

Language and Languages

ix.

Contents

X.

Geography

xi.

Biography

Jew and Gentile

xii.

Marriage

xiii.

xiv

Handwriting

Hebrew and Aramaic

viii.

xiv

xvi
xviii

xxii

xxiii

xxiv
xxiv

xxv

xxvii

xiv.

Religion, Learning, Superstition

XV.
xvi.

Commerce and Manufacture

Proper Names

xvii.

Purpose and Plan of Publication

xxvii
xxvii i

xxix

xxx

Texts, Translations and Notes:

I.

....
......
......
......
....
.....
......
......
....
......
....
......
.....

Two Documents

II.

Letter

III.

Letter

IV.

Letter

V.

Letter

VI.

Halachic Fragment

1
I

18

24
26
3

Memorandum

32

VIII.

Letter

36

IX.

Letter

X.

XI.

Bill of

XII.

Letter

XIII.

List of

XIV.

Leaf from a Merchants Note-Book

XV.

Charm
Document

VII.

XVI.
XVII.
XVIII.
XIX.

Leaf from a Prayer-Book

Divorce

Tax-Payers

Penitential

Hymn

....

Leaf from a Merchants Note-Book

Poetic Fragments

......
....

Leaf from a Book of Poems

XXL

Letter

upon the Back of an Arabic Document

XX.
XXII.
XXIII.

Business Letter

Notes on the Back of a Letter

44
56

58
62
66
72

76

82

84
86

88
90
94
96
100

CONTENTS

VI 11

.......
.....
.......
.......
.....
......
.....
.....
.......
.......
.......

Texts, Translations and Notes (contd.):

XXIV.

XXV.
XXVI.
XXVII.
XXVIII.
XXIX.

Charm

PAGE
106

Scrap of Paper

Letter

Letter

108
I I

16

130

Part of a Letter

Pizmonlm

134

XXX.

Part of a Letter

XXXI.
XXXII.

Part of a Letter

38

142

'

Part of a Letter

146

XXXIII.

Letter

!5

XXXIV.
XXXV.
XXXVI.
XXXVII.

Letter
Letter

An

Accounting

Letter

...

XXXVIII.

Poetic Biblical Paraphrases

XXXIX.

Fragment of Maimonides
Leaves from the Note-Book

XL.
XLI.
XLII.
XLIII.

Letter

XLVIII.

Letter

XLIX.
L.

Indexes

164
170
172

176

Memoranda

of a Marriage

Agreement in Regard to the Academy

Halachic Fragment
Leaves from a Note-Book
A Page from a Prayer-Book
Letter

160

.......

Liturgical

XLIV.
XLV.
XLVI.
XLVII.

156

Lady

Three Letters of Complaint

190

194

al-Ramlah

at
.

196

202

218

.......
.......

Letter from a

178

226
228
236
242

246

Index of Subjects

267

Index of Proper Names

269

Arabic and Hebrew

273

LIST OF PLATES
PLATE
I.

II.

FACING PAGE

Fragment
Fragment

12

IV.

Fragment
Fragment

13

V.

Fragment

3a

18

VI.

Fragment

VII.

Fragment 4
Fragment 5 a

III.

VIII.

IX.

X.
XI.

XII.
XIII.

XIV.

XV.
XVI.
XVII.
XVIII.
XIX.

XX.
XXI.

Fragment 5 b
Fragment 7
Fragment 8 a
Fragment 8 b
Fragment 9a

XXIV.
XXV.
XXVI.
XXVII.
XXVIII.
XXIX.

Fragment 23
Fragment 2 6

XXXI.
XXXII.
XXXIII.

XXXIV.

XXXV.
XXXVI.
XXXVII.

26
27

32

36
37

44
45
62
72

73

76

Fragment 15 b
Fragment 16a
Fragment 16b
Fragment 21
Fragment 2 2

Fragment 27a
Fragment 27b
Fragment 28
Fragment 30
Fragment
Fragment
Fragment
Fragment
Fragment

77
82

83

94
96
100

XL.
XLI.

16

117

130
138

31

142

32

146

33 a
33 b

15

151

34 a

156

Fragment 34 b
Fragment 35 a

Fragment 35 b

Fragment 37
Fragment 40a
Fragment 40b

57

160
161

XXXVIII. Fragment 36

XXXIX.

24

Fragment 9b
Fragment 12
Fragment 14a
Fragment 14b
Fragment 15 a

XXII.
XXIII.

XXX.

164
1

70

178

79

LIST OF PLATES
PLATE

XLII.
XLIII.

XLI V.
XLV.
XLYI.
XLVII.
XLVIII.

XLIX.
L.

LI.

LII.

FACING PAGE

Fragment
Fragment
Fragment
Fragment

41

I9O

42 a

194

42 b

43 a
Fragment 43 b

Fragment 45 a
Fragment 45 b
Fragment 47
Fragment 48
Fragment 50a
Fragment 50b

195
T96

'

197
2

18

219
228
236
246
252

INTRODUCTION
The Cairo Genizah

i.

T HE

Hebrew word genizah means

treasury, hiding-place.

safe-keeping, hiding, archive,

Specifically

means

it

a depository where

worn-out, heretical, or disgraced books, written or printed, useless documents

and

letters,

or other objects of pious solicitude, are stored.

among

Genizahs

Jews, and similar institutions

among

owe

Christians,

by religious or
personal use and association may not be destroyed even though they have
ceased to be useful. Fear of profanation leads to the practice of hiding
their origin doubtless to the feeling that objects hallowed

them,

the ground, or with the dead, in order that, like

in walls or attics, in

may remain

forever safe until obliterated by Time,

under the dispensation of Providence. In Europe and elsewhere a corner
of the graveyard was set apart for this purpose 2 There is such a place in
Florence 3 marked by an appropriate inscription. In the ancient Coptic
Red Monastery at Sohaj worn-out prayer-books, vestments, and altar-

the beloved dead, they

paraphernalia are thrown into a

Jews

is

pit.

The

solicitude for

among

the

Name

from desecration. Genizah papers

names. Islam shows a similar
any piece of writing or printing, because it almost certainly

the protection of the Divine

are indeed sometimes called shemoth,

contains the

theological motivation

Name

of

God

4
.

The word genizah has now become

a proper name, designating the

limbo of the ancient Synagogue of Elijah 5 in Old Cairo. The

Genizah and its contents have had a long history which unfortunately cannot

literary

yet be written because of the incompleteness and hear-say character of the

evidence.

From

vol. v, pp.

612

ff.,

the account of

we

church, bearing the

Mr

learn that the

name

E. N. Adler in the Jewish Encyclopedia

Synagogue was

of St Michael.

originally a Christian

Chosroes, partly as an

enemy

of

the faith of Byzantium, and partly no doubt as the heir of Cyrus, in 616

turned the Synagogue over to the Jews. Benjamin of Tudela visited

the twelfth century, and thought

it

a very ancient place.

The

it

in

great Egyptian

1
Large Roman numerals in parentheses indicate the fragments in the Freer collection
and Arabic numerals in parentheses indicate the pages of the present volume.
2
For genizah ceremonies see Revue des Ecoles de P Alliance, 1901, p. 103.
3
Cf. Giornale della Societa Asialica, 1918-20, p. 97.
4
Lane, Manners and Customs of the Modern Egyptians, ch. xiii.
5
Or Ezra, or Moses. See also the Jewish Encyclopedia vol. v, pp. 60 ff. Encyclo;

paedia of Religion and Ethics,

hebrdische Bibliographic

Review.

vol.

vi,

pp. 187 ff;

vol. x, p. 89; also the

Steinschneider in Zeitschrift fiir

many

articles in the

Jewish Quarterly

INTRODUCTION

xii

antiquary, al-Makriz! (A.D. 1364-1442), writes

This synagogue

is

in the street of Iyasr

Synagogue of the Syrians:

al-Sham, of the city of Cairo, and

is ancient.
There is an inscription above its door, in the Hebrew writing,
engraven in the wood, to the effect that it was built in the year 336 of
Alexander (A.D. 24), which is about 45 years before the second destruction

it

of Jerusalem, by Titus (A.D. 70), and 600 years before the Hijrah (A.D. 622).
And in this synagogue there is a copy of the Law which all agree to be

No doubt Mann is right,

and we are to understand that the inscription read (1)336 of the Seleucid
Era, which is A.D. 1024 ( The Jews in Egypt and in Palestine vol. ii, p. 375).
Simon van Geldern at about 1750, and Jacob Saphir in 1864, both saw the
Synagogue and its genizah, and recognised the value of their treasures.
Mrs Agnes Smith Lewis tells us casually 6 that the first known Genizah
leaves were brought to Europe by Dr Lansing; but there appears to be no
support for the statement. Mr E. N. Adler in 1888 visited the Synagogue;
but he did not succeed in seeing the contents of the Genizah, for he was
told that they had been buried.
In the early nineties Professor Gottheil
used to see the desk of Dr Neubauer, the sub-librarian of the Bodleian
Library at Oxford, covered with portions of books which Dr Neubauer
told him had come from the East, his professional discretion not permitting
him to disclose their exact source. The Bodleian catalogue makes the
statement that in 1890 the Rev. J. Chester bought some leaves in Cairo for
the Bodleian Library, and adds that the credit of first recognising their
possible value to Hebrew literature belongs to Dr Neubauer. In Anecdota
Oxoniensia (Semitic Series, parts 4-6, Medieval Jewish Chronicles II, 1895)
Dr Neubauer published a chronicle which had evidently come from the
In January, 1896, Mr Adler again came to Egypt, and,
Cairo Genizah 7
with the knowledge and help of the Chief Rabbi of Egypt, he took away a
sackful of parchment and paper leaves.

entirely in the handwriting of the Prophet Ezra.

On May

13th,

1897,

Dr Schechter observed

in a

bundle of fragments

brought from southern Palestine by Mrs Lewis and Mrs Gibson, a time-

worn

leaf of the lost

Hebrew

original of Ecclesiasticus 8

With

the prompt-

ness which was characteristic of him, Professor Schechter set out immediately for Cairo with the single purpose of bringing back the entire contents

of the Genizah to Cambridge.

Armed

with an introduction to Lord Cromer

he went to Egypt. A word from the latter to the Jewish authorities in

Cairo opened up the old chamber. Professor Schechter was able to take
away with him in sacks, at his own estimate, not less than one hundred
thousand pieces of vellum and paper. He has given an account of this
visit in his article,

One
the

A Horde

of

Hebrew Manuscripts 9 .
all that was in
had been plundered before his

doubts, however, whether Schechter brought back

Genizah.

Undoubtedly the

place

Zeitschrift der deutschen morgenldndischen Gesellschaft vol.

P.

xi.

S.

Schechter and C. Taylor, The

Studies in Judaism Second Series, 1908, pp.

Ixi, p.

631.

Wisdom of Ben Sira Cambridge,

,

gff.

1899,

page

v.

INTRODUCTION

xiii

coming 10 and he was cheated by the men who worked with and for him.
Mrs Lewis 6 tells us that leaves were somehow stolen between the packing
and unpacking; and that she personally bought some of these from dealers
in Cairo.
At any rate, a lot of the material had escaped. The Jews themselves had taken the overflow of the Genizah proper, and buried it in their
cemetery in the desert, called al-Basatln, where they had constructed
several underground chambers for the purpose. From this place Professor
Gottheil in 1910 secured fragments, both early and late. So much had
escaped that there is hardly a large library in Europe that is without its
collection of Genizah fragments. Of first importance in this respect are the
British Museum, the Bodleian, the Jewish Consistory of Paris, the Royal
Library of Berlin, the Municipal Library of Frankfurt and the library of
the Archduke Rainer, in Vienna. Many private collections also possess
them. Dropsie College, Philadelphia, is the custodian of some four hundred
and fifty documents, apparently from the Cairo Genizah 11
No list has ever been made, nor is one likely soon to be made, of all the
places where Genizah fragments have found a resting-place.
The contents of Mr Adlers famous sack were brought to the Jewish
Theological Seminary of America, in New York, where they are at the
disposition of American scholars; and the great mass of material removed
officially by Professor Schechter is now the Taylor-Schechter collection at
,

Cambridge.
It seems certain that the Genizah, once
overflowing into the community cemetery

filled to
is

overflowing

now emptied

literally

of everything

The three most recent visits disclosed nothing but printed matter.
But a great deal may still be in the hands of dealers.
of value.

10

The Synagogue had been

repaired

some time before Schechters

visit,

most prob-

ably about 1890, shortly after which date the Genizah material began to appear at the
Bodleian. To quote from a !eliable correspondent, whose name cannot be mentioned

remains to Cambridge, many dealers helped

themselves to small bundles of fragments which they would obtain by bakhshish from the
beadle of the old Synagogue at Fustat (Old Cairo), where the Genizah had been discovered
Before the late

in

an

down

attic as

Dr Schechter

transferred

its

a result of the work of repairing the Synagogue.

the roof

dumped

all

The workmen on

the contents of this attic into the court-yard,

tearing

and there the

MSS

were lying for several weeks in the open. During these weeks many dealers could obtain
bundles of leaves for nominal sums. They later sold these bundles at good prices to

and libraries.
But the Genizah was known

several tourists

be discovered. Also,

if

in

we have seen, and hence could not

dumped into the court-yard, they must

1750 and 1864, as

all the contents were

have been restored, in part at least, to the Genizah before Schechters visit in 1897, for he
found them there. In view of all the statements, perhaps the contents of the Genizah and
the entrance to it, were always known to the Synagogue authorities. They deceived
Adler upon his first visit, in 1888, with a conventional answer: The contents of a genizah
are regularly buried. Before the repairs, the contents and their whereabouts were well
known, but not their value. That fact appeared to the Synagogue authorities only after
they had seen the beadle
11

Formerly

lections.

by the

sell to

the dealers.

in the (Cyrus) Adler, Sulzberger,

Amram, Friedenwald, and Cobern

These, together with other Genizah material

late

Dr

in Philadelphia, are

B. Halper in his Descriptive Catalogue (1924).

col-

characterised

INTRODUCTION

xiv

The Genizah documents which have

thus far been examined have con-

tributed immensely to the history of the Jews in the eastern Mediterranean,

Before the discovery little was known of the government of the communities, their tastes and activities, their daily lives. The
article Egypt in the Jewish Encyclopedia written in 1903, in the absence
of a second edition of that work has been overtaken by the excellent book
of Dr Jacob Mann, The Jews in Egypt and in Palestine under the Fatimid
Caliphs (Oxford, 1920-22). It is hoped, however, that some day all the
Genizah material will be published in the original texts, and with logical or
especially in Egypt.

chronological sequence, in a Corpus Geniziacorum

some body of

scholars and

some Maecenas

will

and that before long

be found to undertake the

task.
ii.

The Freer Collection

The Genizah documents edited in the present volume were purchased

by Mr Charles L. Freer of Detroit in the year 1908, from a dealer in Gizeh.
Nothing further is known of their provenance. They were probably picked
up by the curious or the speculative at the time when the Synagogue was
being repaired. Every Egyptian knows the negotiable value of antiquities,
particularly of inscribed leaves.

It

is,

of course, also possible that they

were dug up by natives after being regularly buried by the authorities of

the Synagogue. It is even possible that they never were in the Synagogue,
but that they were obtained from some ancient cemetery, where they had
been originally buried with the dead.

The Freer

collection of

Genizah documents has been placed

in the

Freer Gallery of the Smithsonian Institution at Washington, D.C.

iii.

The Paper

All the fragments are written upon Paper.

Nos. V, VI, VII, VIII, IX, X, XII, XIII, XV, XIX, XXIII, XXIV,
XXV, XXVI, XXVII, XXVIII, XXX, XXXI, XXXII, XXXIV, XXXV,
XXXVIII, XXXIX, XLII, XLIII, XLIV, XLV, and XLVI are without
Nos. I, II, III, IV, XI, XIV, XVI, XVII, XVIII, XX, XXI,
XXIX, XXXIII, XXXVI, XL, XLVIII, and XLIX have coarse, and
Nos. XXII, XXXVII, XLI, XLVII, and L, fine screen-marks.

screen-marks.

Watermarks are

to be found

on Nos.

XXVII

and L.

The former

is

apparently a mailed torso, and the latter a hand-and-star such as was

employed by manufacturers in France, Switzerland, and Sicily, between

A.D. 1490 and 1590, according to Briquet, Les Filigranes (1907).

iv.

The Handwriting

Although some of the hands betray a familiarity with Arabic writing

(XXVII), there is very little of Arabic writing to be found in the collection.
The instances are: Nos. XVI (entire), XXVII and XXXV (addresses),
II and XIX (scrawls on the back which we have not attempted to explain).

INTRODUCTION

XV

The Coptic numerals employed in No. XL would seem to indicate

some contact with the Coptic-Arabic fiscal system.
The collection as a whole is written in Hebrew characters. There is
nothing remarkable in the use of the Hebrew alphabet by the Jews when
writing Arabic. They have done similarly in Persia, Spain, the Slavic
countries, and America.
So also the Greeks and Armenians use their
national alphabets for writing Turkish.

of the

Lebanon wrote Arabic

in

For a time the Jacobite Christians

Syriac characters, the so-called KarshunJ.

Just as the use of the Arabic script quite generally follows the adoption of
Islam, so the use of the Latin or the Greek alphabet shows historical and

Greek church respectively.

more sacred than the language but
be taught after it becomes impossible to continue

cultural relationship to the Latin church or the

It is

perhaps not that the

that the letters can

still

letters are

the tradition of the language.

The

variety and difficulty of the hands present at

problem of the editors

the case,

group

is

although Hebrew writing,

not usually so

in particular,

once the chief

in the

very nature of

difficult as the freely ligatured

Nos. Ill, XII,

Arabic.

XXII, XXXIII, XXXIV, and

One

XXXV,

Hebrew hand in which similar letters are scarcely

Even for a Jew of that time and place these letters
could not have been more legible than the proverbial scrawls of Horace
Greeley are to us. As modern analogies to these memoranda-slips and
leaves from note-books, we are to think of the slips which are issued to us
by our grocers, or the personal memoranda and agenda which we carry
written in a very bad

is

differentiated at

about
It

in

all.

our pockets.

has been

difficult to find

a satisfactory standard for the classification

The traditional terms, square, half-square, and cursive,

have no definitive and generally accepted meaning. Square is used to
designate the group of hands most nearly like the standard type of our
Hebrew bibles. Half-square means usually the group resembling the
rabbinic or Rashi type of the printers; cursive means perhaps a
running hand with ligatures. But square hands become careless, and
begin to look like rabbinic while truly cursive hands can hardly be
found at all. In this collection, in spite of the carelessness of many of the

hands, there is only one (XXI) really cursive hand, in the sense of being
of hands

12

freely ligatured.

Under
if

these circumstances

terms a definite meaning.

alphabet, and as

its

has been thought best to invent a system,

As

the letter

and

to give the three traditional

is

the most variable in the

variation stands in a certain relation to the classes,

square, half-square,

in

it

only for the purposes of this volume

terms of the form of

and

cursive,

we need only

In very few cases

is

to define these classes

the result belied

by the

general impression of the writing.

12

Bernheimer, Paleografia Ebraica

consideration.

Florence, 1924, has

come

to

hand too

late for


INTRODUCTION

xvi

The square type is made with five

The half-square type is made with
square

strokes

resembles the

two

or even

strokes,

and does not

fc.

Nineteen of the documents

may

be dated, exactly or approximately.

these be arranged in chronological order no definite development

E.g. No.

apparent.

No. XLI, which

XLVII,

of A.D. 1067, has the

and half-square hands are

other formal

letters

On

certainly later than 1412.

is

commonest
employed in

that while cursive hands are

in

still

NXr*.

The cursive type is made with three

much resemble the square KN rt ?
If

three strokes, and

(XXXI, XXXII, XL)

same

is

cursive form as

the other hand,

it

appears

and memoranda, square

legal documents (XI, XLIII) and
writing, and by persons writing
in letters

from Jerusalem (V, XXVII).

v.

The Dating

Unfortunately only nineteen of the

be dated.

Of

fragments can by any means

fifty

these the earliest appears to be No.

V (c.

1016

?)

or No.

XLIII

and the latest No. L (c. 1530?) or No. XL (1511). The undated
ones may, of course, fall outside these limits. General considerations make
it likely that nearly all of the collection belongs to the early or middle part
and it is disappointing not to find some reference to the
of this period
(1043),

Crusades or the Mongol invasions.

vi.

The

The Language and Languages

interpretation of

many

of the letters

is

made

by

peculiarly difficult

a certain characteristic vagueness, incoherence, and obscurity of language

(18).

The

editors are well

aware of their

many

failure in

instances to grasp

the meaning of the texts (139 ff.). Some of the trouble arises from pure
slovenliness of thought and expression. Confusion between two possible

forms or constructions, which present themselves simultaneously to the

mind of the

writer, are very

common

119-126, 138, 152, 153, 158).

(36, 46,

the obscurities of very bad Arabic (151) and Arabic under some strong
foreign influence (XXXIII) are added the inelegancies of speech-mixture.

To

Hebrew and Arabic are often frankly combined in a single document, even
some pretensions (XLIII). But Arabic and Hebrew are combined in
Arabic words are used in a Hebrew sense, and
the same words (XV)
Hebrew words in an Arabic sense (39, 162) and the Arabic and Hebrew

of

even combined (104).

cannot escape the impression, however, that there

articles are

One

My letter
element of deliberate geheimthuerei
with the dogs, who will tell you about it (19).

God keep him

did not wish to give colors

And

95 )

your insignificant servant, Genesis-Exodus

due to fear of the interception of letters, no doubt

slave,

for

me

to explain to you... (151).

of a forgotten age

No.

XXXVI

is

Much

a considerable

has gone forward to you

is

The

(133)

And

the Elephant
writer of

Some
it is

it is

the

of this

is

not possible

of it arises from the trade-slang

an excellent example of this. Some of

INTRODUCTION
may be humor
(51). The bed is
it

first

of

all

The

xvii

Bought a slave means became the

the most important thing in the house

father of a son
(21).

needed

a tailor (151).

elaborate ceremonial of address in the letters, whether in

or in Arabic, suggests

some

Hebrew

relationship with the highly developed epistolary

technique of the Arabs, as set forth in such books as the Subh al-Askd of

al-Kalkashandl (died A.D. 1418) 13

The languages used are Arabic, Hebrew, and Aramaic.
.

Except in the few cases where the language is bad, we may assume that
Arabic was the mother tongue of the writers of all these documents. It is
used for most of the personal letters, notes, and memoranda and documents
;

in

Hebrew have

formal

a tendency to lapse into

letters, or letters

written

by

it.

Hebrew

is

the language of

proficient persons with a motive for

emphasising the bond that united the Jews.

Hebrew

is

the language of the

all more or less religious, and Aramaic the language of documents (XI) but words from both languages are often introduced into
Arabic texts, especially where Jewish institutions are concerned.
It is perhaps unnecessary, except for completeness, to remark here that
Hebrew was properly the language of Canaan (Isaiah xix, 18). Themselves
a part of the Aramaean migration, and in contact with Aramaic (Gen. xxxi,
47 II Sam. x, 6 Jud. xviii, 28), the Jews must have become more familiar
with Aramaic after the deportations of Israelites and importation of Aramaeans in 734 and 722 B.C. (II Kings xv, 29; xvii, 6, 24; Ezra iv, 2, 10).
Aramaic was understood by Judaeans of the upper classes as early as 701 B.C.
(II Kings xviii, 26; Isaiah xxxvi, 11). During the fifty years of exile in
an Aramaic-speaking Babylon the Jews must have learned that language

poetic pieces,
;

thoroughly, as the steady process of aramai'sation

The

in

post-exilic

Hebrew

and the writer of

Daniel (about 167 B.C.) not only include Aramaic documents and reports,
but themselves use Aramaic within the body of a Hebrew book, intended
for Jewish readers. With the beginning of Hellenistic times Hebrew seems
to have perished as a spoken language. It was replaced by Aramaic and
Greek. After the decline of Greek in the fourth century, Aramaic, in various
forms, continued to be the language of Jews in the orient until the Muslim
conquests, in the latter part of the seventh century A.D. Medieval and
modern Hebrew have so strong an infusion of Aramaic at times, that they
may be said to consist of a mixture of the two. This did not occur with
Arabic, probably because of the greater difference between Arabic and
Hebrew; although Arabic became the chief language of the Jews in the

testifies.

writer of Ezra (end of fourth century B.C.)

East.

13

Cf.

Museum

similar,

182,

work

morg. Gesell vol. lxx, pp. 7 if. British

gives suggestions for writing to a superior for assistance.

in Zeitschr. der deutschen

Hebrew A3,

.,

INTRODUCTION

xviii

Arabic

vii.

At times the Arabic used approximates to the classical idiom. The

-kumu occurs in a rajaz-verse (133) and there are instances of the

suffix

drab and the tanwln

some

degree.

(41).

The type

is

But

most part the Arabic is colloquial in

usually Egyptian but it is often Palestinian or
for the

Syrian, or even Maghrib! (VII).

coloring or an occasional

XII,

two
his

This colloquialism varies from a slight

to an out-and-out use of the vernacular (IX,

slip,

XXVI, XXVII, XXVIII, XXX, XXXIII, XXXIV, XLV).

letters (or

two parts of one

master (XXVIII,

letter ?) written

XXX) we have

Hebrew words

The

?)

writer spells both his Arabic

XXVI

No.

phonetically.

In the

(or servant

to

perhaps the oldest existing specimens

of colloquial, howbeit Jewish Arabic.

his

by a slave

is

most

peculiar, if indeed

and

we

have read it properly.

Orthography and phonology must be treated together, as we cannot
always know whether we are dealing with peculiarities of spelling or

Some

of the texts are more phonetic than

and long vowels apparently as heard and

peculiarities of pronunciation.

others, writing the consonants

spoken

(130),

and even occasionally indicating the short vowels (63, 139).

letters employed in expressing the Arabic sounds are

The Hebrew

those which etymologically correspond to the Arabic letters

cases require special

and

0=

and

=
=

^
l>

=
= D,
=
,

^
t
Jj

^
^

comment

rarely
rarely

= k rarely
=

=
=

&

or

)5

but some

under influence of h (15)

)3)

138 (

indicating a non-Cairene pronunciation

rarely

Pi,

Europe

as in

(122, 138)

=
=
=

p, rarely
11,

rarely

152 ), or omitted, because

(50, 140), or

= y, rarely omitted,

=H,

=
,

in

= hamzah

under influence of

T1

(154)
(63)

numerals (138)

rarely omitted, in fl[hi\ (112)

passim. Short

also

(138, 230)

=
= n,
In the

way

rarely

12

ffi,

159)

of forms and syntactic peculiarities not necessarily col-

loquial
for

(114, 152)

for

(150, 152)

for

(38)

INTRODUCTION

XIX

Also the frequent omission of the article, the strange use of prepositions,
and the redundant it (XXVII especially).
Peculiarities of vocabulary not necessarily colloquial

wj

he intends

acquittal

djj|,

(24)

(35)

j h
0 x

business

by agreement

(162)

(43)

forced
(34)

value

for

(164)

iia*.;;

do not be concerned

154 )

shipment

u^j-

(?),

(97)

business

matter

he should urge

(37)

(63)

(39)

judiciable claim? (43)

master (138, 140)

mouldiness

J
y

J.L la.,

risked

(122)

(152)

may
0

he recompense (154)

0 e

a)

pay

J.S0I, I

remain under

to him, to

management

(32

ff.)

he liquidated them?
/>

(39)

Of

he asserted? (34 f.)

for

for

their delivery

moment

(97)

(162)

she summoned to court? (55)

he said (34 ff. et passim )
myself (140)
embroidery (152)

j.s.^1 .8,

prunes (123)
quarrel? (132)

for

manager

(193)

despatcher (228)

o.aJU I,

he treated
I

borrowed

? (

2)

40)

/ / 0

we

inquired

(45)

ja w,

purchase-price

(164)

his

INTRODUCTION

xx
J/ 0

(.

payable next year? (141)

iUwl,

inspector, overseer
0 y

(141)

Jii,

worry

JjUi,

chaff

? (

&;=>{,,

favor

(36 et alibi)
1 1

8)

wages

(63)

police (69, 95)

was not able

(112, 121)

wJU, wished, tried (121)

0>i,

for

soap

profiteering? (125)

(20

?/ alibi)

(123)

Purim

(46)

before

(120)

because? (21)

y 0

*1

the inquirer? (62, 150

^****1
0
(

'

J at

for

et alibi)

being impatient for

? (

126 )

doings (127)
4_p5

aL.

cost

estate

load

(57, 73)

(49)

church

.;>,

(19, 120, 156)

y
.

cX^^^Xj

reconciliation

dowry?

%*, about

affairs

(42)

(57)
(

9)

(20)

your obedient servant? slave?

(24, 133 )

Si5 b, ships captain (48)

you sent
it
0

it

might be due

New

(9)

(39)

he collected

(1
19)

interest are the instances of colloquial

unless otherwise stated)

Loss of

(150)

important thing? (20)

son

Loss of'

A&.3.

Of especial

(50)

had paid

numerals (114,

in

phonology (Egyptian,

138, 163 et alibi).

final -hi (1 12).

arising out of k (154 bis), or triliterality (199).

to h before the voiceless stop t (63).

Change of

INTRODUCTION

XXI

Change of s

to s before the emphatic stop t (15).

Loss of final short vowel of verbal forms, resulting in shortening of
preceding vowel (34), or (when the root ends with /) assimilation to the
/ of the preposition (46, 138, 140, 156).

Accent on

syllable in

first

broken plurals of the form fa'alil with

,

consequent shortening of second syllable, so as to produce the form

fa' all

in

(160

et passim').

MaghribI accent on last

ibn and abu (32, 41, 69).

syllable with consequent loss of initial vowel

Colloquial forms are frequent

wilad

for

awldd

(40).

Characteristic forms of numerals (138).

MaghribI

huma

for

hum

(140).

and ild for lahu (Palestinian and Syrian, 33).

hadi for hadha (Palestinian and Syrian, 152).
le

di for liddha (162).

esh for

md

(Palestinian

and Syrian,

21, 39, 52, 124, 152).

hek for hakadhd (Palestinian and Syrian, 152).

The negative suffix -sh[e] (54, 65, 12 1, 140, 150, 151), at times
objective and not yet adverbial (150, 151).

The present-tense-prefix bi- with the imperfect (39, 112,

The MaghribI first-person-singular (sic !) prefix with the
if it

be not a mere use of we for I. (Spanish-Moroccan

The

still

152).

imperfect,

152 et

alibi.)

the Vlllth form of the verb (51, 52, 53, 160).

Metathesis of first vowel in verbs whose third radical is y, e.g. ihket

for

external

t in

hakaitu (Palestinian, 140).

Inflection of verbs whose third radical

is

(47)

and verbs whose

second and third radicals are identical (155), as though they were verbs

whose

third radical

is

y.

yutammin (47).
The pseudo-verb f1\J1\ (151).
The conjunctions walla (125) and ila zva (56).
The adverb lissa (65).
Simplification of yutmalnn to

Syntactic peculiarities of the colloquial

The

pronoun alladhl is at times used as a conjunction in

which its colloquial counterpart, illi, is used in Cairene
vernacular at the present day. This is precisely the history of the
Germanic demonstrative (English that) which becomes relative and then
conjunctive That book that denies that such is the case (45, 130).
The Hebrew letters
occur many times in such a way as to appear
to be the Arabic conjunction an, used as an indefinite relative pronoun
As everyone knows, Arabic has no indefinite
(45, 51, 54, 96, 130).
the

relative

manner

in

This an would seem therefore to be used in the manner

of Hebrew -BJL At times it stands between an undetermined noun and

relative pronoun.

its

attributive adjective (45, 54, 96).

The conjunction an is omitted (121).

The participle is used for a finite verb

(? 51).

INTRODUCTION

XXII

Vocabulary and idioms which are

battal,

baka,

worthless,

he became ? (44, 63)

he brought (38)

jab

bad

colloquial

jawdb,

letter (62)

thing

,
da,

rah

niht fl

he went

187)

(46)

I went about

ashtar,

(39)

story (47)
he gave (56)

hall,

(19, 63, 120, 160), plural,

hawaij ( 1 54,

(34)

that he bring (121)

they would bring [a price]

yejib.

jdbu,

hdjah

modern

like

cleverer

my

business (140)

(160)

rascal (1
13)

desirous
(46)

a'iz,

they have received (120)

as-salam, give my greetings

kabadu,
ti\k\rd anni

'

to...... (154)

bi nazrak,

with your favor (141)

miss,

half (122)

Hebrew and Aramaic

viii.

The few Hebrew words which

are spelled phonetically after the Arabic

fashion( 1 30) indicate the Sephardic value of the vowel

however, we have
for

^"113

a (130).

and

uniformly for

$)

(77, 79)

indicating that

the accent rested upon the p.enult.

to the present pronunciation of

for

was pronounced

Both of these

In No.

0,

XV,
and

and that

peculiarities are foreign

Hebrew by Jews

of Sephardic origin in
Arabic-speaking lands, and characteristic of the pronunciation of Jews of
Ashkenazic, Yememite, Persian, and Caucasian origin. There is no reason
for suspecting

Ashkenazic influence more than the

others.

on the analogy of ancient

Arabic $ jl frequently becomes
) 142 )
names, such as Abimelech (142).
which generally means
Very few unusual meanings appear.
,

picture,

must mean copy

referring to a certain

instead of

Arab
is

(29).

tribe,

new words

75 )

word,

stands for Arabic in general (27),

a technical term

(!73

biblical

appears in the vision seen by a crystal-gazer

rimes, invents

Hagarene, a

for
(76).

the chief figure which

The

poet, in quest of

INTRODUCTION
Contents

ix.

Of

theological

material

Maimonides (XXXIX),

xxiii

there

is

only an

unimportant fragment of

an equally poor one of Simeon

Kayyara

(VI),

and

an extremely problematic jumble of halachic notes of very doubtful origin

and purpose (XLIV).

Poetry (pizmonlm) is represented by a panegyric of Abraham MaimunI
(XXIX), religious poems or hymns (pizmonlm) and fragments (XVII, XIX,
XX), including a biblical paraphrase (XXXVIII).
The liturgy is found in two specimens (X, XLVI), and liturgical notes
None of these, except possibly XLVI, is
in three (XXIII, XXV, XLII).
of any interest. Nos. XXIII, XXV, and XLII are not only extremely
difficult to translate and explain, but very difficult to account for.
There are two interesting magical texts or amulets (XV, XXIV), the
former to be used in connection with some scrying or crystal-gazing
ceremony.
Four of the items are documents in the precise legal sense: the
extremely important formal agreement about the order of precedence in
the Academy at al-Ramlah (XLII I), an interesting bill of divorce (XI),
two documents recording the settlement of an indebtedness incurred in a
partnership undertaking (I), and an all but completely unintelligible receipt
in Arabic script (XVI). No. VII is the memorandum of an indignation
meeting held by a defrauded investor, and hardly a legal document. The
same may be said of the list of tax-payers (XIII), leaves from merchants
note-books (XIV, XVIII), and an accounting of expenses incurred by a
business expedition

long

lists

(XXXVI). Two

records of marriage-settlements, with

of articles belonging to the bride (XL,

XLV), and

a record of the

(XLV), are probably informal documents.

Of the fifty numbers in the collection twenty-four contain letters. Nos.
XXX and XXVIII probably are parts of the same letter, and XXXI and
XXXII are certainly such; while No. L contains three distinct communications.
We thus have twenty-four letters also. Not only do the letters constitute nearly half of the collection, but they are by far the most interesting
part of it. In the picture which they give of Jewish life in Egypt from
sale of a slave

about A.D. 1000 to 1500, there

and of life everywhere.

is

much

that

is

characteristic of Jewish

life

Letters were carried by travellers (47) or runners (XLVI I) over vast

and arrived infrequently (47). Anxious relatives at home beg

distances,

young man to write oftener, and he replies that he is too busy (51).
Every sort of letter is represented. There is the family-letter, mostly about
personal trials and troubles ( 1
IX, XXVII, XXVIII, XXX); the begging
letter of an aunt (XLIX); the appeal of a worthy man to the munificent
the

al-Tustarl

(XXXI-XXXII);

the

wheedling,

half-threatening,

(XLVIII); on the

plea

for

(XXI);
the trivial polite letter (XXVI); to a departed guest (XXXIV); upon
fleeing to Alexandria (XXXVII); on general business matters (XXII); to
assistance in behalf of another

a business associate (XII,

XXXIII); complaining

loss of a friend

to a business partner of

INTRODUCTION

XXIV
his timidity

(XXXV);

from a wily old

man

in

Jerusalem who knows better

than to speculate in sugar (XLI); from a half heat-stricken

at a lonely caravan-station in Sinai

(XLVII); about

man

held up

the adjustment of a

debt (IV); about a real-estate controversy (VIII); about a case of divorce

(V); complaint of political intrigue against the writer (II); exposure of a

From

corrupt and tyrannical judge (L).

other material

in

the collection,

we

these letters, supplemented

by the

derive the data underlying the following

sections.
x.

Geography

The geographical range of the documents is from Aleppo and Turkey

north to Aden in the south, and from Spain and France in the west
to Colombo and India in the east.
Most important is Egypt, the home of prosperous Jewry. A number of
Egyptian places are mentioned. At al-Fustat (Old Cairo) was the con-

in the

gregation and Synagogue of Elijah, in whose archives were kept important

and copies of important letters sent. Perhaps the Canal

No. IX is the ancient water-way which gave its name to the
street al-Khallg in modern Cairo (54).
Alexandria is spoken of, and
appears in several personal and family names.
Palestine, and particularly Jerusalem, are objects of concern. There is
an allusion to the Jewish Quarter, to the RubaIyah (Muristan?) and the
Church (of the Holy Sepulchre?). There has been an earthquake, or
similar catastrophe, and the Glorious Place has collapsed, and must be
rebuilt (31). In the Holy City the chief necessities of life, then as now,
were fuel-wood and olive oil, for heat and light (121), except when there
was actual want of food (125). No. XXVII gives the familiar picture of
Jewish misery in Jerusalem. Other places in Palestine and Syria are
mentioned: Hebron? (1 18), al-Ramlah (201), Safed, Kafr Yaslf, Ain alZaitun (L), Tyre (127), Aleppo (103, XLVII). All the stations on the
caravan route between Cairo and Damascus are mentioned in No. XXX.
Caravans from Aleppo and Damascus stop at Katyah in Sinai (XLVII).
There seems to have been a group of Cairene Jews, settled at Aden,
South Arabia, and engaged in the trade with India and Ceylon. They
even occasionally went to Colombo (IX).
Spanish Jews are often alluded to (179, L), and Spanish ships (123) are

letters received,

mentioned

in

once mentioned; also people of Sicily (75) and commerce with that country
(123); perhaps even France (99). The writers of XXI and XXVII were
probably of Moroccan origin, as were doubtless others (153).
xi.

Biography

many personal names appear; but most of them are not to be

and many of them are as indefinite as Abraham Cohen would
be in modern New York, or Muhammad in Cairo.
The following are a few of the names which seem to be more or less
certainly placed. The references in each case are to Mann, The Jews in
Egypt and Palestine under the Fatimids vol. (1920); vol. ii (1922).
great

identified,

INTRODUCTION
1.

Abraham MaimunI

(135), son of the great

XXV
Maimonides, born 1186,

died 1237.

Abraham, son of Shema'yah the Haber, descendant of Shema'yah

(7), signatory of many documents, alive in 1088 (Mann, ii, 232).
Abu al-Faraj (25), perhaps the same as Abu al-Faraj, son of Abu
3.
Zakari, a judge at al-Fustat, alive in 1301. Both father and son bore the
title rals (Mann,
246).
Halfon ha-Levi, son of Manasseh (11), signatory of documents in
4.
conjunction with No. 2, and therefore contemporary (Mann, ii, 232).
The Hazzan Bayyan (53) a strange form and word-order perhaps
5.
the same as Abu -Bayyan the Hazzan, about 1050 (Mann,
242; ii, 308).
6.
Immanuel, son of Yehlel (61), perhaps a descendant of the Yehlel
who lived in the twelfth (?) century (Mann, ii, 303 ff.).
7. Jacob, son of Joseph ha-Hasldh (26), perhaps the same as the head
of the Jewish court who signed documents at al-Fustat in 1016 and 1018,
and at Aleppo in 1028 (Mann,
37, 150).
8. Judah ha-Kohen, son of Eleazar (13), was dayyan at Bilbais from
1187 onward (Mann, ii, 317).
9. Mebbrakh, son of Nathan (11), a known signatory of twelfth-century
documents (Mann, 222, 227; ii, 293).
10. Nahrai, son of NissTm (129), perhaps the same as the famous
scholar by that name who died between 1050 and 1098 (Mann,
204 ff.
But the prefixed Abu Yahya would refer to a supposedly
ii. 240 ff.).
2.

Gaon

i,

'

i,

i,

i,

i,

well-known son, of which there is no record.

11. Nathan, son of Abraham (199), usurper of power in the Palestinian
Academy (XLIII), becoming Father of the Law Court, or Second, in
place of the rightful aspirant, Tobiah, son of Daniel (Mann, i, 141-152; also
pp. 71, 75,
12.

15, 129, 130, 193, 273).

Nathan, son of Samuel

the nagld about 1140 (Mann,

13.

i,

(35),

225).

Abraham

Shabbatai, son of

documents in 1154 (Mann, ii, 259).

son of Judah
14. Solomon,
Palestinian Academy. See No. 11.
15.

perhaps the same as the secretary to

the

(199),

Dayyan
the

the

Gaon,

Haber
or

(17),

First,

signed
the

in

Tobiah, son of Daniel (199), the Third who should have been
in the Palestinian Academy. See No. 11.

Second
16.

al-Tustarl,

wealthy dealer

Abu

Sad,

in rarities

Abraham, son of Abu

who through

al-Fadl, Sahl (143), the

the mother of the Sultan Ma'add, a

from his market, exercised great influence at court until his

1048 (Mann, i, 76, 79, 122; Lane-Poole, A History of
Egypt in the Middle Ages [1901], pp. 137, 149).

slave-girl

assassination in

17.

about

Ulah ha-Levi, son of Joseph

1 1

16 (Mann,

i,

(3),

probably the Parnas of Babylon,

196).

18. Yepheth, son of David (7), perhaps the same as Yepheth the Hazzan,
son of David, son of Shekhanya (Mann, ii, 97, 246). But he signed documents in 1020, ninety-six years before our own.

INTRODUCTION

XXVI

19. Abraham Castro (237, 241), may be the one mentioned by Sambari
and Solomon Hazzan. If so, he was alive in A.D. 1606.
20. Joseph SarakossI (SaragossI, L), organised the Safed community in
A.D. 1492. See Jewish Encyclopedia s.v.
21. Moses di Trani (? L), Dayyan of Safed, 1525-35. See Jewish
,

Encyclopedia

s.v.

Jew and Gentile

xii.

The student of the Law who refuses to invest in sugar (193) speaks
casually of a neighbor as the uncircumcised one
May his name and

memory be

blotted out! (191).

The melancholic Abu Zubair, writing

certain other Jew is found at the houses

from Jerusalem, complains that a

of Muslims, and does not understand the difference between inside and
outside (127). A Jew excuses himself for resorting to gentiles (19). A
proselyte is perhaps mentioned in a list of Jewish tax-payers (69). Two
Muslim formulae Praise be to God, the Lord of the Worlds (161), and
:

In the

letter.

name

of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate (163), occur in one

Arabic script is occasionally used, and in one instance Coptic

numerals (XL).
Considering the complaining tone of

many

of the

letters,

we hear

There is difficulty between Jewish

landlord and gentile tenant (21), or between Muslim landlord and Jewish
tenant (121), of the kind usual in the Near East, and not necessarily
influenced by religious or racial feelings. In Nos. XXXI and XXXII
Tobiah asks al-Tustarl for a letter: For I fear that evil may overtake
me on the way, even as it overtook me at Hanes. Had it not been for the
mercies of the Almighty and the favor of my Lord, the honored Elder, I
should be today in prison. In those days I had money in my hand, and
I gave a bribe (147 f.). There seems to be a veiled allusion to persecution
I inform you by this letter
of the condition of Buslr and its
in XXII
pain and travail and that it is a city of great trouble and travail (97).
No. XXXVII seems to tell of persecution or similar disorders The writers
surprisingly

little

about persecution.

son-in-law (or father-in-law

Slkat

(?),

At

or near Alexandria

?)
;

has rented a

tower

at

and the whole family intends

a place called
to live together

and
no trustworthy information. He would
like to go away from here. Perhaps God will have mercy, and His
anger will depart from His people Israel even though there are some who
say that the towers are untrustworthy (17 1). A synagogue is destroyed
by Muslims (233).
Piracy, the capture of Jewish merchants and other travellers, and the
necessity of ransoming them, laid a heavy burden both upon those who
ventured abroad and upon those who stayed at home (50, note; 51). The
pirates were Muslims (51). Such captures were made purely in view of
ransom. The captive, Esther (183) is ransomed by the man who is to
marry her, for fifty dinars (183), a rather large sum. There were, of course,
in

it.

many

his present place of residence there are people rejoicing,

people dead

yet there

is

INTRODUCTION

XXVI

the usual slaves (159, 223 f.). It was probably the ability of the Jews to
pay, and their faithfulness in ransoming their brethren, that made them
the particular victims of this practice.

Labor requisitions (231) need not

have been made upon Jews especially.

The Jews paid

a poll-tax (23).

Number XIII

is

list

of the

names of

tax-payers with amounts (67 ff.). It is not clear why the Sultan took a
third of a certain estate (41). Jews adjusted their differences successfully
before Jewish courts (3 ff., 43). In one case two dishonest men defraud a
business partner successfully by resorting to a Muslim court (35).

Marriage

xiii.

Women owned and inherited property (39, 47, 55). A girl might marry
when only twelve years old (187). The economic side of the agreement
was arranged by a marriage-broker, who made note of the facts (XL, XLV).
The betrothal, with its advanced payment ( mukdam ), and the marriage
proper, with its delayed payment me'uhar), were probably celebrated in
quick succession (XL, XLV). In the interim the lady was sometimes
supported by the fiance (187). The bride brought a dowry ( nedunyah
This consisted of a great variety of goods. In both Nos. XL and XLV we
(

).

find

remarkable

lists

of articles of clothing and personal adornment, jewelry,

cosmetics, and sweetmeats (187), which will well repay study.

Some

of the

nomenclature of the day. What

or
a
dancer
trembler
indeed is a
(181),
(179) ? Others, though strange,
gazelles blood, and the
such
color,
as the
are intelligible and interesting,
many articles from Hormuz (181, 185). Property arrangements are also
frequently stated, particularly that the husband shall possess the wifes

names belong evidently

to the fanciful

handiwork, but must provide her with clothing (179, 183, 187), and the
inheritance rights of the children are protected (183).

The

last

mentioned arrangements are made not merely

in

view of death,

but also of divorce (183); and this was apparently not difficult. In No. XI
we have a bill of divorce in which no grounds are stated, while great pains

and delivery of the document.

In No. V
husband
to another city, to which he has transferred his domicile. That there may
sometimes have been extreme grounds for divorce appears from the mention
of two cases of adultery (53, 55), where the husbands were away from home
for long periods. The unfortunate, illegitimate offspring was refused the
customary blessings at circumcision ( 55 ) Neither hazzan nor dayyan would
attend, and certain less sensitive Byzantine Jews managed to collect the
are taken with phraseology, attestation,

the grounds are that the wife has refused to follow her

quorum ( 55 ) Great fondness for children is revealed in the letter

a
departed
guest (157), where we have perhaps one word of infantile
to

necessary

Hebrew.
xiv.

Religion, Learning, Superstition

Religion and learning are not fairly represented

collection of
e.g.,

to the description of

still

in

the present small

For evidence of these one must refer,

uninvestigated materials enumerated by

Genizah documents.

INTRODUCTION

xxviii

Bacher

Our

in the

Hastings Encyclopaedia of Religion and Ethics (s.v. Genizah).

humbler remains of the past, overlooked or re-

collection consists of

we have a few pizmbnlm,

and a portion of Maimonides
besides occasional references to books and an interest in study, pamphlets
on Hebrew grammar and theological controversy (123 ff.). Books were hard
to get, and loaned books hard to recover (125). A borrowed copy of the
Prophets cannot be returned, because the boys are reading it (153)
Only
one really unworthy exponent of religion appears (L), although the ethics
of a certain transaction in grain are at least doubtful (123). There are some

jected

by seekers

liturgical

after literary texts.

Nevertheless,

fragments and notes, halachic

bits,

maxims
It is

of merit (127, 175).

quite natural that

we should

find

some evidence of the

pursuit of

magic and pseudo-science. No. XXIV is a charm or amulet, such as those

elsewhere alluded to (23, 125). No. XV, while it may be a charm, is certainly
the recipe for a scrying ceremony, with the well-known reference to
princes which are wont to appear in the vision (76). Elsewhere there is
reference to a magic circle (107). Cabbalistic names are used (107), ineluding the Tetragrammaton (77 f.), the
81 ), and Mitatron, the
)
angel (77). The purpose of magic may be protection from disease and
accident (107), or the cure of disease and decay (23), or the discovery of
hidden treasure (79 ff.). The Song of Songs will cure dry patches or a
drying up of the body, or boils (23). Psalm exxi, 5-8, and Exodus xiv, 19
also have magic potency (107). People live in fear of magic, diseases, ghosts,
and all sorts of catastrophy (107). The Latin word succitba perhaps occurs
(107), instead of the Hebrew Lilith, for the vampire-demoness. If the boys
name, Allan, means stupid, it is applied to avert the evil eye from a
particular shining mark (9, 11, 19). A vindictive statement about one who
But woe unto us
is dead is hastily retracted
For we are not unmindful
:

of our

own

condition (127).
!

xv.

Commerce and Manufacture

The Jews of al-Fustat and their correspondents dealt in many wares,

both staple and fancy: tartar and resin (25), saffron and coral (75), pepper
(87), flax, linen, and indigo (99), wool and woollen goods (121), wheat,
prunes, gum-arabic, almonds, soap, and earthen pots (123,

231), alum,

candied roses(?), and spikenard (153), sugar (191), swords (193), and other
commodities. They advanced money for the purchase of material and the

maintenance of workmen, taking and selling the finished product. They

were in fact manufacturers of colored silks (73), cloth (161), and yarn (153).
The Jews also entered into partnerships (7), a thing which Moslems in

Egypt even nowadays seldom dare

to do.

These, to be sure, were not

always successful, because of the indifference

dishonesty (33, 191) of the partners.

Then

The

(63), or timidity (161), or

risks of

commerce were

great.

perishable and prices fluctuated ( 1 9 1 ). But

days were exposed to unusual dangers and uncertainties.

as now, goods were

clients in those

Tips, taxes, fees, bribes, presents, obligations, contributions,

and

gratuities,

INTRODUCTION

XXIX

to agents, porters, sailors, ferrymen, gate-keepers, camel-drivers, inspectors,

and what not (XXXVI), by which the Jews avoided

must have taken much of the profit and all of the pleasure
out of commercial pursuits.
Of the coins mentioned, the dinar gets its name from the Roman
denarius, but it is a gold coin weighing between 66 and 684/7 grains. The
American five-dollar gold-piece weighs 129 grains at 900 fine; so that a
dinar of the same fineness would lack only a few grains of being equal to
half that coin, or $2.50. Its purchasing power at the time, however, has
revenue-officers

molestation,

been estimated at about $7.50. The ashrafl (139 ffi, 187) succeeded the
dinar in Egypt toward the end of the fourteenth century A.D. (187).
It

weighed 53.8 grains.

The dirham gets

its

name from

the Greek Spag/u-f

The Arabs took

over this word, in the form darahim as though a broken plural from an
,

was equal to about

dirham nasirl is mentioned (hi).

imaginary singular, dirham.

ashrafl.

special

Other coins

are,

the ruba

1/15 of a dinar ox an

It

or quarter of a dinar (167); the

i,

nusf

faddah, or half a silver-piece (139); the maiyadi or mii aiyadi, coined after
A.D. 1412-1421 (192); and the habbah mentioned among other small coins
,

(F65).

The Hebrew words

*

perhaps to mean dinars.

193 ) an <3

D'mfi
T

(183, 232) are used

Moroccan money was used

Mithkal and

(169).

(3, 33, 73) are names for weights primarily, but are used apparently
in reference to coins or coined money.
The former may mean dinar (33,

kirat

73).

The
In the

latter

way

is

1/24 of a dinar

(3, 69).

of weights and measures

we have

the kintdr which

,

now

equals about 99 lbs. and 4/5 oz. avoir., the rot a little less than 1 lb. avoir.,
and the wikiyah, about 1.32 oz. avoir. The kintdr contains 100 rot Is, and
,

the rotl contains 12 wiklyahs.

Kintdr

is

derived from Latin centenarius

containing a hundred, a word which has passed into

many languages

in

the sense of a hundredweight, or a hundred pounds.

Rotl seems to
a pound, and wikiyah
from Latin uncia an ounce, the twelfth part of a libra. The kasabah is a
measure of length, at present equal to 1 1 ft. 7.766. The equivalents in the
above have been taken from Baedeker, Egypt and the Sudan 1908. IVazn
1 2
seems to be a unit of weight, not weight in general. Kafas (193)
)
(

come from Greek

\'npa, related to Latin libra

and kafiz (119) are evidently grain measures.

xvi.

Proper Names

The many

interesting proper names which are to be found in these

texts deserve more than the few observations which are here accorded

them; but adequate treatment must await further investigation. No. XIII
is

especially important.

No doubt the Jews of al-Lustat, like Jews in other lands, bore double
names, one Hebrew and the other gentile. Lortunately, however, in the
case of Egypt, many names were more or less the same in both languages.
We have therefore not only Hebrew names and Arabic names, but such as

INTRODUCTION

XXX

might be either if necessary.

one in sense but not in sound,

When

Hebrew name resembled an Arabic

was translated instead of being phonetically

modified e.g. Nathan became Hibah (27, 69), while Abhrdhdm became
Ibrahim (22) just as Kephd became Petros (John i, 43), while Slid' ul became
Paulus (Acts xiii, 9).
The patronymics are most interesting, as they show that certain namemotifs, which are commonly supposed to be of recent European origin, are
medieval and oriental. Bin Asad (32), Lowensohn, Ibn al-Bahwari (67),
it

Son of the

Lion-like, Sibd (67), Lion, are

members of

all

the large

group of lion-names, which may have started with Genesis xlix, 9, as a

cryptogram for Judah. In Europe the German translation, Lowe seems to
,

have been associated with Hebrew

and

'

The permutations, through

translation and paranomasia, are very numerous. Al-Dhahabi (71) is

Goldmann; al-Fiddl (71) is Silbermann; al-Sukkarl (67) is Zuckermann; al-Safir ( 1 3 ), though it means sapphire, stands doubtless for
Aramaic
^ Shapiro Me'ir ( 1 79) is Meier. Some names, however,
,

have come back

to the orient

For many

Mayo

( 1

9 1 ).

Purpose and Plan of Publication

xvii.

Hebrew

from Europe, such as

}/ears

the content

of Genizah

particularly the

material,

material, has been studied, while the form, especially of the Arabic

neglected.
This is easily explicable; for the chief
undoubtedly lies, and should lie, in the life and times of the Fustat
community, rather than in their language; and the language of these
documents, at least on the Arabic side, presents peculiar difficulties.
In attempting to interpret documents written in a vulgar or barbarous
form of some well-known language, there is always the question, first of
all, as to whether they should receive grammatical and lexicographical
material, has been

interest

treatment.

used to be thought that such was unnecessary, or indeed

It

was no grammar. Now-a-days no one will doubt

and barbarous texts have, after all, grammatical peculiarities
and that these can and must be studied for an understanding of the content
of these texts. But the discharge of this duty is more difficult than its
recognition; for vulgar dialects must be studied without prejudice, mostly
in the light of their own evidence; and barbarous documents require at the
same time constant watchfulness to detect the intrusion of educated
impossible, because there
that vulgar

speech
It is

in its

varying degrees of corruption.

the purpose of the present volume to explain the texts, particularly

those in Arabic, in such a

ordinary idiom

may

way

that

learn to read

anyone having a
them and to
;

fair

knowledge of the

call

attention to

the

whose chief
interest is philological. The translations have been made so that, by ineluding the bracketed words, the reader will have a free rendering, and, by
peculiarities of

language

excluding them, a
where.

At

in

such a

literal one.

This

way

is

as to benefit those

of course not entirely true every-

the expense of beauty and brevity, and with

some violence

to

INTRODUCTION
English at times, he

will,

XXXI

however, usually be able to see what the editors

how they arrived at that understanding.

The Arabic student will thus be assisted without seriously inconveniencing
the general reader, who wishes to acquaint himself with the content of the
understood the text to mean, and

documents. In a very few instances parentheses have been used to indicate

words in the original which cannot stand in the translation. Bracketed
restorations in the text of No. I are by Professor Gottheil others have
;

been explained

in

each case.

The treatment of proper names presents a problem. There are purely

Hebrew names, or names written clearly as Hebrew; there are Arabic
names; but there are also names which belong equally to the Hebrew and
the Arabic languages, such as the interchangeable Abhrahdm- Ibrahim and
names which may be pronounced either as Hebrew or as Arabic, such as
,

Sedhakah-Sadakah. Doubtless the Jews of al-Fustat used these pairs interFor this reason, and for the sake of simplicity, all familiar
names have been given their ordinary English form, regardless of whether
they are Hebrew or Arabic in a particular case: e.g. Abraham, Isaac Judah
Nathan, Samuel, Joseph. Fess familiar ones have been transliterated as
Hebrew or as Arabic; and sometimes the assignment to the one or the
other has been rather arbitrary.
stand usually for '
and they have been so underThe letters
stood in most cases. Occasionally, however, they seem to be Aramaic 3
changeably.

(179), particularly

them.

when they do not have

Ibn, Bin, Ben, Bar, Bint,

capitals, since often

the dots of abbreviation over

and Bath have

they must stand as the

first

all

been spelled with

part of a name.

Sometimes

they have been retained, and sometimes they have been translated.

No

fixed

be observed, as epithets and blessings attached to the end of a

patronymic would in English seem to refer to the son, while in reality
referring to the father. The innumerable abbreviations of formulae of
rule could

sometimes been translated, sometimes paraphrased, and

sometimes entirely omitted, as seemed best in each case.
The order of the fragments in this publication is that of the originals in
the Freer Gallery at the Smithsonian Institution, Washington; not chronoblessing have

nor with reference to the contents. A chronological order would

have been difficult, because so few of the fragments can be dated even
approximately; and as to subject-matter, they admit of many arrangements.
It is unfortunate that No. XXVIII is separated from XXX, and XXXI
from XXXII. One might wish also that the more interesting ones could
have been placed at the beginning of the volume, instead of some that are
logical,

rather dull and obscure.

This work has been done under rather unusual

great effort,

it

doubtless

contains

many

difficulties.

inconsistencies.

matter and language are such as to provoke controversy.

In spite of

Both subject-

The

editors will

be content if they have contributed anything to the understandi ng of

Genizah documents.

INTRODUCTION TO FIRST FRAGMENT

Paper 12| x 8 inches.
in a fairly good Hebrew

Written

cursive, in

Arabic with Hebrew

inter-

mingled.

very much torn but with the exception of

entirely.
can
recovered
be
a few words, the text
It contains two documents relating to one and the same affair. It seems

The fragment

that

Abu

two

parties

is,

in places,

were concerned

al-Ala Said Ulah and

in

Abu

some business venture

in

al-Afrah Arus al-Ajawanl.

al-Yemen
Difficulties

have arisen and Arus owes Ulah the sum of four dinars and one
carat. Upon the recto we have a document, fully attested, to the effect that
Arus owes this money to Ulah. Upon the verso we have a second document to say that the money owed by Arus has been paid, in the manner
and Ulah releases Arus from
specified in the first document, into court

seem

to

all

further indebtedness in the matter.

Being official documents they are extraordinarily prolix but such verbosity and tautology are characteristic not only of these Judeo- Arabic
court papers, but of such instruments at all times even in the courts and
law-offices of our own day. It has been no easy matter to translate this
verbiage and to find the English terms corresponding to the Aramaic or
Arabic expressions.
And, being official documents, they contain a great many Aramaic expressions and sentences. Jewish law goes back to Talmudic days, when the
ordinary language of the people was Aramaic. As they passed into Arabic
speaking lands, or as the Arabic cultural invasion engulfed them, their
language of intercourse became Arabic but the formulae as laid down in
the Talmudic law held their own against this invasion, in exactly the same
manner as Latin did in European lands, and as Frdnch did when it replaced
;

Latin as the culture-language of Europe.

The documents here published bear a striking resemblance in their

whole form and tenor to the two published by the late Adalbert Merx of
Heidelberg University in his Documents de Paleographie Hebratque et Arabe
(Leiden, 1894).

One

of them, in

fact,

bears the date A.D.

1 1

14,

one year

previous to one of our documents and two years previous to the second
I i 15 and
The names of the witnesses, being those of the
1 1 16).
members of the Court of Justice at Fustat, are common in documents of
this period. See Mann, The Jews in Egypt and Palestine under the Fatimid

(A.D.

Caliphs Oxford, 1920, Index.

,

GENIZAH FRAGMENTS

TWO DOCUMENTS

I.

Recto

[]

[]

[]

^^]

[]

][

[]

[]

]
]

[]

[[]

A
1

Reading
is

used.

Cf.

though the text is not quite plain. Sometimes simply the word
,
Cambridge University Library, Taylor-Schechter 13 (J 1 No. 7).
.

Followed by one of the expressions usually accompanying the names of prominent

individuals
3
4
5

1.e.
I.e.

Cf.

Mann, The Jews in Egypt

vol.

ii,

p. 383.

purple.

Followed by
0Jt

The Aramaic

expression very often occurs in the simpler form

^
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*/*

^
,

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14

^**

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ji.y

.,

.:

4/ &!!W V & >* >

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8

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Genizah Fragment

'

^^

I.

I.

TWO DOCUMENTS

TWO DOCUMENTS
A

Recto

The

following 1 occurred before us the Beth

Din [Court of Justice]

properly appointed in Fustat, Egypt, and in the presence of those
whose names are signed below. Thus it was

There appeared before us the Sheikh Abu al- Afrah 2 our lord and master 3
A1us, the honored elder al-Arjawanl 4 son of our lord and master
Joseph, the honored
elder, al-MihdawI 5 and said to us: Take my testimony, and ratify it on
my part at this moment, write it down and have it signed for me,

using
4

all

the sacred

terms and the hallowed expressions 6 and

in

language that

will fully ex-

empt me 7 and hand this [document] to the Sheikh Abu al-Ala Sa'id 8
of Da[mascus
Ulah ha-Levi, the honored elder, the trusted Levite,
]
trusted of the Beth Din and accredited of the Yeshlbhah, son of our
,

and master Joseph,

[the honored elder, that it remain in his possession] from now on and
afterwards, as a document and a bond. Behold, I acknowledge before
you in the most positive
and binding form of acknowledgment, being [in good health] 9 in full
lord

possession of

my

will, voluntarily,

not being forced, without constraint,

coercion, without inadvertence or error,

8

or

any

infirmity in

make
in
9

10

my

[me or

impossible for

it

me

possession and in

any of the many [conditions] that

I owe him, and have

illness] or

to give testimony, that

my

care

and separate...... dinars and one klrat 10 of

Egyptian weight of good quality and true,
a legitimate debt and a binding liability 12
I
the Passover festival at the end of 14
.

The use

son

is

of the letter

for

is

shall

Worman

mithkals 11 of

pay 13 him

quite possible in these documents.

mentioned in another document cited by

voi. xx, p.

fine gold in

this after

The same

in the Jewish Quarterly

per-

Review,

giving both his Arabic and his Hebrew

457:

name.

10

were
11

Usually = 1/24 of a dinar.

it

At the beginning of the

line

we might read

The mithkal had

various values.

Here the word

is

probably used for coin

general.
12

These Arabic words are followed by

13
.

14

Jl*

not necessary to suppose a number at this point.

Cf.

b,

1.

in the course of

5.

their equivalent in

Hebrew.

in

4
]

GENIZAH FRAGMENTS

[]

"

[]

!4

[]
7

!9

20

2!

15

The

16

Literally

Seleucid Era, beginning 312 B.C.

:

light or heavy.

TWO DOCUMENTS

I.

11

Nisan of the year one thousand four hundred and twenty-eight according
to the Era of Documents 15 in the same good coin which he possessed.
[He does this] without
any constraint or restraint, argument or discussion at all, or any oath for
the carrying-out of any part of this [agreement],
from among all the various kinds of oaths, unimportant or capital 16 not
even by means of an oath of implication, nor by any unqualified vow.
,

12

13

[The return
14

of this

upon

money]

my

possess
!5

16

or

an obligation upon me, Arus, during my lifetime, and

my death, upon anything worth while that I may

is

heirs after

property, possessions

money that is mine

home or abroad, real

upon

my

shoulders

or that

may

possess under

and valid documents

the heavens, at
is

invincible, irresistible writs of the court of justice,

the rabbis.

all

not like simple acts of recovery or mere contract

formularies, but like full

17

or personal property, even to the covering that

have written

document

this

and the ordinances of

in his favor, that

it

may

be

in his possession
18

and in the possession of his heirs after him a document lasting, stable
and durable; it being understood that they can make use of it in any
court of justice and for all time to come not like
simple acts of recovery 17 or mere contract-formularies 18 but as the most
binding and stable documents that our rabbis 19 have laid down for
documents
acknowledging debts. I declare void all protests and conditions and
protests of protests, and protests that may be developed from protests
:

19

20

to the n th
21

degree that

may

be

made

nection with this deed of

of the wise men.

for

me, or that we

claim [all]

We have

in

may have made

in con-

accordance with the statutes

and master,

received from our lord

this

of our lord and master Joseph, the

22

ArOs, the honored [elder], son

23

honored elder, for our lord and master Ulah ha-Levi, the trusted one 20
this one trusted of the Beth Din and accredited of the Yeshibah, this
son of our lord and master Joseph ha-Levi the elder 21 [a guarantee]
,

in current
24

according to

money
all

that

brought before

us,

is

set forth explicitly above,

and which has been

the Court of Justice, and before those whose names

are signed for us below.

25

We

have written this, sealed it, and given it to our lord and master Ulah
ha-Levi the trusted one, that he keep it as evidence and as proof.

17

There

18

ObLwI.

19

See Merx, Documents de Paleographie Hdbraique et Arabe

20
.

21

is

a hole in the paper here.

Words

See Mann,

of blessing following
op.

tit.,

vol.

i,

p. 196.

names

p. 32, note.

are omitted in the translation.

GENIZAH FRAGMENTS

2;

28

---?????

B
Verso

[]

[]
4

[]

22
23

24

One can read

I.e.

The

letters

placed above names sometimes spell a

the teacher. (Taylor-Schechter

persons father.

Oj^AsU.

..

or Oj.tt.tJ3 or

the Passover festival.

See Mann,

13, J

op. cit., vol.

1.
ii,

No.

1.)

p. 102.

title, e.g.

Sometimes they spell the name of the

At other times they are the initials of

TWO DOCUMENTS

I.

26

27

This happened during the last ten days of the month Tammuz, of the
year one thousand four hundred and twenty-seven,
according to the era that we are accustomed to use in Fustat of Egypt,

28

upon the river Nile. Our signature was affixed [only] 22

upon the tenth day of the month of Ab, that follows it 23 of the
mentioned year.

29

Abraham

30

Gaon.
[Signed by] Isaac, son of R. Samuel 24 ha-Sefardl.

situate

Certain

afore-

Clear Established
son of Rabbi Shema'yah, the Haber, descendant of Shema'yah
!

Yepheth, son of R. David

(?)

B
Verso :

was treated before us

we

who

Testimony

[There appeared] before us the

have placed our signature below:
Sheikh
Abu al-Ala Said of Damascus, our lord and master Ulah, the revered

in regard to the affair that

elder ha-[ Levi, the trusted one, trusted of the court] of justice and

accredited of the Yeshlbhah,

3

son of our lord and master Joseph, the revered elder ha-Levi, and said to
us: When
.......our lord and master Yepheth, the elder
went to the country of al-Yemen, a partnership] was agreed upon between us(?) 1 and, when God was gracious enough to permit him to
return to us in health 2 when the case was brought
before the Court of Justice, many difficulties 3 arose between us
in the
end an agreement (?) was reached that there should come between us
righteous and God-fearing elders in this matter, in order that a settlement 4 might be arrived at. So, there came to an agreement
the
Sheikh Abu al-Afrah,
our lord and master Arus, the honored elder al-Arjawanl, son of our
lord [and master Joseph the] honored elder, in respect to all that to
which I
have a right of that which I had given (?) to him [to take with him] 5 to
the districts of al-Yemen, and in regard to
;

words making up a pious wish. The

a very old

man

last signature is badly written. Perhaps Yepheth was

Mann, op. cit ii, 97, we find Yepheth the Hazzan, son of
with Yepheth b. David b. Shekhanya, who signed documents as

at this time.

Rabbi David, identical

In

.,

early as A.D. 1020, ninety-six years before our document.

B
1

Text

The

illegible.

sense

is

It

may

be

iLsws

quite certain, but the text

xa3 t

is

not easily restored.

or,

simply

*xAJ!

LsL
4

Cf. line 24: i.e. that the affair should be amicably arranged, without a
before the Court of Law.
.

Perhaps insert

trial

GENIZAH FRAGMENTS

"

[]

!5

16

[] [

17

18

][]

[] ]

[][

aju. 1.

20

"

41

[][ []

22

TWO DOCUMENTS

I.

9 all

that had been gained, and in regard to all that belonged (?) to me
from him of the different things that I had the right to demand of him,

in their various kinds,

of old until

now

that

it

from the days

amounted

12

13

and a klrat. Of
and two dinars and a klrat

to four dinars

two dinars were to be paid at once

11

9
7

these,

should be kept 6 and paid by him after the Passover festival of this year
which is the year 1428 according to the Era of Documents. This Mar
Allan was declared free
from any further claims or demands, or from any gain that might be
due (?) 7 to me from days of old until
today. Now I have agreed to this and have given him a quittance in

the Court of Justice, by

with

all

means of a

perfect, all-comprising, bill of sale,

the legal apparatus with which

it

is

customary to make such

quittance at this time,

14

r5

16

by declaring void any provisions and conditions. I have received from

his maternal uncle, Sheikh Abu al-Afrah the two dinars which
There remained
it was agreed should be paid at once on his account.
owing to me from him the two dinars and a klrat to be paid afterwards;
for which 8 I
had drawn up the promissory note mentioned in this paper. And now
that he has been kind enough, and the payment of this sum has been
accelerated to me,

r;

from him, and he is free from it and from any

it
and since I have no longer any pecuniary
interest at all in it, even
that of a penny or more, receive, therefore, this testimony from me, Ulah

and

have received

liability in

18

ha-Levi, and ratify

have
19

using

it

all

it

regard to

on

it

my

part at this

moment.

Write

it

down, and

signed for me,

the sacred terms and the binding expressions, and in language

exempt him, and hand this statement

Sheikh Abu al-Afrah A1us, that it remain in his possession from
now on and afterwards as a document and a bond. Behold! I acknowthat will fully

20 to this

ledge before you,

2

in the

most positive and binding form of acknowledgment, being

health, in full possession of

in

good

my will-power, voluntarily, not being forced,

without coercion and

22

constraint, without inadvertence or error, or

illness,

for
23

me

or any of the

many

to give testimony

any hindrance arising from

[conditions] that might

that

and accepted from him four dinars and one 9

mithkals of Egyptian weight

received
in

make

This curious verbal form can scarcely be anything but

form of

It

usually

means to

There are two very strange characters

There

no room

for

impossible

1*1

klrat of fine gold

* +

WJ

from daLM, the VIII

face.

is

it

at the

end of the

line.

Perhaps

now.

Cf. A, line 9.

io

GENIZAH FRAGMENTS
'

] []
]

2s

26

[]

[]

3!

[]

[]
]

32

33

]
]

34

35

36

I.

24

TWO DOCUMENTS

II

of good quality and true, according to the agreement reached with

Allan his

nephew

in regard to these

Mar

two dinars which were to be paid

at once
25

and the two dinars mentioned by

above.

All this has

me

in this paper, as

has been stated

come

me completely and in its entirety. I now free him from this [debt]
and from [the provision of] this document, and from taking an oath in
regard to any part of it, even a compulsory oath
a complete and entire release, in the widest and fullest sense of that
term and according to the statutes of the wise men.
I have written this document in his favor, that it may be in his possession
and in the possession of his heirs after him binding upon me and my
lasting, stable, and durable
heirs after me
it being understood that they can make use of it in any court of justice
and for all time to come not like simple acts of recovery, or mere
contract-formularies, but as the most binding and stable documents
that our rabbis have laid down for us in regard to the documents of
release.
I, further, declare void any protests or conditions which may
have been made for me or which I may have made
in regard to this document, in accordance with the statutes of the wise
men. We have received from this our lord and master Ulah ha-Levi,
the trusted one of the Court of Justice, and accredited of the Yeshlbhah,
the son of our master
and lord Joseph ha-Levi, for our lord and master this ArOs, the honored
elder, son of Rabbi Joseph, the elder, in current money, according to all
that is set out explicitly above. This testimony we have written down
and signed, and have handed over to our lord and master this ArOs
the elder, that it remain with him
as proof and as evidence. This occurred during the last ten days of
Tishri, of the year mentioned above, which is
the year 1428, according to the Era of Documents, in Fustat of Egypt,
situate upon the river Nile. Certain
Clear Established
[Signed] Meborakh, son of Nathan
Halfbn ha-Levi, son of Menasseh.

26 to

27

28

29

30

3r

32

33

34

35

36

GENIZAH FRAGMENTS

12

II.

Paper

LETTER

1| x 8 f inches.

Arabic and Hebrew,

in fairly legible cursive

Hebrew

characters.

Recto :
!

[]

"

This seems to be a Jewish replica of the usual Muslim introduction

Cf. also Steinschneider,

Psalm

Die Arabische Literatur der Juden

xli, 2.

Proverbs

For the use of

This alludes to the fact that the family was of priestly descent.

iii,

26.

Refers to Judah

The

feminine

Isaiah

xliii, 2.

in the sense of son,

referring to

<UJt

p. xxxi.

cf.

Mann,

ha-Kohen in line 4.
here and in the following words

suffix

in line 7.

op.

is

cit.,

vol.

ii,

pp. 54,

quite inexplicable

1.

8, 58.

except as

Plate III

^^

il

Af1

< 7> 'f

<

<

>9tS%

#*^

<
.

0^5!
!^

,'^^;^^ * 1

fM

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it'UJ^tyu*

*4,7 * ?,,

^^^

<

6^w 7W
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W *,
jo / *

Jpfc

, *

ft

m ,H

'

^ r*5^*f

'

**<*

<**/ r'XWfZJfWr'V < y

^<< ,<,&**

*"-

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0 *'* if*** ***<

* Ofijjiv'v

*
- *WASgj

}*

/^

<

/, <

^&

?V/id

^ -J y A
x

> *P * w *'**'
^^/ J
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^

>

^^

wtyp>X>o,''r'r?S

fr

Vj,\j/*p>v

,/

/ 30x1^ w

jar

yc 3* 4^

^'*

*e

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14 *'///&

>

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<

63

'

/i

<**,

'

J* dU* 0

Cfmm^ ff^!^
*** >y
^^^^^ < < **<*
<
1v^Jkrrf ,^^^^^~

&*&*>! WV
^*xiyJV'Oei

T>ikyy*y

01

w Am
|^

*" > 5

<W ^^, *
?>''

^ V/iV^^y^y
<',

*"^-

A&Pijj^i

'

f/&W

t&jft* 11*

a)b 7 7
*

/Jpajs s*y 'ty*'*.kj.V

7a/U>4t

;!7

va 0

^4^ h V'V
5/2

&

Genizah Fragment 2 a

r*

^ <^
)

\j\J&

r /'&**&*
0 ;/ 1^

'

ot^
- ,

>

*
U
<

a p^-(

Ja

*^

t>
P
?
a

^
.

Plate IV

'

OJJ

ijjSjpMj/'Hx

V 7j;< -

?#!
i

7 JJ

r'jfi

*!

14

&>

y** hr*
'tfsXp-ZQP)

'

V.

y\y $ ( nr
Vj \ , (

vr'irpS 7 J <,rl J*-

yr
ft

v ^3

Uyr>y>P'^X
/7

*2

!!

AD ,'?>'] C*i If
TA.|< jjlii

.-

Cxenizah Fragment

&

?>2j\
<;^

LETTER

II.

II.

LETTER

from Shabbatai, son of Abraham, Haber, of Minyat

letter

Zifta, to

Judah ha-Kohen, the son of Eleazar, Dayyan of Bilbais, complaining that

Jews of Bilbais are injuring his position in Minyat Zifta.
Shabbatai signed documents
in

which date our

187, after

1
1 54. Judah was appointed Dayyan
was probably written.

in A.D.

letter

Recto
In the

name

of

Mercy 1 Happy

For God

God

who
him 2

is

takes cognizance of the poor;

.

be thy hope and will keep thy

will

said:]

is

he

will deliver

on the day of evil

When

to the

in]

it

am with thee 4 .
the Law and in tradition,

thou goest through the water,

Peace and prolonged blessing, as [promised

from stumbling 3 [as

feet
I

Honorable Crown of Glory,

Greatness, our Lord and Master, Judah

4 his Illustrious

ha-K 5 hen, the Great

and Mighty Prince among the People of God, the Glory of Princes,
Diadem of Scribes. May He preserve him who preserves his scat-

the

tered pious ones, and

may He

be unto him a healer and deliverer

May he also preserve in life his two sons 5

May God lengthen their days in the

the princes, the assistant priests 6

[enjoyment of] good things, and

their years
in pleasantness

son

of 7 our Lord and Master Eleazar ha-Kohen, the

Prince, the Glorious, Chief

Princes.

His slave kisses

Highness 9 how ardent

9 his

well being,

and

among

his

hands

his desire

Princes, the Glory of

8

is

Worthy

and brings to the attention of

his regret(?) at the length of time during

away from him 10

Now when

it

his

for

which he

occurred in this week that

is

was

boorishly denied entrance

to his Highness, people

10

that

Abu

came from

Bilbais and

mentioned

to his slave 11

al-Baha of Damascus,

had come to Salah al-Din 12 and had taken a

promise from him of promotion in Minyat Zifta 13 and they mentioned

who was

11

living in Cairo,

No. 2874,

Cf. Bodleian,

11

was one of the

honorific

used in Egyptian protocols.

See the interesting discussion of these titles, from

which come many of our Hebrew ones in these documents, in al-Kalkashandl, Subh atA sha, vol. vi, p. 1 5, and Max van Berchem, Corpus Inscriptionum Arabicarum 1, 446.
titles

10
11

12

The
I.e.

translation

is

a suggestion merely: ajj.3

O3.iL; Lo.

to himself, the writer.

Between the

lines there

has been inserted

And some

say

Awwad

(written

al-Dm...his slave.
13

Ibn Dukmak, Description de VEgypte (Vollers), v, 109; Mann, op.

cit.,

Index

s.v.

GENIZAH FRAGMENTS
!

!3

!6

1
!7

*8

[]

22

*3

24

25

26

Margin

14

Between Alexandria and Damietta.

See Jewish Encyclopedia

vol. v, p. 62.

18

Above are the

19

letters

18

=
After

Nehemiah

Or

21

Proverbs

ti

iii,

4.

ii,

20.

Written

May

our Rock preserve them.

5*

LETTER

U.
12

13

14

14

and a lot of them added that he had said that he

wished their signature, expressing their satisfaction with him. The Jews
answered
Do not say anything until we have looked into the matter. They prevented me from coming, so as to learn what had happened. But
the Jews said to me, Write to our master 15 the Sheikh al-Thikah and
also al-Mahallah

17

Sheikh Abu al-Facll al-Nur, son of

our master al-Nur, that he become a teacher among them, because the
judges 16 have no knowledge whatsoever
concerning the matter. I desire that his Grace should inform 17 our
master 18 the Sheikh al-Sa1d al-Muwaffik may God prosper him 19
20
may he find grace in the eyes of God and of man 21
in all his ways

18

and may there be applied to him the Biblical verse: And David was

and make the

intelligent in all his doings, and God was with him 22

to

15

16

N ow his slave

matter known to him.

23

the

least of Gods children

24

19

God

favor and his good will at all times.

has not been lacking his
bid that you should be in a divided state of mind 25

for-

20

my

you and

master al-Sheikh al-Muwaffik Let us return to our usual

am awaiting an answer to my letter
23
me you and my master the Sheikh
in regard to what [you reply to]
al-Muwaffik. Bring al-Nur may the Rock preserve him
and get
custom.

22

his

and

view

in

thy wisdom 27

would ask you boldly 28

for help

and that you serve me in the place of a father.

master the righteous priest al-Maghrab! and
greetings
to
my
best
My
May God
so also to the Sheikh Abu al-Munajja 29
him
His
good treasure 30 His slave
grant him peace May God open for
31
kiss his feet.
and his [slaves] son
And were it not for the opinion of the Jews, these words would not
have been written so mysteriously about 32 your slave. Greetings to his
Holiness, and greetings to the two priestly princes, his sons. May he be
exalted forever, and the poor of Jacob
time to come

for all

23

24

25

26

Margin:
In regard to 32 the case of the Jew [and] the
It is right that he should be informed.

22 I

Samuel

After this long interruption, the text

xviii, 14.

23

if nothing had intervened.

25

note

A pure
8.

The

guess.

0-

text

3 3

26

The words
Reading

29

Cf.

Mann,

Cf.

Deut.

30
32

24

writer.

0'

oi

D.&.J

of Bilbais,

said:

taken up from line 16 as

is

The

seems perfectly plain

Hamasah

addressees.
>

the feminine suffix

Lane

(p.

(cf.

1343) notes an old

JL> thy affair has become

in

a disordered

with the same import.

Perhaps

28

The

-u in this text) referring to the addressee.

Arabic expression from the

state.

Dayyan

are

all

blurred here.

= bL~ j
op.

tit., vol.

As
i,

in

27

Plural.

modern Cairene, the emphatic

p. 2x5.

31 Read
xxviii, 12.
means concerning, and probably stands

for

changes

into u5

GENIZAH FRAGMENTS

16

Verso

A ddress

VP

33

cf.

note 28,

LETTER

II.

Verso
1

And after all that I have written 33 a number of Jews came and informed
me that Dabbah 34 said Send to Abu al-Baha a present, and say to
him

May

not insult you. So he sent him a present, and said: Get

it

the promotion for

me

your name, and

in

shall

do

for

you

all

that

you

wish.
3

We

waffik
4

By

shall see if his brother-in-law will help him.

command

concerning him.

let

him
35

This he said
Verily this

is

know your

Allah!

excuse.

It is for

you

to

The Sheikh al-Mu-

send.

And

let

him

find fault with

your servant. Good luck

him

for

what he has done.

Address
1

To

our Glorious Lord and Master, Judah ha-Kdhen, the Great and

Mighty Prince
2

among

the people of God,

who

fear

God

May

his

name be remembered

son of our Lord and Master Eleazar

ha-Kohen, Prince of the Noble, Glory of Renowned Princes,
[Signed:] Shabbatai, son of Rabbi Abraham the Judge, the Haber, his
slave. May he never be bereft of him 36
forever

"

35

Do

36

Reading OtUb

stand for

in all?

GENIZAH FRAGMENTS

18

LETTER

III.

Paper 11| x 7 inches.

Arabic

Hebrew characters.
now much damaged, and

in cursive

The paper

is

the ink pale.

so slovenly that whole groups of letters assume the

hand, the same letter of the alphabet

of possible readings
If the

is

same

The handwriting

On

form.

is

the other

may assume many forms. The number

thus very great, and their value correspondingly small.

language were even tolerably pure and the thought connected, trans-

lation might still be possible. But the writer is vague and incoherent
perhaps even intentionally cryptic and mysterious. One doubts that Arabic
is his natural tongue at all.
It may be safely said that this letter would not
have been clear even to a contemporary Egyptian acquainted with the
secret diplomacy of the situation. Cf. Nos. XII, XXII, XXXIII, XXXIV,
and XXXV.

Recto
[

4
5

[]

6
7

9
!

[]

!3

Quite plainly,

Hebrew

would seem

to

be

and so we have read

Jews

Egypt and in

in

3 I.e.

meaning rascals

is

Cf.

No. XXI,

recto , line

But our fragment No.

and not

throughout the collection.

as

Palestine under the Fatimids p. 283, col.

,

evidently an oath.

Is

it

for aJUI^

for

Wt-

7
:

perhaps for

etc.

Cf. line 16.

gives in line

Cf. also

3, line 8.

Nisan.

Mann, The

Plate

Ml

J* f*},

^
*/J^T

l^

1
}

**

4*V

y
^

* *

5C*
**Skatei <>

^V>
Wi Wr>k!r&v w H<

7r
'*>*

'

%5>

^v

f*

*$gg

*&$
*

*"**

?*** "

?f&ssx

Genizah Fragment 3

>&
2-

Plate VI

vhi

/(!

<|UJ4/
{
\

>y

,n

<*>& W^f

*)J

'

t^

Jlr*

<

**r

f?

/
'-

<^ / V
**

r4

^!
^^-VUV^
*<

'

/>

^)v'*'

Cw*.

9*0 (0 **

La -*W 5<^

r^ "

jaliX^Y

frt^i Ctlf^ l^KX

Vf < /fw*

0 !( ;

'

%jfFi

fi'ty
1

.!/

U//

-..>

X*

^ JjJ

'^'i

r >->

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r
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< #r> *<a <>o/rr!^w <;

Genizah Fragment

3b^

III.

LETTER

III.

LETTER

from a certain Abraham,

Reader of the Law, probably

Abu Umran Moses, Reader
of the Law, probably living in Fustat. There is no date.
There is mention of business concerns and troubles especially difficulties
arising from the circumstance that a heavy poll-tax was being levied on a
small number of Jews. We learn incidentally that bedsteads were scarce;
and that passages from the Song of Solomon were used in what manner
we are not told to cure a drying up of the body, and boils. Some female
relatives and children have outstayed their welcome and are quarrelling
with one another and similar tittle-tattle.
letter

stopping

in

Alexandria, to his brother, Ula

Recto
1

My

letter to [you], O my Brother and my Lord! God prolong your life

and continue your health
and your prosperity! From Alexandria, 7 days remaining of the month

of Iyyar. About health

and well-being and yearning for you God grant a speedy reunion with
you under the most propitious circumstances And what
you wish to know My letter has gone forward to you with the dogs
who will tell you about it.
The arrival of your letter to Ula 2 And you say to him Do not pay
!

until

the festival.

6 after

they paying

for

because

it,

And
to

it

have already asked you to make the

in Iyyar and Sivan, if they will make them

me

Nisan and Iyyar,

3
is an important month
it

And we
9

Abu

in

not like the month [of Iyyar],

It is

are responsible in [the matter]

to our neighbors for necessary expenses,

Then, after this

arrived Hassun, and your

and we are waiting

for the

answer.

10

letter arrived

And you mention

with him.

in

it

my

11

But

12

collectively 5

letter

has already

to

you today. By Allah,

my

Brother 4

We

asked him about

it

13

[singly].

it

to us as a brother 6

Neither he nor Allan should do

And by

these very words [which

it is

14

pay

am

writing]

If

we go 7

to

go

is

A.

10

not as though one went

Worship 10 , because there is no Jew here

have him] do [something] for you

to a church 9 of Idol
[to]

him about anything 8

[to to

modern Egyptian
Cf.

The Hebrew

colloquial for thing.

No. XXVII, note

title

of a

Mishnah

32.

tractate.

[for]

you

GENIZAH FRAGMENTS

20
1

Margin

...

Verso :
!

11

for

13

'

14

The word

12

?
/ /

15

face.

carelessly used as elsewhere in these fragments.

looks like IC^n,

Ox
plural of
with

stuffing.
suffix.

LETTER

III.

21

16
15

neither he nor anyone else

letter

By
17

If

[is

And you have remarked

a Jew].

in

your

you say

Allah,

my

and they go

Brother!

and leave the house

and

abandonment

its

expect or wish], because the gentiles

is

after the year [is up]

otherwise [than you might

who

20

you do for them during this festival. That is to say It...

and become enemies, and tear the house to pieces out of your hand, and
you know
But if they had consulted me I should have said to them [that] they

And you mentioned

18

19

should remain until after the

1

had
22

pay to our neighbor

pay it
once. Perhaps we can buy for her a bed and...

told

to us at

23 for

festival.

him

that he should

dinars,

and we

that he should

her at the time 11 of her wedding, as he said.

And you know, my

Brother, that
24

the bed

is

the most important thing 12 in the house.

my

got nowadays,
25

ten dinars to

26 besides this

him

And

it is

not [easily]

Brother, because...

at the very least.

two

pigeons, the

And

there remains for 13 her

14

pearls, the

and the Egyptian [gold-

pieces]
27

about ten dinars, not

28

News has reached

And
29

less

than

this,

and
his affairs 15 .

us that he

there arrived

the letter of his father.

Margin
And

he says that

my

brother has arrived this time contrary to every

for what reason he turns away from my

and not from your wife. And we await his
coming at the [time of the] festival, and we shall see what 16 he will do.
that you be here until we know what 16 he will do whether he
And
you take the value of the half which
will compel us to sell the house
in your house. And if not, you sell your
to us
belongs to us. If
The house
if you speak about it after I have said
house

[other] time.

And we do

wife and not from

my

not

know

sister,

is

mine, not you[rs]

Verso

is

and

his equity in

it.

Let him not be afraid because 17 al-Husein

here
to him.

O my
3

other

2 I

By Allah

But he did not come to

and your wife

my

house, nor did he salute me,

living Brother,

and your sister

been expecting

the salutation.
it

And

0 ,
16

is

modern

colloquial Syrian Arabic,

0

17

is

fc

they say to you

of you,

perhaps (jl jail.

from

We

have

GENIZAH FRAGMENTS

22

4
5

There is some further writing on the right-hand margin

word here and there can be made out.

Margin

He meant

to write

19
.

v_5l2J

but only a

18

<

III.
4

behind a ladys back. But we remember

am

any of

very

23

And by

these words [which

be desolated by the pain of separation from her

us, will

Hassun and

more

6 still

18 .

writing], not we,

wife of

LETTER

Because there

much

so,

and the

his children

no estrangement between them and her

is

without

handkerchief which

said to

them they had made

it

and paid

for

it.

And

as for
8

Abu

al-Hayy, he asks you to take for him a description from the Song of
Solomon.
For there appeared upon him a drying up 19 of the body, and a boil, and
dry patches, and a
of his foot. And he is perishing
you take him a description [from the
Song of Solomon], and send it to him 20
But we know that this festival will not pass without
our being in debt two dinars. And if I see him bankrupt (?), he will not
.

come
13

14

15

16

on the first of Iyyar, unless I am at your house. And if I could find

someone who would pay me
for the poll-tax, I would take care of you for nothing, because the bankrupt does what he wishes and what comes
to hand. And I have informed you...O my Brother most excellent, and
your sister, and Abu Ula, and his wife,
and Abu al-Faraj, and his son, and the parents of.
And upon you
be the Peace
!

Margin
To Abu Umran

To my

20

Law

God

his brother,

I.e.

Abu

Brother and Lord the Beloved, Ula

the

From

Ibn

lengthen his

Abu Umran

and continue

Abraham, Reader of the Law

as an aphrodisiac amulet?

are mentioned by

life,

Mann,

op. cit., vol.

[If

Moses, Reader of

his strength
it

please] God.

Skin diseases and their cure by bathing at Tiberias

i,

p. 166,

and

ref.

GENIZAH FRAGMENTS

24

IV.

LETTER

Paper 9^ x 6f inches.

business letter in Arabic, in a clear, cursive

Hebrew hand.
!

4
s

[]

"

3
!

!5

Margin

On

It is

or

pp. 262, 266.

4

23

2J^

h.

A term

see Dozy, Supplement, s.v.

probable that the Hebrew

Mann, The Jews

See, further,

the Arabic.

i,

in this sense,

the use of

Zeitnng, 1906, p.362.

in

Egypt

vol.

Probably purely a honorific

Read

li,

title

Oriental. Lit.

merely a translation from

is

Index,

p. 419.

here. See

Mann,

op.

cit.,

vol.

of servility very often used in letters.

Cf. Brit.

Mus. Or. 554 2 No.

>

which ends

Many
cit.,

6
8

other instances could be cited.

vol.

ii,

p.

330, note

The Jews

translated

it

into

Cf.

Mann,

1.

Cf. line 9.
Read
j
Punctuated according to al-Dhahabls Mushtabih (de Jong),
.

document.
p. 384.

op.

Plate VI l

m
^
A

'*

^{

- 0 * <

^-

^"

00 <<

rM

or
w -

j^V
> ^!
'

^^^*
-

*<

>

-"

^
^^
3

'

H2 f*

,.L

4,

?^<'^

)'\ 4

^^ ii^

*^

4141

^f f

ef

) ^

t\

4-

_Osp"bl

^ ^r
^

;%

aatf

j/.

Vi

0^
"^

)>y^jf.:
* *""'

AYjJr
,

'

C*
*\

yi

0T

4
_

31

fj^j).

svA^

03J3/*

J>

jcx

< / y y^
\
^ *

2;

'1%'

'

'jh V.^,

(>

/ fL&'fipb
09

^,j

Genizah Fragment 4

10

'

IV.

LETTER

25

LETTER

IV.

A certain Ibn Ghurab has borrowed money of the writer of the letter,
and cannot repay it, although he has merchandise on hand. The addressee,
an unnamed prominent man (rals), is now asked to assume the debt, take
over the merchandise, and arrange matters with the judge, Abu al-Faraj,
and the money-changer or banker, as he has promised to do. There has
also been some trouble about a certain piece of real-estate. There seems
to be no way of dating this letter.
1

To

Excellence 1 our Master, the Rals 2

his

may

his glory 3 be exalted

honor extolled. The servant begs to say that

the Master intends 5 to settle accounts with me 6 it is certain that

and
2 if

his

in

regard to the account 7 of

3

there will be no difficulty in collecting it. The Sheikh

al-Muharrab met with you [to consult]
about his affair and you promised him that the Master would speak to

Ibn Ghurab 8

the judge,
5

Abu

al-Faraj,

document from the money-changer 9

amount, and that whatsoever was wanting
he would make good from the sale 10 of the resin and the
that he [write] the

the
7

man

for the [entire]

tartar 11

Now,

has not paid

any part of

it.

The matter has been going on now

for

days.

fifteen

The man
coming within the next two days. The account

8 is

will

be

open as

left

it

stands
9

against him.

manner.
10

permitted you by

It is

No

God

that

you

settle

with

me

in

some

account

has come to me.

wish today that this

affair

be

settled, that

may

have 12 [the account]

11

before Ibn
to

12

Ghurab comes.

Now

yesterday,

Abram came and mentioned

me your

agreement about the small dwelling. Between him and me there arose
Do you not settle with him, either by

!3

the worst kind of discussion.

14

or

15 I

agreement
by written document,

until

he has settled with

to the share that

come

to me.

is

to

shall not accept for 13

Margin

Ghurab(?)

than

less

me

about

it,

in

regard

fifteen dinars.

made a sale, do you make an agreement

my Master acquaint me of it. It is all
may
with him alone.
right [to settle with him] alone(?). May my Master not withhold from his
servant an answer. I am not able to describe to my Master what happened
But,

if

he has a judgment or has

In such a case,

between us yesterday.

May

the kindness of our Master encompass his

servant
9

11

Or banker.

10

Literally: price.

12

Literally

find

it.

13

GENIZAH FRAGMENTS

26

V.

LETTER

Paper 11^ x 7 inches.

Carefully written in half-square
aeval Hebrew.

On

The paper

the verso there

is

is

Hebrew

an address, but
]

Also on the verso but upside-down,

,

in

good medi-

characters, in fairly

torn and the writing illegible in

it is

illegible

many

places.

save for the words

very faded script which appears

to be older than that on the recto are portions of verses from the Bible, as

('

follows: Isaiah lxv,

7-14, 18-23.

At

8, 9,

13, 16-18, 20

25

lxvi,

1, 2,

5,

We

cannot imagine their purpose.

are a few scrawled Arabic letters of no apparent

Judges xv, 15-19;

the top of the recto

for

xvi, 28.

import.

This letter was written to a Gaon Jacob Ben Joseph ha-HasIdh,

perhaps the Jacob Ben Joseph Ab-Beth-Dln who as rabbi signed documents
at Fustat in A.D. 1016 and 1018, and did the same at Aleppo in 1028.
Cf. Mann, op. cit., vol. i, pp. 37, 1 50. The writer of the letter is an important person in Jerusalem.

At

the time

when

this

pp. 7

1 ff.

His

letters are not unlike this in

Jacob was

in

Fustat

Mann, op. cit., vol.

their opening words. The glorious

the chief dignitary in Jerusalem was Josiah Gaon.

Cf.

i,

which collapsed was probably a synagogue; and the cause

been the earthquake of A.D. 1016. Cf. Mann, op. cit., vol. i, pp. 72,

place

may have
156.

Recto

[]

[]

[]

1
I.e. Ha-Meuttadh.
Early in the eleventh century the Egyptian Jews broke away
from the authority of their brethren in Palestine and established a religious and legal
school (Yeshlbhah) that went by this name Geon Yakob. See Mann, op. cit., vol. i,

p. 191.

Plate VIII

-" -
** *

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tei># j)j

v^
Su

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^

b)W*h Wb)

,ssv \L

^<

>

i,

bt^}1fJ*rXJ!9

^'>'Wh) '%*->?
^> p m v>b
^b nut
/ ^ ^
2' ]^Mfttsyr>yS
* y^ V/ttkS^vyu
MifvvVb*
^!..u. ^.!i
'

L*-

^*
s^j

>

Mm

/v5

Y*x $*Mmxi

*'. A*

^
*.!

.*

1
)

2^
'

>y?s 5

'
'

TDSyjj^

!
.

J ;

.:

Genizah Fragment 5

JJU.

IX

Plate

4TV

*
tkii
* j_ ^

'

'**

'

vW
^; |^ .
A?
^WJjyl/

M**

<

" *
*M *

A ^>J)

> /

te

Me

'

>->V. Vf/3y>

JOfc'*?

'

&

t*

*>

t*j *jr**j>r

'

V;W** I*

-&
4

3$
1

>

"

:
.

vA ^ -."
-

.<

>j^1

y*&& fffp*!

fr*fry Y1,^te4*t **\

;.

..,
?

y 1*^
-

%v jJ:^>

^>^av*k
\

*Ay&rtff f %

^<

'

^?^
-

A.

.^
f

Genizah Fragment 5 b

"

*'

V.

V.
Apparently Jacob had

left

LETTER

27

LETTER

Jerusalem some time before, bearing a com-

mission from Solomon Ben Khalaf al-Bukl in Jerusalem to his wife in

Fustat. Solomon had given Jacob two gold-pieces with which to pay her

way

Evidently he expected trouble, for he gave to Jacob

a statement of his possessions in his house at Fustat and directions to take
possession of these. The only response that came was another messenger,
to Jerusalem.

Nathan or Hibah by name, son of Zachariah, who arrived in Jerusalem with

Solomon had no grounds for his action. Nathan
next undertook to carry to the wife in Fustat a letter of divorce, which he

a protest from the wife that

promised to deliver to her in the presence of a certain Abraham the Hazzan.

Nathan appears with all the documents and with Solomons statement
that it was in the house of the writer that Jacob had sworn to carry the
original message to the wife. The writer is equally certain that nothing of
the kind ever took place under his roof, nor had he heard of the affair at

He now

writes in great haste to Jacob

and

tells

him

that he

a Spaniard, al-Azhar, a copy of the wifes protest, which

to

is

is

all.

sending by

to be delivered

Abraham, the intended witness of the divorce proceedings. Incidentally

it is

said that a certain glorious place in Jerusalem has collapsed.

Recto
1

To

in

the

name

of those

who

are

enwrapped

in turbans,

Habers of

doctrines, teachers of doctrines, elders

2

good name to write it is Master Jacob, The Appointed 1 to be

by [the title] Gedn Jacob
Everyone who tastes of his wisdom and beholds (?)
his humility. May
God keep him, and preserve him and assist him, and be his help,
and enliven him(?)
son of Joseph the Pious. Peace! Peace be upon
you Beloved and dear, and friend (?).
From the Lord of Peace and from the City of Peace, and from her paths!
And peace also from me who love you as my own life
I write these pages earnestly,
to inform [you] of the arrival of Master
Nathan, messenger of the congregation 2 known [in Arabic as] Hibah 3
a

called

son of Rabbi
7

Zachariah, bringing an Arabic 4 document of deposits and

its seals.

And

makes demands of Solomon Ben Khalaf al-Bukl 5

about his wife. And she says to him [in the document] This [document
of yours which you have sent me] is not a [proper] complaint, nor does
it contain proof [justifying] a demand.
And the man Solomon said
it

Shortened from
as
from
of Hagar.
From Buk, the name of a river near Baghdad
.

4
5

p.

762; Muschtarik

p. 71.

See Yakut, Geogr. Worterbuch,

vol.

i,

GENIZAH FRAGMENTS

28

"

"

[]
]

[]

20

6
7

]
]

.
has no article but that
This passage was deleted

is

not

uncommon

10

About eight

illegible letters are written

23

in

our

texts.

above the

26

2!

24

[]
[]

]
]

[]

line

here

27

V.
9

sent

by Rabbi Jacob Ha-Meuttadh

bring her,
10

LETTER

29

two gold-pieces, with which

to

if

come and, if she did not desire [to come], I gave into
hand a document of memorandum as to all that was in her possession, namely
Mine is that which she made 6 in my house, for the work of her hands
is mine as well as that which
bought for her. If she admits the
she were willing to

his

11

claim,
12

13

from her her overdue 7 [debt], then the remainder shall be the
support of my daughter. But up to the present there has not come
from him
any letter nor has he let [me] know what has been done. And this man,
collect

our Master Hibah, says that

14 in the presence of elders,

my

in

house an oath was taken

our Master Solomon Ben

and Memuhamdn Ben Yapheth and

,

15

did there happen in

my presence

others 9

anything

Abraham Ben Ezra,

But never

\like this,\

nor did I do in

my

20

and [that] you [Rabbi Jacob] were one of

them. And things happened
After this
by me to give her two pieces of gold
and he write
And our Master Rabbi Nathan became surety for him
that he would bring to her(?) after two days(?) documents thither [as a] complaint
she should produce the [marriage?] document,
in his presence and in the presence 10 of Rabbi Abraham the Hazzan...
and tear it up
in your presence. And
she should receive the letter of divorce.
And [that] he would write for this Solomon a document of damages.
But [as for] the expenses of his daughter
herself (?), that he would give her two gold-pieces the year for as long as

21

house anything

16
17

18

19

[ like

this ,]

she wished

her mother.

two gold-pieces

shall give her the

And now

after she has torn

it

up

the

later years
22

as a deposit with our Master

And
23

it is

24

We

accepting
turn].

And

what was
in

to

them in haste with a duplicate 11 [for

was astonished at you then that you did not write
are sending

happen.

behold [here

by the hand of

his

the executed

He

bill

will

of divorce

take

it

to

messenger, for he has authorised [us to send]

may reach her safely. I have acquainted you

it

to give to Rabbi Abraham. I have already given it

Master Azhar the Spaniard 12
son of Rabbi Jonah, and I am confident that they have been given to
him. And I have been hoping that you would come at the feast [of

with this
to our

27

is]

re-

it

messengers, so that
26

And

the possession of our Master, Rabbi Hibah.

her or send
25

Solomon the Haber, son of Rabbi David.

the writing of your hands

Weeks] and so
11

generally

also on the Ninth of

means

picture.

12
.

GENIZAH FRAGMENTS

30

28

]
My

13

hearing of his situation for good has been delayed.

VI.
Paper

HALACHIC FRAGMENT

if x 6| inches.

in square Hebrew writing.

The orthography is poor, and many words and passages are omitted.
The variants are probably not worth noting and the text has accord-

Four pages of Hebrew

ingly not been printed here.

Gottheil only.

This fragment has been studied by Professor

LETTER

V.
28

Ab, and so also at the [other] feast days. And behold I have had to
with you be near
wait for good news of it 13 And may the
14
are well. But the glorious 15 place, which
And we and all
had been built upon, fell on the 17th of the month
of Ab(?), and it was a Sunday, at the tenth hour of the day. May it be
His pleasure to build a firm building Greetings
And greetings [to] your son, and greetings [to] all your relatives
[God] prolong the life of your brother Solomon, son of Rabbi Yahya (?)
[May] his rest [be in] Eden
.

29

30

31

11

This abbreviation occurs in line 7

15

Or

also.

Does

it

mean

etc.

steep, or spiral.

VI.

From

HALACHIC FRAGMENT

the Haldkhoth Gedhdloth of

Simeon Kayyara,

a Babylonian rab-

binical authority of the ninth century.

In the edition of Hildesheimer, Halachoth Gedoloth nach

Handschrift der

Vaticana

dem Texte der

Berlin, 1888, this text covers p. 138, lines

line 30-p. 139, line 13; p. 140, lines 6-24.

9-20;

GENIZAH FRAGMENTS

32

MEMORANDUM

VII.

Paper iof x 7 inches.

Arabic in Hebrew characters, cursive and not easily read, since the writer
has apparently written quickly and automatically, without looking at the
resulting forms of the letters. The Arabic has a strong vernacular coloring.

Some of the names have Maghrabl,

phraseology

Certain witnesses, whose

names are signed

testify to their belief in the truth of

with

Abu

or north African forms.

little

Aramaic

introduced.

is

Bu

al-Ula Bin

at the

end

in

square characters,

Bin Asads account of his transactions

al-Faraj and

Sadakah Bin Jacob,

his partner: all

apparently Jews.
!

'

[]

[]

if

I.e.

Cf.

Aramaic

in

same phrase infra

4

here,

and

to justify the expression grammatically.

declaration of protest.
not followed by the preposition

Cf. the

4, 5.

11.

in

one should seek

mark and Aramaic

mediaeval Hebrew is

Hebrew

11 .

and 9

4, 5

(?), is

not

Hebrew

3 nor the genealogical form of

O

in

names, but the Maghrabl (Tunisian, Algerian, Moroccan, Spanish)

also

11 .

4 9
,

for

This

is

also a

Maghrabl form. Both

4, 9 we have the combination

Asad. It means Son of a Lion

arise

Note

from the ultima-accent

~* t

^> has nothing

upon Gen. xlix, 9,
and a substitute for Jew or Judah, as in this case. Cf. the Western Benari Loewensohn Loewe Loew Lowe Lieuw, Loeb Leon Leo Lion and variations. There is some
of these dialects.

to

do with the

In

11 .

tribe of

and

is

a play

confusion with
5

is

his

expression <Ca.3 a)

management.

of rape

and highway

O l

0 1

The

Hence Herz Leben, etc.

very violently emotional Hebrew expression, used
and

robbery.
0

or a!

I pay in to him, to remain under

Plate

,<<
S'

0u!u^j ;-

'

C.

<

'

v/>L**

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V
.
P r*?s s - .

<4-

Wotty,- 1

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!^^/-^ ^
^T w-^/^
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^/

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u <>

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64

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u.v\.

A \</^'?

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W L

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f
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1

J1

vuy-vV/

W ^/
vw
3

J /( ^

,j

/^'

fcr-

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izaoh
1

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AA ^//
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4 (>

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5

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'

^ ^-^

Genizah Fragment 7

MEMORANDUM

VII.

MEMORANDUM

VII.
It

33

appears that Bin Asad loaned a large

sum

of

money

to

Abu

al-Ula

and Sadakah Bin Jacob to invest at Alexandria, on terms that were stated
in a document, and understood by Bin Asad to constitute a partnership.
Some of the money was invested. Of the remainder a large part or all was
either lost in speculation or stolen outright.

money had been

lost,

Abu

some

al-Ula asserted that

but that he was not liable for

as he was merely

it,

an agent and not a partner. The matter was brought before a Muslim
court, where Bin Asad was bullied by the Kadi and by his enemy, and confused with technicalities with which he

is

bad

his case in a

He knows

He

light.

The court
some document which put

thoroughly disgusted.

evidently decided against Bin Asad, and issued

goes to certain Jewish friends and

tells his tale.

money: that is all. The fragment is the

record of an indignation meeting held sometime in June of the year A.D. 1 1 50.
1

We,

that he has lost the

the witnesses, whose signatures stand 1 at the end of this declaration

2
,

say that there appeared

2

Abu

before us the Sheikh

al

son of our lord and master Samuel, son

of our lord and master Judah,

3

who

is

known

respect to
4

to 6

Abu

as 3 Bin

that

all

said to us:

have been robbed 5

in

intrusted for investment

Bu

al-Ula Bin

turned over to him

5

Asad 4 and

known

al-Faraj,

and

to

as Bin Ayyara(?), because

Sadakah

Bin Jacob, known as Bin al-Kal1, his partner, a thousand dinars 8 as a

,

partnership between

me and them

according to what the document required which was drawn up 9 con-

God

cerning them.

defend

the Kadi
8

10
,

it

And

they went to the city of Alexandria

and

al-Athlr,

Ornament

and they got control of

they had already gone

and had eaten

treated

Abu

for aJ

The

it

up.

invested

it

11
.

some of the

capital in the presence of

of the Kadis,

And someone came and

into the property with their

And

al-Ula Bin

B0

went

to the city of

informed

me

that

hands

Alexandria 12 and

en-

al-Faraj,

as in Syrian vernacular

ilo.

dinar, according to the

Misbah of al-Faiyuml (about A.D. 1333/4 we quote

through Lane, Arabic-English Lexicon ), was a gold coin weighing
71| or 68J grains of
wheat, the same as the mithkal. The American five-dollar gold-piece weighs
129 grains
at

900
9

10
11
12

fine.

I.e.

the judge.

I.e.

the thousand dinars.

Misspelled as before, but differently.

GENIZAH FRAGMENTS

34

"
!

<

20

22

23

13

in these texts

means simply
/

14

15

perhaps for

is

to say.

9f
.

an agent, intrusted with capital for business purposes, on the condition

and the investor, and that the loss,

upon the investor. See Lane, Arabic-English Lexicon part 7, p. 2515.
He must have been a Jew, however else why say this at all? Ct. also 1 13.

that the gain shall be divided between the agent

shall fall
16

if

any,

17

18

^aJ.
0

19

He was

confused with technicalities.

i-

The

must be

first

is

absorbed by md, the second d

the shut syllable of the vernacular form.

/ 0

20
21

perhaps

though we find no instance.

Singular, and probably impersonal, or

22
23

j,

is

Cf.

meaning

his

the colloquial ft, from yf/z, from A-i.

Aramaic

robbery, and

robber.

enemy.

is

shortened in

MEMORANDUM

VII.

35

10

the aforementioned, for the thousand dinars which he had.

11

property had been decreased by a certain amount.

that he

that he

12

And

he said 13

had bought goods, and that the

was [merely] an agent

And he asserted 14
partner. And he said

15

[and] not a
except according to the laws of the Gentiles 16 .
And he urged the Kadi, al-Athlr, Ornament of the Kadis
and he forced 17 me to clear him concerning the property and the oath 18

We

shall not litigate

13

14

15

16

according to the laws of the Gentiles and according to the Jews

and about what had accrued to me through the transaction, and through
the capital which he had paid me, and about what
answer he had given me 19 in [the matter]. And now I have informed you
that I have been robbed in respect to all
I
intrusted to Abu al-Ula for investment whatever be the acquittal 20
which you 21 [O Abu al-Ula] have written against me, according to the
:

laws of
17

the Gentiles or the canon law of the Jews.

for

18

investment

Bar Judah,

I,

And we

have

is

verified

legal evidence in

The

21

it

22
.

And

it.

And

[as to]

intrusted to

him

know

that

we, the witnesses,

every acquittal 20 which he [Abu

him [Bin Asad]: there

is

al-

no unobjectionable

it.

scribe of the [Jewish] court, our lord

lord

a fact.

Ula] had written against

20

All that

Samuel

[the son of]

have been robbed of

the robbery 23
19

I,

and master Samuel

he

And

this

a worthless 24 fellow.

and master Nathan, son of our

is

occurred 25 on Friday, the twenty-fifth of

Sivan, the equivalent to Safar.

22

The year [is] one thousand four hundred and sixty-two

Documents 26 [Be it] certain, clear and abiding 27
!

23

of [the Era of]

[Signed:] Joshua Bar Shemaryah, Shelah Bar Yakln, Nathan ha-Kdhen

Bar Joseph ha-Kohen.

24
25

26

Era

Very nearly the modern colloquial sense of the word.

I.e. the memorandum was written.

The
of

Seleucid Era, beginning October

Documents.

The Jews continued

1st,

It is

called in these fragments the

manner

of dating almost exclusively

312 B.C.

to use this

Then they began to use the Jewish Era, which

Wislicenus, Der Kalendar Leipzig, 1905, p. 74. Our

until well into the eleventh century A.D.

October 7th, 3761 B.C.

dated some time in June, A.D. 1150.
This line is in Aramaic.

starts with

fragment
27

is

GENIZAH FRAGMENTS

36

LETTER

VIII.

Paper 12 x 4| inches.
Arabic in cursive Hebrew characters.
The five bits of writing are from the hands of three individuals. The
longest, recto ( a ), is rather clearly written
though the language is bad and
mixed with Hebrew, and the style vague and ornate. The next longest,
verso (a), is crabbed and angular, as though from the hand of someone unaccustomed to the pen but the language is good, and the style concise and
;

to the point.

Recto

(b) is

merely a

dates itself and recto (b) on

false

beginning of the same.

Verso (a)

Monday, the eighth of Marheshwan, Seleucid

Era, 1543, which is A.D. 1231.

Verso (b) and (c) are in a cultivated but
cursive hand, which becomes worse as it proceeds.
The lan-

difficult

guage is very much better than usual in our texts. There are even pedantic
nominal case-endings and certain orthographic peculiarities of the Arabic
in its own alphabet which the writer no doubt was accustomed to use. We
do not know who he was. The first of the two is dated Thursday, the
eleventh of Marheshwan, Seleucid Era, 1543, which is three days later than
verso (a). The second is not dated, but may be assumed to have been
written at the expiration of the ten days from the eleventh of Marheshwan,
or the twenty-first of that month.
Recto

(a)
!

* I

of himself.

We

The

have translated everywhere with the

0 /

writer uses both the 1st

in

speaking

1st person.

0 J

bo and

confusion of
/S'
/J

and the 3rd person

is

quite a

common

idiom

in

our

texts.

should have the article

here.
4

The woman

in question,

Here, as

in

position:

aJ

not yet named.

From

lines 15, 16

we

learn that she

is

the

Sheikh Mansur.
modern colloquial, the second object of a verb is indicated by the pre-

wife of the Sheikh Sarur

and

sister of the wife of the

Plate XI

U
^
y^jr

<*>).

wv * ^* C^ Y%1
^^</^4 rr'ru
/ '<

>

(* 0 ^vV

1 '

^-^^^ ?

>0

^""
"^

^(><*5

< KM

^***

A?* Jgj
Y1nfV^

** V^^x
A 4
0'<
^v
V
*MVw
*W
4

Genizah Fragment 8 a

\
Plate XII

yj

^>
f
4^Hrw rr7>^

&y?j7

^^\
^W
^-^^
4^- 1W
.

r3

/
> frjt7
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*

3 ''^7 ^-?

ip** ^tPZtPO tt&C3 ^i^*e*V#

m t^j7 v^xOt?}^ i&u.

T^X KrtittTM.

j.

^*rS4Wyfr/

/^vWTr

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<*<*$&/
H

rrw/iert

J&cw //

V/w
\^

rrtv#,coyl

ii*<f?*f4 <>

* vr\xy-

p**

^/w^4^Knf
jjVtiK OV rXS'

/>9

Z'

* 4V

>

v /</

?c

^!crfnr^frr.

/irw

^<^JVtr^

Genizah Fragment 8 b

LETTER

VIII.

37

LETTER

VIII.

Abu al-Thana to a judge, Rabbi Elijah,

Kalyub, just north of Cairo. He seeks with flattery to
represent that his friend, Abu al- Mansur, of Kalyub, the son of Abu alFaraj, has been driven into exile and destitution because he was prevented
Recto (a)

is

probably both

a letter from one

in

from selling his house by a sister-in-law, Sutait, the daughter of Abraham,

and her husband, Abu al-Sarur, the son of Ma'anl. The house belongs to
Mansur, and the other family have nothing to do with it. Abu al-Thana
sold the movable property at the request of Mansurs son. All the harmless facts are

wife, Kifa,

Evidently Mansurs

admitted, but the others are suppressed.

has died, and Mansur has tried to defraud his children by selling

and has defrauded Sutait in some manner, possibly by the sale

Abu al-Thana is the agent of Mansur and not of
Mansur is not destitute; and probably would not have been evicted

their estate;

of the movable property.

his son.
if

he had not attempted the

sale.

the story through the witness

We

learn from verso

Tamlm, son of Joseph.

a ) the other side of

Sutait and Kifa were

and joint heirs to two estates. After the larger of the two had been
reduced by confiscation, Sutait took the smaller as her own, and Kifa the
sisters

which she willed to her children. Verso (a) tells us that Mansur was
evicted, and made to pay damages to Sutait, which he could do in part only.
Verso (c) states that the two parties agreed to a payment of the balance at
convenience, without court-action, but with an added 20 per cent.
larger,

Recto
1

[I,]

(a)

the slave, approach the Presence of the Beauty of the Dignity of the

Crown of
2

Splendor of our Master and Rabbi, Elijah, the wise and intelligent Judge.
May his name endure forever! And I assure the Master that [I,] the
Sheikh,

4 kiss
5

many

times

may God reward

but

My

the hands and feet of the Master.

you, and

may

it

desire

oppresses

not perplex you 3

me;

And

inform

the Master
6
7

Sheikh Mansur, her 4 go-between, came to [me,] the slave,

and demanded of [me,] the Sheikh Abu Thana, testimony
of which he might inform her 4 touching 5 the case 6 of the estate 7
that the

question 8
9

And

[I,]

in

the Sheikh

Abu Thana, made acknowledgment and

said: [I,]

the slave,

negociation, conference, or perhaps autorite, juridiction, Dozy, Supple-

ment aux
7

Dictionnaires

Cf. the

long

list

A robes,

(ed. Vollers, Cairo, 1893), pp. 56

five
8

vol.

i,

p. 258.

Lower Egypt, Ibn Dukmak, Description de P Egypte

ff.
Ibn Dukmak died in 1406, a hundred and seventy-

of dars in

years after the date of our text.

I.e.

mentioned.

But the

estate, like the

Evidently there has been discussion of the matter.

woman

in line 7, is

still

unmentioned.

GENIZAH FRAGMENTS

38

"
!

4
5

22

23

24

26

28

Recto

10

(b),

written after recto

[0

I-e.

(a),

but above

11

12

as verso ( a):

this time.

But more

likely

an earlier ruler

is

for

13 I.e.

the estate or the two-thirds remaining of

14

Mansur

I.e.

16

for

17

The modern

18

by the same hand

Kamil, the Ayyubid, A.D. 1218-1238, at

meant.

it,

I.e.

15

I.e.

or

it.

Sarur.
.

colloquial verb

the writ of Rabbi Judah, or the injunction of the

basis of the same.

Muslim judge, issued on the

LETTER

VIII.
io testify

that our Rabbi Elijah may be informed

the estate 7 from which the Sultan

it

that this

[is]

12

a third

and

15

1 7

18
19

20
2

the wife of

it a complete estate.
have informed the Master of this, after
paying compliment to him with special salutations. And the Sheikh
Mansur has already complained, to Rabbi Judah in
Cairo, of the Sheikh Sarur. And lie 14 told him that he had tried
to sell the estate and he 15 informed the gentile judge 16 of it, and brought 17

the Sheikh Sarur, took in place of

And

thus

[So now]

testified.

a writ from Rabbi Judah,

23

And

24

nothing, and

went and read

it

and enjoined him 14 from [doing]

18

him 14

to

He

said to

me

this.

[in reply]

He 15

me

owes
25

under the control of

11

22

26

testify

took away

and [that] it is an inheritance of his wife, from her deceased 12 mother

and that it 13 [has remained] under his control until this day; and [that]
no one [else] has
any inheritance in it, nor any [right to make] demand; and that her
sister,

16

10

[that] the two-thirds [remaining] are

the Sheikh Mansur, mentioned

13

39
9

have nothing to explain to him 19 Adieu!

And his son Rabbi Berakhoth, was commissioned to urge 21 me to sell
[the movable effects] which he had in his possession and in the possession
I

20

of others; and the

27 in

command

regard to them was not neglected

whatsoever

for

23

[price] they

[for

the slave,] liquidated 22

I,

would bring

24
.

And

[I,

them
the slave,] was

given a letter 25
28

which said in substance 26

nothing left 27

And

have

fled into exile.

And we

have

29

nor has [our] servant either, save only

well

Recto:
I,

God and

[you,] the Master.

Fare-

{b)

Tamlm Bar

that after

19

A*JUa|

20

jJj instead of

p] us the prefix

Ml

21

Joseph, say

we had appeared on Mon[day] 28

01

w> of modern colloquial.

Cf.

is

Dozy, Supplement

vol.

i,

p.

271: exciter quelquun k sap-

pliquer a.
22

The
0 J

has been changed to

he made them

read

Although we know of no instance of the kind, we should

to flow, give

up their
0

23

is

the

modern vernacular

esh for
,

J!i

juice.
t

Lf?'

24

We

25

The Arabic word is used in the Hebrew sense.

The Hebrew word is used in the Arabic sense.
They had the cash proceeds of the sale of their

26
27
28

He

know

of no other instance of this precise meaning.

Tamlm began

to write

then wrote verso

(a).

Cf.

note

17.

effects.

on the recto of the paper, and was interrupted at

this point.

GENIZAH FRAGMENTS

4
Verso:

a)
!

9
?

"
<

Verso

(b),

upside

down

29

Beginning Oct.

1st,

Kalendariographische

Our document was

312

und

B.C.

This date does

fall

on a Monday, according to Schram,

Chronologische Tafeln Leipzig, 1908,

,

p. 235, col.

7D, line 25.

written in A.D. 1231.

0^ J

30

I.e.

31

Or vacated? The

32
33

diminutive of the colloquial

is

I.e.

the

my."

modern

sitt,

lady, but

we

has a raphe to show that

colloquial form of the plural.

find only

it

stands for

in the dictionaries.

VIII.

Verso
1

Joseph, say

Monday, the

that on the eighth,

eighth of the

[Era of] Documents 29

5 I

month Marheshwan,
in

1543,

the city of Cairo,

was present with Sutait 30 Bint Abraham,

and Sarur Ibn Ma'anI, her husband,

[who] called

41

a)

Tamlm Bar

I,

LETTER

The

Behold

to witness her statement.

was

left

deceased

13 35

estate

34

me

31

to the children

32

of her

God have mercy on

Kifa

10

And

the Sultan took a third.

12

And

13

the estate for which she took a substitute.

14

[Signed:]

[the estate]

it is

was

it

sister

31

her

Ibn SandablsI 36 from which

which

there remain two-thirds of

Tamlm

33

it;

and

is

it

Bar Joseph.

Verso: {b)
1

Thursday, the eleventh of Marheshwan, 1543, [Era] of Documents 37

the property

He owes

38

passed from

Sutait Bint

Abu al-Mansur

Abraham,
41

wife of

Bu

Ibn
40

and sixty dirhams

Abu

al-Faraj al-Kalyubl 39

She received from him

Ibn Ma'ani, a hundred

a hundred and ten dirhams; and there remained, of what he

And

she granted him a respite of ten days from this date.

And

they declared each other free [of further obligation].

35

house

tells

us

why

wifes sister

as verso

was trouble

The

in the first place.

wife of

Mansur had died

own enrichment.

for his

I.e.

there

wished to prevent Mansur from defrauding his children by selling the

in the Kalyub district. Cf. Ibn Dukmak, op. cit., v, 49
and the other authors cited by de Goeje, ad loc.
abbreviated to
and DnDE to DE4 This is the same year

from Sandabls, a village

Ibn Haukal (de Goeje),

37
The numeral

38

(a),

O'**9

p. 93,
is

is

and probably also as verso

(b).

property or income.

39 I.e.
40
41

her,

similar, to the parent.

This

and the
36

owed

dirhams.

34

al-Sarur

41

fifty

from Kalyub, just north of Cairo.

The north African form of Abu. Cf. No. XIII, note

The

exact Arabic orthography

32.

l^^t.

GENIZAH FRAGMENTS

42
Verso

(c)

[]

42
I.e. Sutait and Sarur agreed to regard the remaining fifty dirhams as a debt of honor,
never to be mentioned again between them and the two parties were reconciled, and

43

settled their case out of court.

We

do not know.

The

is

modern

colloquial:

ma

nVrafsh from
,

OjJw

'0

VIII.
Verso
1

And

LETTER

43

(c)

them nothing but

there remained between

ciliation 42

to accomplish a recon-

among them,

a debt of [the] 50 dirhams 41

making

We know

they were paid 41 the

[would be, by tacit agreement] between them 44 two equal parts. So there

nothing about them

,

43 .

and saying

And

he agreed

sum which would be

that,

when

paid
,

remained, [by tacit agreement] between them, a judiciable claim 45

6

amounting

44

seems

45
46

to sixty

<5

I.e.

to

mean

dirhams 46

idiomatically

by agreement

ten dirhams extra for the privilege of private settlement by reconciliation?

GENIZAH FRAGMENTS

44

IX.

LETTER

Paper 6f x 20| inches, made up of two sheets pasted together.

This long strip is completely covered with writing. The top, margin

and bottom, originally

with postscripts

left for

just as the

out with other material, for

over.

the sake of appearance, were afterwards filled

margins of Oriental printed books are filled
good measure, pressed down and running

Unfortunately twenty-three lines have been mutilated by the removal

of one corner.

The writing is in cursive Hebrew characters, quite legible on the whole.

The language is Arabic, without any admixture of Hebrew or Aramaic,
at times elegant, but in general colloquial, with strange constructions

and

strange meanings of ordinary words.

Recto

<

"

or

and close
2

jjyc.

to the original

an imitation of the Muslim

from which the

latter

was taken.

means both mighty and dear, according

this clever play

upon

but he omits the

5

to the preposition used

For

district of India.

hence

article.

The modern

colloquial sense of

^iu?
eJ

6 j

the word.

Cf. al-Asyutl,

Lubb al-Lubab

ed. Veth, pp.

r-v and

185.

jbj

1s

&

"

Plate XIII

v w Wj1
j-jg?
C^cT^V^
U
Jf >
/ / .sW/Vi^

T.

<~r

<

**

\Hr3 5

^Jl/^OiAi

orVi!
riDA

<%
tCh&flbi vjy^^

ri

^SettoAM* Z\ x i/i

sjthjr' ilty

"

^^/)
?

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lC,AfK
,

^-^^-,

} cf/J

^>^

PRr^ **?

&;^rg3*r

Y TJ
Wjw^oysrwMft-r}<
^^ * p
&y

4* ri04

rrtrij

v>

/^Jb 4
<

^X
*/

,r

H? ?

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ji

vt4* 7J

*?&

<

^^)! yui^v^nT^yjpwri ^ciiA[

&b)j7 fiW* ****** vwyn>0jy

(Mj/U-xr^
i&ndt

!1>1

J
wMyhjnp'^vr
a 4 i'

,ate
a(*x5

yMyy

pi's{?!'!

/?)

-,

.,

AK

,
(fif'd
fo
fi

,.y/y>i

,,

^(^
;

^L?

/V^ fO){Sr^

^wirijo-L
J|

y^^,^^ ^*4^

S
W'
f,J

fees*

Za^rh'^^Yf

Mwfi^<
Genizah Fragment 9

*>

^w3

Plate Xf\

^ %s
r

Aj
Vr

^/

!'^ ^

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Genizah Fragment

a>j7

f)

IX.

LETTER

IX.

LETTER

appears that a certain Joseph,

It

who

who

lives in

45

Fustat with

many

relatives,

Aden, South Arabia, with a few other

persons from the Fustat community. The father of these two brothers is
the patriarchal head of the family. The brother in Aden is a merchant, and
has made two trips to India, particularly to Colombo in Ceylon, on one of
which he was captured by pirates and ransomed by his relatives at home.
is

writing to a brother(?),

maternal uncle,

by the

lives in

who went from

Fustat to India on business undertaken

and there

is

great uncertainty about his will,

especially because the wife of this uncle

is

a grasping creature and has also

father, has died there

had an illegitimate child

in his absence.

similar case

is

mentioned

in

the

letter.

There

no address.

is

The

was

letter

to be intrusted to a

friend for

discreet delivery.

But a certain hazzan Abu -Bayyan, is mentioned in

cit., vol. i, p. 242, vol. ii, p. 308, which is a letter considered by
belong to about 1150.

There
Mann, op.

Mann

to

is

no

date.

Recto
1

name

In the

My

letter to you,

God

O my

Brother, mightier 2 than

and dear 2

to me.

May

May God

life

reunite us

under the most happy 3 circumstances, in His grace 4 and the abundance
if it please God
of His kindness
And what you would like to know
:

[is
5

and prolong
your strength and your dignity, and not deprive you of the beauty of
lengthen your

success!
4

of the Compassionate 1

that]

from the time when you entered India no one came to us from you, and

we became 5
6

troubled

in

regard to you on account of the Indian Ocean until the Hajj

All arrived,
7

6
is called Ibn al-Kuzdiri
And we enquired 7 of him and he informed us
of all that had befallen you, and the manner of your [maternal] uncles
death God have mercy on him
and how you arrived [back] from India. And we praised God the Exalted
for your safety, and your being able to reach your uncle before his death.
And he told us that you had endured great hardships 8 with your uncle
while he was sick; and that was very 9 difficult for us [to bear,] namely 10
[that] no one of us

who

9
10
11

12

The VIII form

0

10

of

usually

means listened

to.

used as a relative with indefinite antecedent.

for

The vernacular

Cairo, 1895, P

use of

7 su b voce

as a conjunction. Cf. Spiro, Arabic-English Vocabulary,

GENIZAH FRAGMENTS

46

<

! 7

!
*3

26

*8

*9

32

33
34

11
12

11,

427,

Cf. the

15

The

16

Read

Cf. line

46 and al-Kalkashandl, Subh

where the printed edition has j^s however.

bottom of verso.

writer intended

and

0 J

a confusion between OJ.C

and j

18

Hebrew word.

^.\j in the colloquial sense.

14

17

0 <

the colloquial y/ij^llak for

the Arabic form of the

is

al-A^sha,
13

is

"!

is

Perhaps for

protection.

t
>

of the colloquial.

LETTER

IX.

what

13

was

14

the concerns of your uncles case.

15

you 11 a lasting change 8

and open the gates of fortune

16

Now

17

of the death of your uncle,

your side to help you

at

in

befell

47

you when you were worn out

with

Ibn al-Kuzdlrl arrived

to

But God the Exalted

will

make

for

your hands if it please God

days after Purlm 12 And, after he had
:

five

told us

we made a

secret of his case.

And your

father

did not leave 13 his presence

20

had made him swear that he would not mention this matter to
anyone and we informed him
about the wife 14 of your uncle, and what she was doing to us. And we
made him swear 15 that he would not tell her
anything of all that had happened. Then we made a secret of that matter.

21

we

18

until he

And
anyone about anything indeed not even your wife 16
of the death of your uncle.
And [al-Kuzdlrl] had said that you wanted 17 [to go] to India, to Colombo
shall not tell

22

so,

we inform

shall

we returned

23 [our]

to

former state of suspense

month and

and remained

[so] for the space of a

a half

25

Ibn al-Zaiyat arrived, who lives at the house of Musayyar Ibn Jarah 18
Then we met together with him, and he told us of your return to Aden,

26

the ship was captured

24 until

and how

when [you were]

attacked, and

how

there

came

to

you
27
28

29

and how you arrived at Aden, safe and sound. So we did not
lack the grace of God and with God there is no [possibility of anything]
but [affairs going] well. But we
were much distressed because 10 there was no letter of yours with him,
a cargo ship,

reassuring us 19

33

we remained anxious until Joseph Ibn al-Hafs! arrived

late on the night of Ramadan, the night of the festival of the Muslims 20
And we met together with
him. And he told us of all that had befallen you, and how you returned to
Aden. But we did not believe [his] story 21 until he had handed us your

34

And we

30 So,
31

32

good
But

19

letter.

read 22

is

21

is

20

(which needs the article)

is

in

it.

So,

was

at peace.

seen

which, however, does not exist, as

always intransitive and cannot take an object.

in lines 34, 35

colloquial hadduta, plural

22

and understood what was

colloquial L-0-laJ for classical

the classical verb

and sense

it,

we had not

if

hawadlt

Read
is

Cf. the classical

form

not classical, but probably equivalent to the modern

fairy story.

the colloquial form of blj. 5

GENIZAH FRAGMENTS

48

35

[[

36

37

38

..

39

43

V
.

44

45

4*

4!

46

47

Verso

[]
]

9
0
!

^
23

24
25

perhaps
Persian

for

Cf.

Dozy, Supplement

erased and D written.

p. 648.

LETTER

IX.
35

your

why

letter,

should [our] heart have been tranquil

36

that he took along

37

envy 25

And

38

Moses.

39

about

23

the ships captain

he had the

So we received

And

26

24

who [had been] with him

from him, and there arrived

it

brother,

if

he had not arrived

40

Exchange

41

no one arrived from [the place] where you [were]

42

and we made him swear not

43

was read 27

44

not [your mother] 29 in his anxiety, that your mother

45

as

46

Purim 12

much

in the

as

it

of]

to

mention that [matter]

Market of Exchange 28

until after the

31
after
47 affairs

[Market

mentions the death of your uncle

my

was able and

letter

O my

And,

that.

49

master 30

Passover

they had heard

Verso:
1

with you and his sister

and about the

the specification? 32 until

while

it

linen

and that

my

Master

which he delivered to her

she forbade him

was being relegated

to

some one of

with her the specification? 32

what was the matter with the mother of the Sheikh Ibn

about the death of your uncle, she tried to come

And

9 all

and he described

the Master 30 swore that she would not mention

of

it,

so that she should not enlighten us about

He

it

10

she had informed you of

11

your uncle did not die until he had written for you a testament.

(?)

said to us

And we

continued to await [a statement of]

12

his estate 33

sent by you, on paper, so that

we might know how

the will

stood in relation
13

the
14

But Allah

to you.

will,

Allah! If you do not have executed for us a copy of

then do not

do any business
thing there

is

until
34
.

you have executed

And do

i-

26

Supplied from line 43.

for us a

document with every-

not
J

27

28
For this Suk al-Sarf see Ibn Dukmak, op. cit., v, p. 38 et alibi ; and Casanova, Essai
de Reconstruction Topographique de la Ville d'al-Foustdt ou Misr, tome 1, in Memoirs
paries membres de / Institut Fran^ais du Caire vol. xxxv, Index.
,

29

has been deleted.

30

He

is

31

Cf.

No. IV,

32

description

33

This

the one referred to as

is

the master

in lines 8, 16,

and elsewhere.

line 4.

placing under guard

a strange meaning for

stamping
34 I.e.

L
7

GENIZAH FRAGMENTS

50

"

^
23

*4

*6

29

3!

33
34

35

35

36

is

iL-sj

is

certainly

38

accusative for nominative.

command; hence

the play upon the word.

for
I.e.

either he

made

fools of, or trifled with, or

*

ui

39

both testament and

0

37

^'3*[^]

He

gambled

with.

<3

^jl.

intended to write
/

40

is apparently AjIJj, but without the feminine ending.

al-Dhahabl, Mizan al- 1 tidal (Cairo, 1325), i, 440.

41

Cf.

42

and
This jumble contains perhaps
Humorous? Although the text says bought a slave, the context refers to a son.
The same correction of the text as in recto 1 31. But here we have a reference to

43

44

and the ransoming of captive Jews. Cf. Mann, op. tit., vol. i, pp. 87 ff. Muslims
captured Christians and Jews, and Christians captured Muslims (and Jews ?). The price
of ransom was 33J dinars, the dinar being worth about $2.50 in gold, with a purchasing
power of about $7.50 at that time.
pirates,

LETTER

IX.
15 let

carelessness

will 36 in

35

overtake you

51

our supreme

in that [matter]; for this is

regard to you.

!6

And you

17

that you had sent to al-Ansarl.

But answer me 37 by Allah, my Son
he told you of?

18

But,

sent [a letter] complaining [to] the Master 30 and saying to

my

Have

him

anything of all [the property]

Son, arent you free to recognize al-Ansar! and his

little

game

how
19

he stood

the market-place and played 38 with anyone

in

be standing there
20

O my

2!

And

God

who happened

to

And know,

Brother, no good-fortune

is

sent 39 to

you except that

it

comes from

the Exalted.

about your fathers 30 calling out to you

sleep, but the Master 30 does not

for

men and demons may

because he keeps calling to you, all night and all day long. And
you only knew shame 40
that it might enter into you through the letters to you
And you send
[letters] to us about having
other business to do than writing letters and especially the letter which

22 sleep,
if

23

24

reached us
25

And you sent word, and you said to your

Shbl al-Daulah 41
arrives get from him what I have sent to you as well as to the other
merchants. And he did not
with the ships captain.

Master 30

26

27 rejoice.

When

made

It

a deep impression on him.

And we

heard that

all

the

dignitaries arrived
42

30

But calm yourself 19 Your mother

asked after you and said to you O my Son, just as you have relieved 19
me with your letter, so may God
the Exalted relieve 19 you from every care. And also Barakat the son

31

his

28 at
29

my [maternal] aunt, has taken possession of

house with the daughter of his [maternal] aunt,

of

32

33

Sitt Nisslm
God
have mercy upon her
[as bride]. But you have
offspring if it please God. We have heard that you have bought 43 a
boy. May God the Exalted
teach you what a blessing he is, and make him the most blessed of
honors, and grant you many more

him And, by Allah, my Brother, the Muslims 44 exacted 45 for you[r

ransom still] more from us
until one day 46 the ships captain set free 47 a rich man, [one] of the friends 48

34 like

33

j * o *

45

is

vernacular yitkadu for classical

For the sense see Dozy, Supple0

1nent,

p. 362.

With

this

verb

46

person.

denotes the payer of the ransom, and

Cf. note 8.

47

is^ * *

the participle for the imperfect.

0

48

is

with j for

the

ransomed

GENIZAH FRAGMENTS

52

36

37

38

39
4=

43

44

Margin of verso:
1

.
I

49

I.e.

the ships captain.

^ 0 *0 *

50
51

52

a half vernacular form.

I.e.

The

Cf.

and fa itkada, and note

recipient of the letter

is

actually or supposedly in captivity somewhere.

24-36.
53

45.

the rich man.

The forms

esh

and wasalldksh are vernacular.

Cf. lines

IX.
36 of the

for

any
news until the

38

from
know.

39

man brought

rich

it

May

And no one knows what 53 we

far as

my

God

requite

him with good

[now] that 10 we

us,

you are

sent you in [the

Brother

way

of] letters.

able,

inform us whether the letters reached you 53

are,

53

Master 30 and he 49 demanded 50 from him 51 [an additional ransom]

you 52 And he 51 brought your letter to us. And we did not have

37

As

LETTER

[Well

!]

That

is

how people

54
!

41

Nothing remains for us [to say] except that 10 you did not inform us how
it was [with] the testament
of your uncle. We object to your 10 not informing me as to whether any

42

43

And your father sends you greeting and your mother sends you

44

and the writer of this

letter, your brother and
send you greeting

40

of the letters reached you.

send you greeting, and to

[I send] greeting.

whom

[all]

your grace and favor protect,

who

slave, Joseph,

is

greeting

grateful for your favor

we

Margin of verso

And your sisters send you greeting and your [maternal] aunts send
you greeting; and the sons of your [paternal] uncle, the Sheikh Abu al-Hasan
and the Sheikh Abu al-Faraj, and his children, send you greeting and your
father-in-law 55 Ibn Elias, sends you greeting. I am glad that you wrote to
him [while on his] journey. And God the Exalted will cause [your letter]
and it will comfort you just as you comforted him and us.
to reach him
For he is ruined, he is in straits 56 And the Hazzan Bayyan, and Joseph
al-Maghribl, and Mansur, and his brother, the children of Khalaf, send
you greeting. And the Sheikh Atallah 57 and his son 16 the Sheikh Abu
al-Hasan, send you greeting. And the Kadi and his [male] slaves send you
greeting. He has married the daughter of Futuh the Egyptian
and has
been blessed [with] a boy from her. And you make inquiry in behalf of
[Please] inform him that his brother, Joseph
the Sheikh Abu al-Sarur
al-Jadid, asks after [the child] which was born 58 on the 14th of the month...
fourteenth of the month. May God the Exalted requite her [with] her
deed, and requite her [with] what she wrought!
write
remainder...
...and bring us together soon, if it please God. And you ask after the affairs
[Please] inform him that his family are in health, and that his
of
letters have reached his family. But we were grieved by what happened to
him. May God the Exalted make up to him [what he lost], and set his
affairs in order, and make up to him by his family [what he lost]
;

51

55

58

Exactly the

Read

.
is

German
56

expression of resignation
57

I- e

So

sind die

Menschen!

dJai.

the colloquial form itwalad, of the VIII stem.

Cf.

note 50.

GENIZAH FRAGMENTS

54

Bottom of verso

"

Margin of recto

'

60
,

61

Cf.

is

note

62

63

lam tulldshe with the negative

,

corrupt. This must be an epithet, not an acceptable name.

In order to constitute a

65

Is this the child referred to

66

Read

69

modern vernacular.

though we should have the genitive, not the

for

64

68

-she of

8.

Read
I.e.

Read

59

Cf.

The words

67

note

or cjuorum.

above as born on the 14th of the month?

Read

8.

have been written and deleted.

accusative.

IX.

LETTER

55

Bottom of verso
1

And

another matter

On

the day 46

when my [maternal] uncle went on

me

journey and we took leave of him at the canal, he took

and
1

She

said
is

with child.

And we let nine months 59 go by

And again

but she did not bear 60

3

we

let

aside

for

[to

happen];

And

there was

it

another nine months 61 go by, until she bore a boy.

an uprising of
the people, until [even] the Muslims 62 said:

4 all

We

never in our lives

heard of a deed like [the deed of]

5

Jewess She deserves for this thing nothing less than burning! And
some of the Jews Byzantine Jews, such as Mansur Ibn Moses, and
Mansur Ibn al-Khablth 63

this

defended her cause,

Jews 64
8

until

they had collected something like ten of the

order to

in

And

But neither dayyan nor hazzan was present.

circumcise [the child].

they did not [therefore] say the [necessary] blessings over him 65

Margin of recto

And

another matter

After your mother had heard [of] the death of

your [maternal] uncle God have mercy on him she

66

was heavy-hearted
which you might have encountered
And while she was sick [from this worry] neither
at sea the second time 69
food nor drink entered her mouth, until your good letter reached her. And
your letter and felt well and happy [again], and
just as she looked at it
just as you relieved us by your letter 70 so may God the Exalted relieve
you in your trial 71 and make good-fortune meet you and stay with you.
[That is] what we pray for you always.
And another matter: Joseph Ibn al-Hafsi brought us a letter [from
you 72 ;] Keep the mother of Abu al-SarOr from writing; and pay her the
Ibn al-S
and what
price of the grain which arrived with the Kadi
she expects, without her hearing that anything has come to her. She has
come to have no other occupation than begging of us continually. And
before the death of my [maternal] uncle she brought the
before that
Master 30 before the dayyan 73 and made a demand upon him. And at the
time my [maternal] uncle went on the journey 74 God have mercy on
him 75 he recommended to the Master 30 that he buy for her a dinars
!

because of you

67

and some hardship

68

70

The word

has been written and deleted.

71
.

72 This persons letter and visit are spoken of in lines 30-35.

A Joseph Ibn Sadok,
grandson of Ibn Hafs, of the house of Hafs, is mentioned in a genealogy in Mann, op. cit.,
ii,

318,

1.

15

th

means

to

summon

73

Apparently

74

Mentioned at the bottom of the verso.

75

He

to court.

did not return from this journey, but died.

GENIZAH FRAGMENTS

56

76

Cf. note 44

77

Colloquial ila wa-.

79

This root occurs three times here (and perhaps in verso, 1. 35), and is plainly written
nor <jA~e nor
in Arabic. The root
is the only
but there is no root

78

Colloquial da.

one that

will give sense.

The

presents no difficulty

but the

can be accounted for

only by the assumption of an actual dialectical difference.

X.

A LEAF FROM A PRAYER-BOOK

Paper 8| x 6 inches.

Hebrew

half-square

in

always correctly

The many

Hebrew

characters, partly vocalized,

so.

abbreviations and omissions, in the

suggest that this

and not

may

be merely a

memorandum

manner

of prayers.

of No.

XLII,

LETTER

IX.

57

worth 76 of linen, and fuel-wood and olive oil. And he bought her that.
And he continued [to give her things] until 77 he gave 78 her the dowry 79
And he gave her the linen for a dowry; and he paid 80 from [the sale of] it
the cost 81 of the dowry 82 all of it so that nothing remained that she could
have [even] the slightest need of. And then she brought him before the
dayyan and she said to him We want from him [the profits of] my
husbands journey, which he completed.
.

80
81

Dozy, SupplSment.
is

82

usually rent.

X.
Like No.

She married again.

A LEAF FROM A PRAYER-BOOK

XLVI,

fragment has to do with the prayers

this

of Atonement.
Recto begins with the words

etc.
:

v T

Verso begins with the words

etc.

for the

Day

GENIZAH FRAGMENTS

58

BILL OF DIVORCE

XI.

Paper 7 x 5| inches.
In half-square Hebrew characters, but in the

Aramaic language, so

often used
Jewish documents.
There are some places where the writing has been effaced or the paper
destroyed but the complete text can be recovered from the context.
in

[]

Recto

^
.

.. ...

[[][

"
2

Such bills of divorce could be drawn up in other languages than Aramaic, though
seems to have been the prevailing language since 500 B.c. A number of such bills
have been found in the Genizah. See e.g. Mo'ise Schwab in Revue des Etudes Juives vol.
and especially the excellent treatise of Ludwig Blau, Die Jiidische Ehescheidlvi, p. 128
1

this

ung und der Jiidische

Scheiderbrief Budapest, 1911 (two facsimiles are given there from

See another facsimile in the Jewish Encyclopedia vol. iv,

the Elkan Adler collection).

p.

added
is

Though

624.

the general expressions were fixed from of old, extra words could be

in order to give greater

as long as

importance

any that we have seen of

3

We

A.D. 1278.

In none of the bills of divorce that

to this length.

take

The

we have seen

usual expression

Notice the redundancy of the expression

where.

Cf.

loc. cit.,

part

ii,

vol. xi, p. 330.

said.

The

present

bill

is

is

the precaution in regard to the

simply

which, however,

is

found

else-

p. 99.

would mean lady of the house.

Review

Blau,

which was being

=jms.a = Fustat.

2
4

name taken

to that

this early period.

See Steinschneider, Jewish Quarterly

BILL OF DIVORCE

XI.

BILL OF DIVORCE

XI.

On

Recto

On

woman

Documents 2

upon the

of the city of Fustat 3

situate

in perfect free-will,

my

are accustomed to count

11

and any other name or surname that

thee

al-Asal or any

may

possess,

to free thee, to let thee

al-Dar 6 daughter of Isaac, of the city of Benha 7

wife, Sitt

thy fathers

or the places of dwelling of

and without being compelled:

and to cause thee 5 to depart

10

river Nile,

my father may possess, my place of dwelling

my fathers may possess 4 I desire,
go,

we

Fustat of Egypt,

in

according to the method of dating by which

which

the twenty-ninth day

of the year one thousand five hundred and ninety of [the

of]

is

is

month

Tammuz,

here

of

in question.

the third day of the week, [Tuesday], which

Era

bill

of the

Shilya

dated 1590 of the Era of Documents, i.e. A.D. 1278.

the verso the witnesses have testified to having handed the

divorce to the

whose name may have been

the city of Fustat.

It is

of divorce given to Sitt al-Dar, daughter of Isaac, of the village

bill

of Benha al-Asal, by her husband

in

59

other

may

name

surname that thou mayest

or

possess, that

possess,

or thy place of dwelling, or the places of dwelling of thy fathers 8

give thee], thou

who wert my
manner

In such

release thee,

send thee

and

11

prior to this.

12

thee depart, that thou mayest be free and have the right, of thine

[may

wife
I

forth,

let

own

will,

to

!4

No

one can oppose thee

Behold

man

go and marry any

13

in

thou

my name 9

from

this

day onward and

forever.

Yakut, Geographisches Worterbuch ,

and Banha.

wilt.

The word

vol.

was added

to

i,

it,

748, gives both pronunciations, Binha

because the best honey in Egypt came

p.

from the place. See, also, Ibn Dukmak, Description de V Egypte vol. v, p. 59. It occurs
see Mann, The Jews in Egypt vol. ii, general index, s.v.
in other Genizah documents
;

See above, line 6. The meaning seems to be that he wishes to cover any name that
she or he may have coming from family possessions in other places.
9
I.e. saying that thou bearest my name. The addition of
0 is not normal; but
8

see Blau, 10 c.

cit.,

part

ii,

p.

100.

GENIZAH FRAGMENTS

60

[]

Verso
!

10

Here, and on verso, the letters

Schechter, 13

J 6,

No.

own
Mann, op. tit., vol. ii,
of some pious wish.

1)

we

find
.

p. 236.

It is

them

follow this name.

after the very

In one document (Taylor-

name which has been

signed to our

See other examples of this combination of letters in

not uncommon. Evidently it contains the first letters

XI.
15

Thou

me

art free to

BILL OF DIVORCE

every man.

It is

61

proper that thou shouldst receive from

document

of divorce, and a letter of dismissal, according to the

16

of freedom, a

17

[Witnesses] Immanuel, son of Rabbi Yehlel 10

bill

law of Moses and of

Israel.
.

Shelah Bar Amram.

Verso
1

This

of divorce has reached the divorcee,

bill

who

is

among

from the hand of Shilya 11

the divorcer, according to the law of complete divorce.
witnesses of the delivery [sign our names]
Immanuel, son of Rabbi Yehlel
Shelah Bar Amram.

her people,

11

If this

reading

is

correct,

one

may

restore recto , line 4 thus

PP

and translate

Shilya...,

who

?
,

[live] in the city of Cairo, etc.

Below we the

GENIZAH FRAGMENTS

62

LETTER

XII.
Paper 8 x 6f inches.
Arabic in Hebrew characters.

Cf.

XXII, XXXIII, XXXIV,

Ill,

XXXV.
Written with a scratchy pen and

Hebrew hand

gummy

ink in a degenerate cursive

of which the similar letters are usually entirely undifferenti-

ated.

Recto
!

<

[]

[]

8
1

"
1

Many letters begin

with the simple word

Brit.

MS.

is

Or. 5542,
;

e.g.

Cf.

added MS. Paris VII. E. 12, No. 31

No. 21. Sometimes the verb is used,

Sometimes
person

MS.

Paris Consistoire VII. E. 18

Mus. ms. Or. 5542, No. 10:

Taylor-Schechter,

5. 7,

in the first

No. 6:

cf. Brit.

Mus.

person or in the third

;

Bodl.

MS. Hebr.

c.

28,

Again, the verb is left to

No. 55; Taylor-Schechter, 10. J 4, No. 1
be understood e.g. MS. Paris VII.E. 24. For the forms of address in Genizah letters, see
Worman in the Jewish Quarterly Review vol. xix, pp. 721 fl, and Goldziher, in Revue des
Etudes Juives vol. lv, pp. 54 ff.
2
So the words should perhaps be rendered in this letter, instead of by Lord and
.

Master.
3

In our texts there

when speaking

to the

is

a habit of using interchangeably the second and third persons,

and the singular and plural of the first person, when the

addressee

writer speaks of himself.

In our translation

we use one form only

This formula gives some trouble because of

Cf. the

Koran,

ch.

i,

verse

1.

its

in

each case.

indefiniteness.

here in the modern colloquial sense.

XV

Plate

i)lhPv1f ;/

yO^>*>*A^(
'

*('?*& /(*

iVe1i

<:

<

'

k/ji>Jj /7 1

4^>

<<,_<*

<W
tJl1

[^

*/(

jjj.-*

.<^'

-^}^

<

j,

to/ 1

^
" r
.
.
-^<7>^ < ^** *" "/ <^(( '^<
'/' < * >W> n) v
*"
;
V < (*
N <*
**
< * , pru#iu
< >'
.

--

' 5

-'

5- <

'^;

'

>

'

#**#*

* <*

'

:i

.,

W^*

/ '/^ 7 ! 4 0 *' < - ,/( : r-' J

>''"'t
/!**,,i*;
jj <<<(//
41
.
.

/>)
(y!>1*

.'y

*'*

'

''F** ,* ,
'*)>>

y s '^J w

<^
j?^vW
/;{

o\//v

'

<*

y
,

)SfJfM

'.ip) "

//u.<}

1/4 J

<y

v< ^\,

<s

<

'*/>

^ 5'' :/'

fiy

<'

< <'^

\ y

Genizah Fragment 12

/^/

v /%^>

',vj

*ipfpjt

^ )!/)),

>

x} ;}j

'

/<'ajv

(> ) t>i! ;)]

*
MDfy
,

*.'**** (Sty))

P'

..

^ ^
'

no ^

JA
<
7 ^< (
*

LETTER

XII.

63

LETTER

XII

The Arabic is as slovenly as the script, and shows strong colloquial

The style is abbreviated and technical, perhaps intentionally
cryptic. As he goes on the writer becomes more and more incoherent.
A letter from an unknown man to one whose name we read uncertainly
as Abu Yahya Nathaniel Ibn Nisslm, urging him to attend to certain

tendencies.

business matters the nature of which

is

not clear.

Recto
1

my

letter 1

is]

prolong your

Sir 2

May God

lengthen your 3

life and
Behold [in me] the inquirer 4
after the state of your health and fortunes. God, the Lord of the Worlds 5
disposes [our affairs]. [There are now] [days] remaining of [the month
of] Shebhat. May God complete it
auspiciously for you and us
I am informing you, Sir, a number of letters
have gone forward from me to you. I hope [to receive]
your answer to them. Your letter arrived by the hand of master Abu
Ibrahim Isma 11 Kfwh (?).

[This

[to you].

health and happiness

And

you say in it Sell

gold to whoever needs

then arrived, after

it,

another letter 6 by the hand of Lfyj

,

And

(?).

still
7

Sir.

in

need

10

most.

it

dinar] equalling from

And

to 18 [and a] half [dirhams] 8 .

[the

am

of [doing] this,

you display some

desire of you, Sir, that

Send him the dinars as a favor 7

zeal,

and

sell

and buy

what

you

to in the letter:

some [one] thing 11 from it,

remains for you [to do], and what

not selecting

told

directed you [to do] in the matter 12 of the deposit.

but strictly doing everything that

And what

come
10

[personal] effects.

11

we

this matter,

sell.

And may

it

be-

said in the matter 12 of the

desire of [you], Sir, that

and

And by

you

discipline yourself in

Allah, Sir,

what
no one take anything except what was

are not going to save ourselves in [the business] according to

my

But

partner says.

let

decided upon

usually

Reading

means wages; etymologically thankfulness.

Li
for

and

the colloquial form of

for

In the ninth

and

tenth centuries the dinar was worth about 15 dirhams. See Le Strange, Palestine under
the Muslims 1890, p. 43.
s
Or in the modern colloquial sense I have come to be.
,

10
11

is

perhaps nidcij

for

0 /
-

Vernacular sense.

12

line 4

can hardly have any other meaning here.

from below.

Cf.

Dozy, Supply

vol.

i,

p. 258, col. 2,

GENIZAH FRAGMENTS

64

'

[]

'

A ddress

13

15

17

14

Reading
for

jU*

16

18

ljTT'P

Reading
is

or

Colloquial, lissa.

LETTER

XII.
12

said in [the] letter 13 about

what
13

rotls,

and not

what 14

to 15

amount

less,

have turned over to him and

And

had of his [property].

65

26 for

And

ten.

[requires]

it

patience,
14

And
t

and

But he

for all of

it

not [less]

not 19 going to [our] enemies.

is

But

did not put

it

on paper.

they had only gone to Halfon

to sell
Itr

19

and weeping.

3 dinars would be proper. And the man who has taken [me]
as partner is at present 16 hoped for 17 but has not yet 18 arrived.

If
18

went

it

than about

20
17

know how

not

cannot describe to you what

16

And we do

great [patience].

for you.

it

And what

require of you, Sir,

[is

that]

when Abu

Ibn Sufrawi arrives,

you take from him 16 dinars

[personal] effects which belonged to

master

you deliver them

present

21

worried 20 about them

22

had nothing of

me
23

[to] 21

25

Abu

until

your

my

me

of

it

in

greetings [to]

21

pickles(?) 23

buy the

and

among them. And

remaining
Isaac Brhon(?)

your

letter.

At

And

let

have written to

there be from

Abu

Sald(?).

master

Abu Isaac Brhon(?) and Abu

for me two books of paper of
to

notify

letter arrives

my own

the most excellent 22 of greetings!

Give
24

him and then

to

am

al- Husain(?).

And buy

the best quality.

have written to Halfdn

A ddress
To

AbO Yahya(?) Nathaniel Ibn Nisslm Ibn Mahabbah (?)

May God prolong his vigor and continue his health

master

Masruf(?) Ibn Moses.

and prosperity
19
20

22

Colloquial
b

The

Fustat

-if it

please

God

suffix, -sh.

was written and deleted.

scribe corrected the

original nor the correction.

23

plural of

first

He may

21

omitted.

two or three

letters,

have intended

and we can read neither the

GENIZAH FRAGMENTS

66

XIII.

long strip of paper

Arabic

in half-square

TAX PAYERS

LIST OF
x 4

Hebrew

inches.

characters.

Recto

'
3

4
5

&

"

"
!

Good-luck.

We

when they are not known.

omit the vowels

Lotus tree.

Good-luck.
Joy.
Cf. Zuckermann Suessrnann Suesskind, etc.

Sugary.

Or Ibn Ammo.

Lion-like.

Hebrew,

Life.
Ml

No. VII, note 4; or else

has paid were written above this name, then blotted
10
Isaiah.
Perhaps
from

J J

of

Cf.

out.

victories.

The words he

XIII.

LIST OF TAX-PAYERS

67

LIST OF TAX-PAYERS

XIII.

The title and contents indicate that we have here a register of tax-payers
some Jewish community, probably in Fustat, with the amounts that they

in

have paid

not the balance to be paid (as

1.

states)

of the

fiscal tax.

One must remember, however,

more conscious of the meaning and implication of their names than we ourselves are of ours. There are ArabMuslim, Jewish and double names, epithets and descriptive identifications.
The Jewish names already include well-known modern motifs.
Interest centers in the personal names.

that these people were often no

Recto

The Remainder

Government Poll-Tax

of the

Paid by

The Sheikh Abu al-Khair 1 al-Bmarln 2

The Sheikh Abu Sudur 3 Farah 4

The Sheikh Abu

His cousin 7

The Sheikh Abu Mansur Ibn Hayylm 8

The Sheikh AbO

al-Ala Ibn al-Bahwarl 9

a dinar.
a dinar.
a dinar.
a dinar and a
two dinars.
a half dinar.

The Sheikh Abu

al-Ala Ibn Shaya 10

Sad

Ibn al-Sukkarl 6

10

The Sheikh Abu Mansur, the registrar

The Scribe who [lives in the] house of Lmat

11

Ibn al-Tirmidhl 12

11

13

The Sheikh Abu

Ibn Abuh 14

14

Abu

15

Ibn al-Rifa 15

12

16
17

18

al-

Siba

Abu Farah 4

Walad Isaac
The brother-in-law 17
Ibn Umran

19
,

Perhaps

12

From Tirmidh.

13

Lion.

dinar.
dinar.

dinar.
dinar.
dinar.
dinar.

dinar.

dinar.

Cf.

note 9

Vernacular for Aaj! ^>

1

15

17

Or son-in-law.
Wonders.

19

and meaning

Son of

mate, or son of his (well-known) father; like

18

dinar.

of Nisslm 18

the physician

J 0

Ml

11

a half dinar.

a
half
a quarter
a half
a quarter
a quarter
a quarter
quarter
an eighth
a quarter

dinar.

Sad 5 Ibn al-Kabisi

16

14

Hasan

13

half.

Harmony.

Prosperity.

16

Progeny of

his

Hebrew

Isaac.

(unknown)

father,

i.e.

illegiti-

GENIZAH FRAGMENTS

68

"

24

26

2;

28

29

30

3r

32

33

34

35

Verso

36

37

38

39

20

Easy,

21

Comforter.

22

From

i.e.

of birth, or wished-for future.

Buzar, a village about two parasangs distant from Nlsapur, Persia.

AsyutI, Lubb al-Lubab ed. Veth, pp.

23
Little messenger of good.
,

6, 30, rt.

24

Hebrew

25

perhaps an abbreviation of Hebrew nj OT Zechariah.

Righteousness.

Cf. al-

XIII.

!9

20
21
22

23

24
25

26

LIST OF TAX-PAYERS

an eighth dinar.
an eighth dinar.

Ibn Sahl 20 the wine-dealer

Ibn Mufarrij
Ibn Bushair

21

al-Ubzarl

22

23

The Sheikh Abu al-Hasan Sadakah

The Sheikh Abu Zekharai 25 Sujmar

Abu al-Faraj Nisslm 18

Abu Zekharai 25 Ibn Manasseh
Abu Nasr the son of the public mourner 26 and
,

a quarter dinar.
his

a half dinar.
an eighth dinar.
an eighth dinar.
two carats
an eighth dinar.
a quarter dinar.
a quarter dinar.
a quarter dinar.

partner
27

Moses Ibn al-Majanl

28

Nisslm 18 al-Maghribl 28

35

Abu al-Khair 1 the money-changer

Abu Umran 19 with the police 30
Ibn Rahmah 31
Abu Umran 19 Bin 32 Saghlr 33
Abu Umran 19
Abu Nasr Bin 32 Mukhtar
Abu al-Khair the proselyte 34

36

My

29
30
3!

32

33

34

29

a quarter dinar.
a quarter dinar.

Verso

37
38

39

40

lord the Sheikh

a half
a half

Abu Mansur

Abu Sad 5 Ibn al-Kataif 35

Abu Umran, son of the tailor 36
Abu al-Hayy 37
Abu al-Husain Ibn al-Abid 38 and

41

Abu

dinar.

an eighth dinar.

his brother-in-

the whole.
a half and a

the brother-in-law 17 of

dinar.

a quarter dinar.

law 17 Hibah 39

And

a half dinar.

a half dinar.
a half dinar.
a half dinar.

24

27

69

al-Faraj

quarter dinar.

27
29

Hebrew word

26

28

Profit.
I.e.

with an Arabic article.

From

the Barbary States.

one-twelfth dinar.
*

30

xiojJj

32

Here

or perhaps for

written

Hebrew

and not

31

strangers.

c.\j.13uJ
.

This

Mercy.

possibly the north African

is

almost certainly the regular form

as

it

Bin

appears in names

hardly the
in

Arabic

orthography.
33
35
36

Little.

34

Hebrew

or else

good.

Sweetmeats. Cf. note 6.

Or Ibn al-Khayyat. Over

an eighth.
37

Living.

38

Pious.

Cf. note 8.
39

Gift.

this

name

there

is

written in small letters, a quarter,

GENIZAH FRAGMENTS

70

43
44
45

46
47

48

49
5

5!

5*

53

54
55

40

42

Golden.

43

Pedantic as

41
Hidden Treasure.
The same as Husain, of course.
Goldberg etc.
Goldstein
Cf. Goldmann,
,

it

would be, perhaps

it is

L-Js well done !

XIII.

LIST OF TAX-PAYERS

71

42

Sadakah 24 al-Safin 40

a quarter dinar.
a quarter

43

Sadakah

44

Abu

45

Tayyiban 43

24

the glazier

al-Husain 41 al-Dhahabl 42

a quarter dinar.

dinar.

49

Azhar Bin

50

The Sheikh Abu

Isaac Bin 32 Hujaij 46

51

The Sheikh Abu

Isaac 47 al-Fiddl 48

52

The Sheikh Abu Joseph Ibn

53

Kalaf 49 the oil-dealer

a quarter dinar.
a quarter dinar.
a quarter dinar.
a quarter dinar.
a quarter dinar.
a quarter dinar.
a quarter dinar.
a quarter dinar.
an eighth dinar.

Abu 50 Sarur Sidr 51 al-Maghribl 28

Abu Moses Aaron the money-changer

a quarter
a quarter

47

Abu al-Hasan Sadakah 24 Bin 32 Simon

The Sheikh Abu Isaac Ibn al-'Assal 44

48

Faraj Bin 32

46

54
55

Nahum

32

Azhar 45

44

Sweet as honey.

45

Very

brilliant.

note

Cf.

Cf.

al-

6.

Glanz, Finkelstein,

etc.

0 * J
46

47

Little ear-ring.

48

Silvery.

49

Love, or perhaps

50

There seems

51

Lotus tree.

Cf.

The

Silbermann Silberstein
,

has been omitted.

etc.

0 -

to

oiLa.

progeny.

have been something before

this,

blotted out.

dinar.
dinar.

GENIZAH FRAGMENTS

72

XIV.

LEAF FROM A MERCHANTS NOTE-BOOK

Paper.

One double

page, 8f x 5f inches.

Arabic in half-square

Hebrew

characters.

On

the verso

much has been

blurred and effaced.

Rect0

..

"

Verso: (a)
!

it

rotl is

[]

equal to about 12 ounces.

No. VII, note 8.

3 Perhaps some mistake had been made
should have been.
2

Cf.

He had

written

polishers.

in the weighing, or the quality

was not what

Plate

XVI

a
14

Fragment

Genizah

Plate

Mi\

-j

XVII

;
.

>

2 ^
'i) 5

,
1

^
\^

-,
'
> > *L

JV

'

<

g
*<:

4; C

:!!

?
*

rv

\<-\

K.

r
%

s
^^
*

'

*}

^ v*

-*

v*

v*

*^

l*

S
>
=
*X

Z
A
X
>
,
2
$ a
;lj

>

4 4 ?

A
r r

1 S3K

#5rs

"

'!

-a.

A
jv

*>

..

M *
x&K
fi ^ S 4~

<
...

x.

'

's;

c ?

x*

V6

?.>4

5.

*x
-:
'

5.

J.

r*

17 V
<_

Vf-l
^

x/>
r

5
3
'

-7
^
J

a
>

52^:
i

XIV.

Recto
1

(a)

sum

Detail of the

spent for the dyed silk

The

Expenses and other necessaries paid out

6
7

66 rods 1 price

stock, unbleached,

diminution

4 Firstly,

And
And
And
And

crimson dye for the dyer

in

expenses connected with

in

wages
5

as follows

85 dinars.
25 dinars.

this

20 dinars.

and green dyes

24 dinars.

174 dinars.
474 dinars.

equals

!0

The two sums equal

There resulted actually of dyed goods, 63 rods.

Recto

Weight of the

Isaac al-Iskandaranl
17 rods

Verso

silk

(?)

which

left

with

my

God grant him grace

me

by the load

two mithkals 8 and a

which

the

silk,

3 bales

in

and also a bale of

half,

enough

taken off from this

There remains on two mithkals as much as

for

Perhaps

more than the load

of.

to me, old

9
,

and a large rug 10

a mithkal and a quarter

becomes two mithkals.

fly-green, or

word of four

silk,

and dyed

and two bundles of clothes belonging

Abu

lord

(a)

4 in

which belongs to

(b)

3 is

20 dinars.

for the dyers 4

The whole sum

a quarter

Cf.

We

for

Cf.

de

No. VII, note

will

pay

tree-green.

G oe

Bibliotheca

Geographorum Arabicorum

8.

should have expected a dual.

.

10

which he

letters follows.

p. 340.

value of the 66 rods 3

in the

in

in

300 dinars 2

73

LEAF FROM A MERCHANTS NOTE-BOOK

XIV.

LEAF FROM A MERCHANTS NOTE-BOOK

has an extra

as

if

from a singular

Vol.

iv,

GENIZAH FRAGMENTS

74

[
Verso

(b)
!

11

Cf.

Sicily, in

Mann, The Jews

in

Egypt Vol.

Ibn Khurdadhbih (de Goeje, Bibl. Geogr. Arab., Vol.

ii,

vi), p. 91.

d. 74,

1.

11:

XIV.
him

9 to
10

LEAF FROM A MERCHANTS NOTE-BOOK

75

I have paid them to him

Umran the Sicilian 11 a sack in which is
corals, some of them belonging to the coral-gatherer 12
,

11

12

have weighed

13 I

the sack, the porterage and the bakshish of a dirham.

from

Verso :(b)
1

He

has bought

hundredweight of saffron from Sa'd

[paying] 29 dinars for every hundredweight [which makes] the price

and [these should be] deducted from

145 dinars

and

and

this [for] leather table-cloths,

8 dinars

and

[for] porters 13

2 dirhams,

and bakshish

and [other] necessary expenses 12 dirhams. This

be taken] from the sum

dinars, 24 dinars,

and

and string

and

6 dirhams.

12

instead of the usual

13

for

vi

but in the colloquial form hammalin.

[to

GENIZAH FRAGMENTS

76

XV.
Paper

Hebrew

3^

CHARM

inches.

in cursive

Hebrew

characters, not easily read.

occasionally inserted, but ignorantly.

Recto

article

spelling

is

Vowel points are

bad, and

may

repre-

Moroccan, Persian, Yemenite or Ashkenazic.

and imperative have crept in.

sent a peculiar pronunciation

The Arabic

The

3
4

1
Or perhaps
the Prince of demons. In any case prince is the technical
term for the figures seen by the scryer, or gazer into crystals, ink-pools, and the like.
,

kings. In the Journal of the American Oriental Society vol. xxxvi,

abundant
material on this subject. See also Daiches, Babyloniafi Oil
pp. 37
Magic in the Talmud and in Later Jewish Literature London, 1913 and Blau, Altjiidisclies Zauberwesen, Strassburg, 1898, p. 11. Sanhedrin 101a says
One is allowed
to ask the princes of oil and the princes of eggs only they lie. One whispers a spell over
Blau fails to understand
oil in the vessel, but does not whisper over oil in the hand
this
refers
to
scrying
with
that
with oil and
eggs, broken into a cup or plate. RashI (nth
cent.) on the passage, explains the princes of oil as princes of the thumb. They are

The Arabs
ff.,

call

there

them

is

figures seen in the oiled thumbnail.

Plate XVIII

J3W>|

^^

& 9>4my ,<uhm

ybbfrtJf w) jTja/V1 !

** V*>H/t4

^*1*
,

W^T^*"

p^iii

f**ov

* (\
1

rew^^jj !*&*>/

*>

*<** &#1

<

2P>J

*/
1

wVfo <!*

;?

vuw

6,,^ ^5/j

* w

PMiV

*teVj *

<

hwvo _\A yv4

<?<

'

Genizah Fragment 15 a

Plate

XIX

** \w\kjkA
* !

0
<

*<

<<0
(4&

Vf 1

^l>y 'x'Ob \y
6

yjJ

ynn

W>p

"/*^( v^rOti

*?

**

XtP

&3

'*

'***ftfo

,,<

HVJ

jgj^

& ^

>

^iy^yscvn

.\^
'JP

^ ^>
J
y?
1

x
*

Wt.

)*1 "jjjn

\^y

<(*
^
OiuiiAi 6

V^

1*,\
!**

*e**d
t

&* p&y

Genizah Fragment lob

This

is

XV.

CHARM

XV.

CHARM

77

a magical text, to be used in scrying, or self-hypnotic gazing,

some bright
Name, with the

at

The

surface.

angel Mitatron

is

adjured by the Ineffable

God, to reveal through an apparition, or prince,

the location of hidden gold pieces, to one Sedhakah Ben Sitt al-Ahl, and
will of

The magic

God
oil,

by reference to the
Scrying with
egg, and bright objects was common among Jews and Arabs in the

his mother, Sitt al-Ahl.

Name

of Israel; but His

ink,

kept

is

white

nevertheless taken in vain.

is

Orient, then as now.

Recto
1

In the

Name

of

YHWH

According to the

the princes 1

Akh 2

than

unto the

He

may we do and prosper

word of YHWH may it bring to me

Akh 2

is

Mltatrbn 3

more beloved 4 and dear

the faces of His heaven.

all

God

of Israel

High

servant 5

Priest 6

whom

belong

Chief of the Priests, unto

seventy names

the appointed one over the great princes

[You] who are

10

You, the chief of the appointed ones

Name

adjure you 7 by the

God

Sebhaoth, the

13

above the Cherubim 8

14

And by
The

16

And by

And by

Strong, Steadfast

name

10
,

Eses! Teses 11

That you bring and [make]

18

with rejoicing
2

Name!

the Ineffable

Name

9
!

Exalted, Gigantic [Name]

17

YHWH

the Great, Mighty, Awful

the

of Israel, seated

!2

15

the Prince of

Rahman 12

to speak, gladly

and good tidings

13
,

A proper name or a magical word of power.

The highest of the angels. See Levy, Worterbuch

iiber die

Talmudim und Mid-

raschim.
4

This

is

white magic. The possible

evil of resorting to

it

is

averted by considering

the spiritual agent as merely the deputy of God, or as a blessed agency.

5
6

After
is

was written

The t was
for
From I Samuel iv, 4.
The writer intended
.

10

constantly spelled

deputy high

priest.

in this text.

deflected toward

0.

There is a deleted letter in

Magical words of power. On the margin Forever and
Arabic as well as Hebrew.
There would be danger in dealing with unwilling spirits.
.

11

12
13

ever.

GENIZAH FRAGMENTS

78

*!

*3

24

25

26

28

2 ,.

Verso

3
3!
3

33
34
35

36
37

38

39

4
4!
42

43
-44
45

14

For

15

Arabic article with a Hebrew word.

16

(Aramaic).

46

CHARM

XV.
19

and that you cause me

[This,

magician,] say

Quickly

20

In

this

22

Let

23

the place! Perfectly

24

By

25

the Great Prince

this night

the place of the

me go

26

instantly

27

And

15

16

[cause]

Where

it

14
!

is

let

Perfectly

us see this

have adjured you 7

You,

Act quickly,

Act, and delay not

[the honor of] the Ineffable

is

28

Let

29

unto Sedhakah Ben Sitt al-Ahl 17

Verso

[to see]

gold pieces? Here?

[by] your honor, which

be a favor from the presence of

it

me

[With] our eyes

Name

the

to see

79

and unto

And may
Amen! Amen!

Sitt al-Ahl!

31

thoughts 18

32

Selah

33

what

YHWH,

Inform us

is

this place

Where

which

is

is

he

make known

this

somewhere 19

36

And let me see; and do not you forget [, O Prince] 20 !

And [this is] the end 21 [of the spell, which you say] seven
And may my soul escape this this

37

death 23

38

who

39

by the name of

40

the Cherubim, that you

35

41

adjure you 7

Thou

YHWH,

art blessed,

His rule

44

Amen

45

TT TT

46

Amen
I.e.

is

God

the

TT.
Selah

Lady

18

For

19

The

20

An

21

Arabic.

23

24

I.e.

of

and do not forget

Honor

20
:

Amen

Blessed

is

of the Family.
ii,

the

Name

Cf. the

Arabic

of

Honor

name

Sitt

al-Dar

in

No. XI, and

Sitt al-

p. 363.

may be due to confusion.

Arabic imperative of a Hebrew word.
disjointed construction

The

was deflected toward

o.

the result of attempting the spell, or of not ridding oneself of

conclusion. Cf.

reading

Name

22

TT TT TTTT
TT and TT 11

op. cit.,

for
I.e.

of Israel, seated above

show me the 15 dream 24

forever and ever!

Selah!

Baha, Mann,

22

are the great one, appointed over the princes,

43

17

times 22

[The following say] seven times

42

30

34

Name

p.

its

influence at the

49 of the article in J.A.O.S. cited. Professor Campbell Bonner suggests

dead ; and understands here a reference to a necrodaemon.

the vision in the crystal.

80

GENIZAH FRAGMENTS
47

48

49
5

53

54

55

56

CHARM

XV.
47 I

adjure you,

Great

the appointed one

48 Prince,
49

over the great princes,

50

by the

52

Ineffable

the place

of the gold pieces.

And do

you show

53

you forget

54

Perfectly

55

To me

56

Name

me

that

81

20
!

[It is] in a

And

Me

SWRH

Amen Amen
!

reveal to

Selah!

not

box

me

Quickly

GENIZAH FRAGMENTS

82

XVI.

A
script

DOCUMENT

small sheet of paper, 5f x 5^ inches, containing a document in Arabic

and language.

The script is atrociously bad and for the full deciphering, it would
need the vision of the late Professor J. Karabacek
In two or three places
only are dots used to distinguish one letter from several of its fellows.
;

The

scrawl at the end of line 8 can only be imagined to stand for six
If this is correct, the document is dated Monday, the 2nd of

hundred.

Shawwal, 654

On

23rd of October, A.D. 1256.

A.H., or the

more

same sort, and above these at

word can be read.
The difficulty of deciphering such writing as this might be compared to
what would be encountered centuries hence by anyone who tried to read
the strange marks now made by salesmen on their sales-slips in our department stores.
Grateful acknowledgment of assistance is here made to M. Casanova of
Paris, to Mr David Yellin of Jerusalem, and to Mr Raja F. Howrani.
least

the verso are three

one preceding

line.

Of

lines of the

these scarcely a

^
^1

Recto

AC03

^.

1a ^ ;.c

aX)I

^5

!,

jk-x

^^5.A)

a)

>..c

L,

aA.^ 3
^Xy.6

>

g j 9

<4 lb

*
1

Aaw

j.J

Ay**

^.J

bj3

Ayw

!j

IO

See, e.g., his publication of specimens from Arabic

Sammlung

^a.

2Xj

2X

0l5p

A^o-O

*J

AjIsJC
Aj

3 Wtjf bG

JuJ

a)

*A*-

aXJI

documents

in

Mittheilunge n aus

der Papyrus Erzherzog Rainer vols. ii and iii, pp. 87 seq., his Fuhrer
l
durch die Ausstellung, p. 259, and al-Kalkashandls Subh al-A sha, vol. iii, pp. 55-142.
der

Plate

XX

Genizah Fragment 16 a

Plate

XXI

Genizah Fragment 16b

DOCUMENT

XVI.

DOCUMENT

XVI.

document

which a Muslim,

in

83

Muhammad

Ibn Mustapha, acknow-

ledges that he has received from two Jews, Isaac Ibn Abu Sad and Abraham
Barakat, the value of money which they owe him. Isaac and Abraham are

any further responsibility for this. Isaac seems to have

Two Muslims sign their names as witnesses of
the acknowledgment.
Muhammad Ibn Mustapha does not himself sign.
The words he wrote before the signatures show that we have here only
a copy of the document. Perhaps this is often the case with our fragments.
released from

transacted the business.

Recto
1

In the

Name

Muhammad

of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate!

Mustapha Ibn Abdallah, the Baker, acknowledges

[that]

Ibn

he received

some time ago

2

as a deposit

and so forth 3 belonging to him, itemized,

,

in

his possession, in his responsible custody,

3

Isaac Ibn
4

documented

as something belonging to him,

Abu

as his, in the presence of

Sad Ibn Muhasin the Jew,

payment

the pastryman, [that] he has received safely

anyone witnesses the complete payment of

as long as

his responsibility,

sum documented and

down

whatever

Barakat, a right without question and without responsibility for the things

his responsibility, in the

against the aforementioned Isaac and against

explicitly

Abraham

mentioned 4

any claim of

or

written

all

the remaining [possible] claims, at the utmost, in

their entirety.
8

He

testified

regarding the two of them on the second of Shawwal, [of]

the year six hundred and fifty-four.

9 I testify

regarding him

who acknowledged

Ibn Sulaiman Ibn Ibrahim.

10

And

he wrote 5

Muhammad

Evidently certain articles are

this line occurs

testify

this

And

he wrote 6

named

here, or

again as the fourth word in line

plainly written.

Is

it

Ahmad

regarding this:

Ibn Husain Ibn All Ibn Mansur.

sums of money.

The second word

4.

o^aJ, abbreviating some documentary formula.

is

intended for a plural construct

Equivalent to our bracketed word Signed.

in

GENIZAH FRAGMENTS

84

PENITENTIAL HYMN

XVII.

Paper io| x 3f inches, written upon both

Hebrew in rude, cursive Hebrew letters.

The strophe is of four lines, the first

sides.

three of which rime, while the

fourth line contains the general rime of the

The

hymn.

first

line in the

fragment contains the end of one stanza. There follow three stanzas, and
then comes one line containing a few words of supplication that are often
used as a mark of division between one poem and another one succeeding it.
After these stanzas come two stanzas of two different pizmdmm:; but these
contain only two lines each, so-called sheniyyah, though the same rime
ends each

half-line.

later

hand has copied and

two stanzas.
Recto

fully

punctuated these

"

[]
]

15

Cf.

Exodus

Rome

I.e.

Read

The
.

xxii,

1.

or the Byzantine Empire.

.

cf.

reference

Numbers
is,

xxiv, 17

of course, to Egypt.

The

This has been smudged out and beneath

original reading of the third

it

written.

word was

PENITENTIAL HYMN

XVII.

PENITENTIAL HYMN

XVII.

85

hymn

with a refrain, forming a part of the

extensive Selihah, or penitential, literature, which was composed by the
portion of a Pizmon,

i.e.

Jews during the early Middle Ages, and graced the Synagogal liturgy upon
days set apart for invoking the forgiveness and the clemency of God.
Acknowledgments are due to Professor Israel Davidson for his help
with some of the faded places, and with the literature.
Recto
1

And

be smitten that he

die, there shall

be no blood shed for him

1
.

Pizmdn.
2

Make

And

an end, now,

Edom 2

in

a sceptre shall rise

the law of Ammon

of host and legion,

out of [Israel,] the inheritors of [subjection to]

4
.

And

Because of the righteousness of the Father of Nations, stricken

then in judgment

may He

sit in

His palace
in

age 5

Pizmon.
6

O, when

Thy

Redeem

it

That

To

it

people repenteth,

a second time as

may

Thy

Thou

it

not receive

shame 6

festivals three

didst from Goshen,

days of yore, to the Old Gate 7

return, as in

celebrate

let

times a year.

Pizmon.
10

May God

11

12

Your

13
14
15

cause His scattered ones to hear His voice from on high,

good tidings from God

voice of
flock

8
,

together with

Proclaiming redemption

O
O
5

God, King, that

9
.

sittest

its

himself, that to

pasture-place and

To Him
upon the

its

Him

belongs

land,

the people shall gather.

seat of mercy.

God, King

I.e.

Abraham;

cf.

Genesis

xviii, 11

xxiv,

1.

The

scribe wrote at

first

which

he then corrected.

fill

cf.

Hosea

Cf.

Nehemiah

Reading quite uncertain. Professor Davidson suggests as a possible reading

Professor Davidson disagrees with the reading, and believes that only four letters

the space,

xlix, 10)

there

x,

i.e.

is

6.

iii,

It is

peculiar that

no Kere and Kethibh.

is

written

though

in the

passage (Gen.

GENIZAH FRAGMENTS

86
Verso
'

XVIII.

LEAF FROM A MERCHANTS NOTE-BOOK

Paper 9| x 3^ inches.
Leaf from a merchants note-book.
Arabic in Hebrew characters written in a hurried cursive hand, similar
that on the verso of No. XXXVI, and very difficult to read.
:

to

Recto

----

"

PENITENTIAL HYMN

XVII.
Verso

87

Forgive

God,

listen to

my

my

understand

voice,

my

and

sins

faithlessness.

my

affliction

and

The Lord God

is

my travail.
my strength 10

Pizmdn.

my

If

From

sin

be remembered,

to

is

Thee

fear of

my

if

my

iniquity

would creep

flesh

is

to be completed,

O God What
!

shall

say 11

LEAF FROM A MERCHANTS NOTE-BOOK

XVIII.

impossible to give a connected translation, or even to transcribe

It is

two sections of the recto. The remaining section of

verso which has two sections running from opposite ends
to the center, are in the same hand, though more carelessly written.
Below we print a few of the expressions which are recognizable.

more than these

the recto, and the

first

Recto:
1

Abu

David,

and Abu

Abu

Joseph,

Abu

Zachariahs boy, 85

Zachariah, 126 and

126

300

189

with pepper,

97 300

>

And

brought

pepper, 72, 300

and 300

variety, 23, 7

9
10

7 300

lt

variety, 6,

12

thousand

13

9, 100,

Zachariah, 186 and a half

26

5,

Abu

al-Sarur,

all. ..3

and a

third.

also

9b 300

!4
15

and he owes

!6

28,

10

Cf.

combined with

29...

300 and a half

Habakkuk

iii,

19.

11

Cf.

Joshua

vii, 8.

GENIZAH FRAGMENTS

88

FRAGMENTS UPON THE BACK OF

AN ARABIC DOCUMENT

XIX. POETIC

Paper 4^ x 3 | inches.
Portion of a book (?) made up of long strips of paper which had been
used once before.
difficult

Arabic
Recto

Upon

some

the back there are

lines in a hopelessly

script.

4
5

8
T

"
T

Cf.

Ezekiel xvi, 47

T T

<

POETIC FRAGMENTS ON ARABIC DOCUMENT

XIX.

89

FRAGMENTS UPON THE BACK OF

AN ARABIC DOCUMENT

XIX. POETIC
1

The Hebrew of the recto is written in half-square characters, and is a

some dlwa 71 or collection of poems. It is, however, written

portion of

continuously, without any consideration for the form of the poem.

Professor Israel Davidson has very kindly gone over the fragment and

made some

useful suggestions.

The

text has been rearranged and pointed

by Professor Gottheil.
Recto
as a fire that devoureth.
2

10
3
12

And

a burning

And,

as

if

fire

of grief.

that were only a

little

And how

[Like the] sources of a torrent.

And

For

thing 1

burneth, and hath ground

it

my

behold,

me

Rolled in the blood of mine eyes.

And my
n And my

13

14

And

15

The haunt

16

And

17

Or

18

And

!9

To

my

let

like a

neighbourhood.

me

dwell.

of jackals 2

me have

and the

ostrich.

the wing of a dove

the legs of a hind.

I

have

shall

and

2!

My

22

And

grief
I

their accidents.

doubled.

is

wander

shall

and

Cf.

light in their midst.

among them.

dwell

10

have become

shaken world.
let

Jeremiah

ix,

in pieces

have grown dark

lights

creations(?)

from

hath devoured me.

utterance stammereth.

my wounds [are] a great wonder(?)

And my garment hath been cut(?)

23

it

in

io

me

there His face

shadow.

GENIZAH FRAGMENTS

90

LEAF FROM A BOOK OF POEMS

XX.

Paper 5| x 3f inches.

leaf, in

It

begins with the last verse of a

Hebrew poems.
poem by Abraham Ibn Ezra (1092
167), the acrostic of whose name, Abraham can be followed at the beginning of the four verses that remain out of the five. The first stanza must
a half-square hand, from a book of

have been rimed with a nun.

by the word

Each stanza

is

separated from

its

successor

Recto

!
5
!
3

"
Verso

Cf. Isaiah

Cf.

Cf.

Psalm
Psalm

li,

16.

civ, 24.
xl, 6.

The word

is

badly written

LEAF FROM A BOOK OF POEMS

XX.

XX. LEAF
The second poem,
Judah ha-Levi

FROM A BOOK OF POEMS

Davidson was quick

as Professor

(b. 1035).

91

The

acrostic of his

name can

is

by

in

the

to detect,

be discerned

six of these eight verses of the poem, the whole of which can be found

last

in the

The

Diwan

des

Abu-l-Hasan Jehuda ha-Levi

writer of our fragment calls

words.

it

(ed.

H. Brody),

vol.

iii,

p. 164.

according to the opening

Brodys edition furnishes our emendations and restorations.

Recto
1

Lord, Lord God, Merciful and Compassionate.

Pizmdn
2

3
+

Lord,

O
O

Lord, over dark waters

Thou

shadow of Thy Hand 1

hast covered everything with the

Lord, in wisdom

Thou

Thou
hast

hast raised a light.

made them

all

2
.

Pizmdn
5

6
7

O
O
O

Lord,

Thou

art very high-placed

Lord,

Thou

hast

Lord,

my

and who can comprehend Thee

made everything dependent upon Thee.

God, there

is

nothing that can be compared unto Thee 3

Pizmdn
8

9
10

O
O
O

Lord, Existence, [who bringest] existence to nought 4

Lord, for the honour of Thy

name [Thou

hast caused] the year [to be.]

Lord, the portion of mine inheritance and

my

cup

art

Thou 5

Pizmdn
11

Lord, send from above and take

Verso

Lord, lead

13

Lord, chasten

Read

me 8

me

whilst in this

me

not in

life,

Thy

by Thy counsel.

hot displeasure 7

below, and in the next verse

Cf.

Psalm

xviii,

Psalm

vi, 2.

Psalm

xvi, 5.
17.

year, to rime with the following

GENIZAH FRAGMENTS

92

<

1
!

[]
V

i
8
9

Read
Hosea

and
xiv, 3.

cf.

II

Samuel

xx, 19.

LEAF FROM A BOOK OF POEMS

XX.

93

Another Pizmon
14

In

my

heart and in

my

my

thoughts and upon

my

lips is

15

In the congregation of

!6

O my

17

[Take] with you words, and return unto the Lord 9

19

Know

people

beloved ones, at early morn take

Pizmon
18

faithful

whom

people,

Pizmdn

One

21

Behold now,

favor

10

Psalm

12

Numbers

ask,
I

full

In

xiv, 20.

now

My

Heart

11

13

it

Genesis

Thee

Lord.

the righteous.
.

is

and taken

the Lord

captive,

10
.

have forgiven 12 .
to

xviii,

praise

upon me

Read

rejoicing.

of compassion

Speak the word 11

have taken

cxi, 4.

Heart

will

[other] peoples have oppressed

that gracious and

20

My

In

my

27

speak unto the Lord 13

GENIZAH FRAGMENTS

94

XXL LETTER
Paper
Arabic
times

inches.
7 x 6\ to
in peculiar, perhaps

difficult to read.

The

Maghrib!
cursive Hebrew characters,
and two words elsewhere, are
,

last line,

at
in

Arabic characters.
Recto

<

aJJI

Margin

Verso

1
Letters in a similar script I have come across in Bodleian MS. Heb. c. 28; 51r.
(addressed to a certain Abu Sa1d) in Bodleian MS. Heb. d. 66, No. 80, as well as in a
which the
letter belonging to the collection of the Paris Consistoire (No. VII, E. 24)
Grand Rabbin M. Israel Levi was kind enough to send to me sent by a certain Hayyim
;

Ibn Han! of Ispahan.

Evidently, the last had

probably, in Morocco.

(Professor Gottheil.)

I.e.

you. I do not wish to bias you.

made use

of a

MaghribI scribe while,

Plate

XXII

Genizah Fragment 21

polite

and elegant

ii,

pp. 232, 237;

LETTER

XXI.

LETTER

letter

may

Halfon ha-Levi, who

XXI.

95

from an unnamed person to the

be one of those mentioned

Jewish Quarterly Revieiv,

in

Mann,

rals,

op.

Rabbi

cit.,

vol.

vol. xix, pp. 730, 733.

Recto
1

O my

Lord and Master! May God continue your strength and lengthen
life! I have written [this] on Saturday night
with the wish [that] none but God Most High should instruct him 2 Well,
we have suffered a loss 3 in this individual.
as you also know. For, by your life, you also sought in him a support,
and a wise man
among [the] wise 4 And you also sought in him
But understand,
and close your eyes to all that you see,
if you will be so kind 5
And the elephant God keep him! did not
wish to give colors; but he will reach you,
6
if it please God, in any case
So give no thought to that matter.
And I greet my Lord and Master becomingly, according to my desire
and my inclination toward him.
And this applies in the highest degree to Master Isaac, son of Rabbi
Obadiah, and our friend, the Chief of the
your

6
7

Ibn Aztir

Police,

(?),

and Abu Abraham Ibn Shbt, and Master Isaac

Krshant,
10
11

and the rest of the brethren. Then [greetings] to my Master once more,
and the Mercy of God Most High, and His Blessing!

Margin

And

have written

in great

haste 7 so excuse
,

me

to his Excellency,

my

Master.
Verso

[To] the Most Glorious Judge, the Most Perfect Chief, Rabbi Halfon
ha-Levi.

, j

jJ*aJCU.

Quite plainly written.

0

I.e.

'

Is this

a reference to some person

Cf. p. 18,

note

1.

GENIZAH FRAGMENTS

96

XXII.

A BUSINESS LETTER

Paper 7J x 5J inches.
Arabic in cursive Hebrew characters, like those of III, XII, XXXIII,
XXXIV, XXXV, all very difficult to read because of the levelling of many

same form. The

letters to the

than upon

sight.

When

writer relied

the connection

upon muscular sensation, more

becomes

lost reliable translation

is

impossible.

Recto
<

[
[

.....

"
!

!3

]
2

Cf.

Yakut, sub voce

vol.

i,

p. 760,

who

says

it

is

the

Egypt (1) near Eshmunen, (2) near Glzeh, (3) in the Fayyum,
might be Taposiris Magna, near Alexandria, now called Abuslr.
:

The

reference

is

name
(4)

of four towns in

near Samanud.

It

possibly to persecution of Jews.

1.

35

used as a relative with indefinite antecedent, as

bottom of verso, 1 3.

in

No. IX,

recto,

0
5

here

in the sense of

is

6
.

German da:

Seit

dem Tage da

ich...

1.

11; verso ,

XXIII

Plate

*
ft >

r$
i

#.

dj&f

*//>

<>

jnjf

10*

V1 /

j,y

{p

>v

j r

f.

r**

wif r
< ^*^< VW

,
5

ftj

>if

^#

Iw i* Piy^

Y*b#\Y*v*1

*#!/(&/<>/&>!?*

P^^

^3

>?
j>> *ft* r? f^* '^
<&

<)

l;

/<^
,a

/v

.
J(

,,

yv.'U

'

-i

>'

Genizah Fragment 22

jf

Mi

'

BUSINESS LETTER

XXII. A

A BUSINESS LETTER

XXII.

97

from Hasan (or Hassun) Ibn Isaac to his brother and friend,

letter

Abu Joseph

Malul(?) Ibn Moses, dealing in flax or linen.

The Jews

are having trouble in Buslr where flax from France(?)

sold.

is

Directions are given about various business operations.

On

the verso are notes in two other hands about bales of flax or linen.

They may not

refer to the contents of the recto.

Recto
1

My

goes to you, dear Brother.

letter

May God

prolong your existence

and lengthen your safety

and well-being I [beg to] inform you in it of the condition of Buslr 2 and
its pain 3 and travail
and that it is
a city 4 of great trouble and travail. And as for me
I swear to you that
I, from the day when 5 I arrived
from Jerusalem 6 neither night nor day [have had opportunity] to write 7
1

[What
5

and

10

12

13

14

is]

true

And

you a bale 8 of

secured the

flax with Attar! 9 al-Yazuri,

on which was

Isaac Ibn Khalf.

And

it.

say

sent to

written
6

You have no

charges to pay

in

the matter.

Accept

sent [you]

two bales on which was written Hassun Ibn Isaac and Ata Ibn
Jacob [respectively].
And I asked Abu al-Hasan Salamah to deliver 10 them 11 with them 12 and
to bring them 11
to Alexandria in their shipment 13 Please show them [every] attention
and help them 12
in this [matter]. And [I sent you] a bale in my shipment 13 on which was
written: Nisslm Ibn Banayah
in my shipment 13
And there remain no charges against me for any of it.
Of this I inform you [explicitly].
And I asked you in the latter part of my accounting concerning the oil,
[to] pay the price [of it] to
Ibn al-Rakkl. I hope you have done this. Convey [to] Abo al-Fadl Ibn
Umran [my] greetings and say to him By Allah, I shall not buy in
:

Buslr
15

for

myself [anything] but three bales 8 of

in

flax.

Because the neighbors 14

the city say(?)

7
.

11

13

my

Or

I.e.

the bales.

grocer.

10
12

14

for
I.e.

the addressees in person.

I.e.

gentiles?
1

GENIZAH FRAGMENTS

98

<

<

Margin
1

'

Address on verso

Notes on verso

'
'

Note at

15

18

from

is

Mann,
16

left

op. cit., vol.

ii,

p.

19 1

Cf.

Mus. MS. Or.

in Brit.

dJit j
J[^J
The reference is possibly

17

for

again to persecutions.

5544,

fol. 1,

line 4.

BUSINESS LETTER

XXII. A
about

16

it:

there

is

Take

the flax of France 15

no flax

in the city that

And you

we would buy.

17

comes [back] here and

and

blamed

are

for

99

perfect(?) flax

it

[it

unnecessarily 16

is].

But

And one

very sorry.

is

have come to a definite agreement with Abu al-Hajjaj [about] my

Write 17 and convey to him my greetings,
were in
in
and inform him of this. For he has had
the city beautiful
But all of it has come to an end. May [God]

And

18

dinars.

19

20

complete our benefit thereby

in safety

18
.

Margin
19

by

him

Tell

this

about

all

And

this.

not about the indigo

quantity of linen about which he told

when he

arrives

and we

him guard against being excited

And we shall recover for him a
us
and have him settle with me

let

with

shall

it.

please God.

all, if it

Address on verso

To my

May

Malul(?) Ibn Moses.

safety

I, Abu Joseph
and lengthen [his

Brother and Friend [more powerful] 20 than

and prosperity

!]

[God] prolong

From

his friend

[his existence]

Hasan(?) Ibn Isaac.

Notes on verso

Brhon 21 35
Brhon
40
Brhon
Brhon
Brhon
Brhon
Note at

left

Bale

40 with address of Joseph

40 with his address

Bale

Brhon
Brhon
Brhon

45
45

25
35

90
40

Total of what Hajjaj owes

six thousand

19

Most uncertain.

21

We

a proper

35

990
20

pun on the word jjj*.

do not know the vocalization of this nor its meaning. The same word occurs as
name twice in No. XII, lines 22 and 24. In the present case it might be

by

pledges.

Cf.

Dozy,

op. cit.,

letters
for which of course
1 ? 11
the order reversed ?
!

sub voce.

Nor do we know

much might be imagined. Are

the

meaning of the

they numerals with

GENIZAH FRAGMENTS

ioo

XXIII.

NOTES ON THE BACK OF A LETTER

Paper 18 x 3^ inches.
strip of paper cut from a

person has written

in

what seems to be the

and pizmonlm.

upon which some hazzan or other

if for posting on the wall,
word or the first two words of certain prayers

first

peculiarity of the script

written.

Cf. lines

letter,

a large cursive hand, as

and

is

the different ways in which the letter

with lines 3 and

is

8.

Recto
*

I5r

L<

'

V'
_J

[]

..

<

The

dots at the beginning of this line and of the following ones are in the

MS.

20

XXIV

Plate

>><
V

I~

V?w
-

oV. 4

.?

'

^^ "

<\

^
-^ <^
''

<5

'

< 0,
6'-/

-.
)

/*

*< 0< 7 "

h'71c<

;,

40 / *

^W>#/

&)V>W/

^
00

-( ^/^/

'

3&

:*

6 ^/<<;
-

^( 2 \

72

"
^^
*

43 ^ //<

<

Genizah Fragment 23

XXIII.

NOTES ON THE BACK OF A LETTER

101

NOTES ON THE BACK OF A LETTER

XXIII.

The verso, in Arabic, in a very different, blacker, smaller, more regular,

Hebrew hand, represents the older document from which this strip was
torn
before the recto was written upon
5

it.

Recto

mine adversary.

If

Tents of rejoicing.

My

Planted with ....

sacrifice.

Mar-gin
thou

If

(fern.)

knowest not

Dwelling, seat.

15

my

being.

First

She hath a horizon

Gracious

is

10

He

made

11

When

12

My

13

The

grief of guilt.

14

The

vanity of our seed.

16

Our wickedness knoweth

17

We

are covered with dust.

18

His

sin

19

And

20

They have consumed

2

hath

the daughter [of].

night

(?).

....

help cometh.

hath cast

us.

us.

certainly our waste places.

Between

and

us greatly.

there seems to be the Arabic sign tashdid.

GENIZAH FRAGMENTS

102

2!

22

24

26

27

28

29

3!
32

33
34
35

Verso

! !

Or For

a verse

the

Morning

Service.

In the following

we have, perhaps,

the remnants of

NOTES ON THE BACK OF A LETTER

XXIII.

Those that strengthen.

27

Let him not

23

And

he knew the bitterness.

24

Thy

consolations hearten us.

my

25 ...

inflate himself.

children.

26

My

27

For the morning 3

28

faithful

am

one

(?).

the Lord God.

my

30

Attend to the

31

Hear

32

The glory of the mountain

33

Excellent

34

And prophecy

35

Establish in
Verso

my

fruit [of

lips].

prayer.

is

of.

the

of a vision.

Thy

favor.

the Creator has mercy on him ....

till

the physician of the Sultan, and ....

value of a hundred dirhams ....

and a thousand, then produce the property

he goes to the

girl to sell

it

a writing in which he purposes

in

and

the bone-setters

testimony 4
after

all 5

the sheikhs of Aleppo

he arrived

the presence of the ....

in

who

wait upon the Sul[tan] ....

10

the bone-setters(?) diagnosed his trembling ....

11

in

12

and they went away.

which the animals(?) were

And

Line inserted in the original.

Two

dots over the

]3

seem

....

the .... had already arrived

to stand for fathatain.

O3

[
[3

GENIZAH FRAGMENTS

04

<

[
[

[]

22

25

26

28

3!

6
7

mistake for

Two

letters follow

which have been crossed

out.

XXIII.

NOTES ON THE BACK OF A LETTER

13

sixty dirhams apiece ....

unto the Creator and the ....

But we

15

the congregations.

16

wrapped him up. And

17 in

the

pame

might

18

and cover him

19

Thou

wilt

9
.

and hide not thyself from thine own

and two of

22

he shall be weak for ever and ever

23

and

24

and there was

25

conqueror.

26

and the excellent son of the S[ultan

27

and every disease of the son of the [Sultan?]

28

Ibn Ulaik, and

29

the

and they employed with him and with

8
9

10

his sons

and two of

daughters ....

....

in his letter

And

the

heard him
?]

which with him

little

And

his little ones ....

Peace be upon

Note the Arabic and the Hebrew

Lines 17-23 are in Hebrew.
Isaiah

his

was the purpose [of the writing?]

the good.

10

he

21

flesh

open Thy hand unto him.

20 their spittle, for

this

105

articles.

Iviii, 7.

14

GENIZAH FRAGMENTS

106

CHARM

XXIV.
A

strip of

written in cursive

It is

against

all

paper 15j x 1| inches.

manner

Hebrew

and contains part of a charm

characters,

of diseases and distempers.

..

[
1

the

[]

.. 4

Ink border-lines show that the strip was never any wider. The

letters
began
which is written in characters small and cramped, though hardly as an afterthe remaining lines.

first line,

thought
2

I.e.

to

spectres.

The form

remains unexplained, but the word

DD?, which has been connected with Greek

4 Cf.
5

Cf.

Aramaic

would be mixed Hebrew and Aramaic.

incantations.

Targum

related perhaps to

]AjO-X.

P'lb but this

6 I.e.
7

the Syriac

is

vocros.

Cf.

Montgomery,

op.

cit., p.

301.

to Levit. xxi, 20.

can hardly be a corruption of

be a similar formation from the root

flame, although

it

might possibly

XXIV.

CHARM

XXIV.

CHARM

107

The literature on Jewish magic is extensive. See Blau, Das altjiidische

Zauberwesen Strassburg, 1898; Davies, Magic Divination and Demonology
among the Hebrews and their Neighbors London, 1898 Montgomery,
Aramaic Incantation Texts from Nippar Philadelphia, 1913.
,

1
1

and scare-crows of the night

2
,

and

afflictions 3

and

fever,

and ague 4 and

,

and the voice 6 and crushing of the viscera 7 and

and the Succuba 9

fear of evil 5

10

[Jehovjah
thee

He

evil.

coming
4 [shall]

thy shade upon thy right hand.

is

by day, nor the moon by night 11

will

keep thy

from

in

be with

this

me

soul.

Jehovah

The sun

Jehovah
will

shall not smite

keep thee from

will

all

keep thy going out and thy

time forth and for [evermore 12 ]

in a circle 13

In the

name

of God, the Mighty, the

Powerful, the Creator, the Heroic, that speaketh righteousness, the

Glory, the Able, the Pure, the Spotless, the Unique, the
also

names of the

shall recite the

Holy

And

an[gels]

may be connected

with the root

to lie (sexually, of demons cf. Montseems actually to spell out the Latin word succuba except
that we should then have a D, not a
At any rate, we fancy that this word is very close
to the intended meaning. Amulets not uncommonly contain allusions to the incubus-

gomery,

op. cit ., p. 304).

It

sticcuba superstition.
10
Here follow the Cabbalistic names which are untranslatable. They are derived from
Exodus xiv, 19-21, in such manner that the first letter of each name comes from verse 19,
the middle letter from verse 20, the last letter from verse 21. The following names com-

piete the 72

(So explained by M. Chapira to Professor Gottheil.)

11

Cf.

Worrell,

The Demon

1918, xxxviii, 160

12

13

Egypt,

in the

Journal of the American Oriental Society

ff.

Psalm cxxi, 5-8.

magic circle.

of Noonday, in

Cf. Worrell,

same Journal,

Ink, Oil and Mirror Gazing Ceremonies

1916, xxxvi, 37

ff-,

particularly

p. 52.

in

Modern

GENIZAH FRAGMENTS

108

XXV. A SCRAP OF PAPER

Paper about 13 x 3^ inches, tapering towards the top.
Hebrew and Arabic, in cursive Hebrew characters.
This fragment is perfectly described in the introduction to our No.
XXIII. It is a strip, cut from the same letter and used in the same manner.
But unfortunately it is not a part of the same leaf as No. XXIII so
;

that comparison gives us no help with the mutilated verso, nor with the

sketchy

recto.

Recto
.

....

..

3
4
5

S
vf
cr

9
!

"
!

4
!

!6

<

20
2

22

XXV. A SCRAP OF PAPER

109

XXV. A SCRAP OF PAPER

As we do

not pretend to

know what

either text

is

about,

we

confine

ourselves to rendering a few groups of words here and there.

The recto and

From line 19 of

the verso to line 18

the verso the subject

Arabic.

Recto

crying out

Strong

What

Return

As

man

ye.

the ground

Consent,

my

children.

n They have gone,

carpenter.

12

Death. ..testimony(?)

13

In the house of testimony(?)

mistress.

14
15

Naked he came.

16

The sower

17

The

spirit

temple

19

My
My

20

This

The Holy One has

18

22

there.

9
10

aileth thee, son of

The

of iniquity.

of a
is

man

in his heart.

delight.

heart gave a law.

is

the end of

living

God

all

mankind.

settled honor.

in all.

seem
is

to refer to religious matters.

business,

and the language

is

GENIZAH FRAGMENTS

IO

3
4

Verso

..

....

..

..

---

.....

Ezek.

xvii, 23.

XXV. A SCRAP OF PAPER

23

When

24

For the multitude of

will the spirits

And when

Vertical

Verso

Ill

my

deeds

do.

gifts

door... seekers
5

those knowing righteousness, hoping for

the great ones, producers of

O, that

his inheritance the

the persecuted ones

10 in all

had a couch, to

dignitaries of

myself

glorify

sheep of

the places where they dwell

11

that he arise from the chair of judgment,

12

and

to gather the repudiated ones

13

and

to deliver, those

and

and

swallowed up

to bring out

14

15

and between the sand, to

16

those that are far away, even as

boughs

To make known

18

their places of residence

19

about him whose

20

and he

is

collect the
it is

written 1

2 .

17

to our teachers the places(?)

name

is

M[enahem]

one of the honored men of 3 the

city

and shop...

22 in
23 3

years with him

24

and the tribunal called him to account, and

25

and 17 Nasiri 4 dirhams

26 to
27

him and

And

to his little ones

did not remain with him.

already

and that which...

And

not

he owed the price of a hund[red]

28

29 to
3

the most excellent Sitt

tor

See Dozy,

op. cit., vol.

ii,

p.

679.

and

it

shall bring forth

GENIZAH FRAGMENTS

12

XXVI.
An

LETTER

irregularly shaped strip of paper, tapering a

towards the top,

little

about 8f x 2 f inches.
Arabic, in half-square

The

script

is

Hebrew

characters.

bad, and the language used

is

not literary.

There are

several mistakes in spelling.

Recto
1

..

3
4

6
4

"

"
3

<

<

2
3

The

text

Must

is

perfectly plain here.

refer to the preceding

We

in either literary or colloquial Arabic.

should have

grace.

This phrase

busy.

is in

Hebrew.

Perhaps progeny.

word boy or child rather than

Rabbi.

Rabbi Moses.

to the following

Plate

XXV

/
"

4
f

*'-

if

A)

^^

*-*

'*

vA

''(
,

"

^' P}&k>)6yy>X

^Np pv r\^^'
s

.76kij^ ( A/>

WiV U

Wm W ^

<:^^<\^

^;^))^

W^/SrY'A

V12&1A1P lr&

^<

90 *

'

H >Sg

fc^'Jr

^v

'

$*
Genizah Fragment 26

XXVI.

Recto
1

Moses

a letter written to a certain Rabbi

is

man, Abu al-Hasan.

There is no information

in

It is

it.

LETTER

XXVI.
It

LETTER

in the

name

of an old

purely une lettre de politesse.

good news(?)

God

the Exalted

me 1

deprive

of the help of the boy 2

will not

the blessed 3 Ribbi 4 Moses, and that

he order his

and health 6

the will [of

and whatever we have

behaviour 6

soon 5 with prosperity

affairs

Amen

God] 7

Thus be

And

that by the grace of

in the

way

Verily the Sheikh

al-Hasan

ti

and health, by the grace of God,

12

blessed be His

!3

your heart.

14

to

15

like a devil 11

in

you the

Name

So do not trouble 8
to write

he [only?] thought

and he did not do

17

your heart about

18

since he

ry

well-being, and he

I.e.

with his [own] hand, but

about

He 9 sought 10

16

it

in

is

of beauty of

a condition of prosperity

letter

12

But do not trouble 8

his gift

good health 6

the Sheikh

it.

Abu

is

in all

treating himself 13

al-Hasan.

We

10

The

11

Probably a forgotten twelfth century vulgarism.

use of

in this sense is

a clever fellow,
12

God

Abu

10

is

of tricks.

full

most unusual.

In the text

we have

should expect

UaA! now-a-days

instead of

or jljl
in

Egypt

is

the vulgar fi or fill for flhi.

13

has the

Grammatik

bi- prefix

of the present tense imperfect in vulgar Arabic.

des arabischen Vnlgdrdialektes

von Agypteti

Leipzig,

Cf. Spitta,

1880, pp.

193, 203.

is

watering

used

in

cattle.

three ways: (1)

(3)

Of

enjoying

it,

or both,

if

filling

irrigating the soil.

himself, is soaking himself.

is

Of

we

a cup with wine, or other drink.

I

Abu al-Hasan

think
is

we might

(2)

Of

translate is watering

taking a lot of this medicine, or he

are not mistaken.

1

GENIZAH FRAGMENTS

114

[]

22

h
25

26

Verso

27

[]
*

0 *

14

15

is

for

the regular term for a prescription.

<2/

for

as in

modern vulgar Arabic.

LETTER

XXVI.
20 to

the prescription 14

2!

the order in your

22

have

needed

And

own

pray [attend] to 15
Allah! Not
to

on account of

23

24

yourself 16 and, by Allah, not

25

do

26

the commission and yourself.

27

Greeting

need to direct you

Verso

The

Your

al-Hasan

other

father, the

to

and the

the

restore

you

Abu 17

Sheikh

will write,

God

17

regard to

letter.

16

in

to

By

person.

do any more] than

[to

115

he

them

the

is

my

master

(?)

and they carried

letter.

here instead of
for

3d

even where

The

writer has

Uneducated people,
it is

not needed.

in

Hebrew

in

mind.

attempting to be correct, change the vulgar 3-d

GENIZAH FRAGMENTS

16

XXVII.

LETTER

Paper Ilf x 7|- inches, water-marked with a mailed torso.

Arabic in half-square Hebrew characters.

letter

AbO

from

Zubair Sadakah al-Maghribl,

Yahya Nurai Ibn Nisslm,

in

the margins as well as the

Fustat (Cairo).

It is

in

Jerusalem, to

Abu

a prolix epistle, taking

body of the page and

a half

upon which

up

it is

written.

AbO Zubair is a man of poor health, narrow life, and many troubles.
His family was originally from Morocco or some one of the other Barbary
States.
He writes Arabic, in Hebrew letters as Jews have done with

many

languages

but

in

such a manner as to betray his familiarity with

the Arabic script and orthography.

His language

is

no doubt the

slightly

Recto
!

[]

= ?
for <LL
is

<

Hebrew

XXVI

Plate

S .

^*)JU <*)

ty&tyj
'

:# v*J^JU%y*1A

/,

**)(

/**9/1

; ;

v o*j

\^>)
&b&w w> jr*tfCrt 0*a) 0<&r<&> A ^
V |^
q>4&*>
r*jjfi<

sw> $>y=> vj>* sj&vb

fc>*
)

LW rtA/iPdl

**

ri)&y **&(*} rt>)jn Kyy

T=yS 0< w

m * '^%^\

<*

r&Jj\s*y&9 rO WJ&HMy %V

rUAfi> )),'!>* ['/* (All

>xayyfayAp+f &/&>&*?&& r*tyJr* >

*>* ,* **>//

w&w

^ti^ ^A 9fe

)|

<
*^
x

4"/^^^

S SS *4
ffi/SliJ

*&

V'T <

.ft

^^^
wi ^^AUw
<

w:#

av **

!<(*X)*X

* PJX) ,vA

A o Alb

*1

/=*/*
W *
X
ffcfe <* tS&vhow
J

*to

<

ww

v> a1X/4*<*

/1>

* 1

&4&

,^ ! v$c

V>/<(

c<

sw v vM/tu vo* a&$fi -rJr>*y'A*(Sf*?

*
"; ** mv *s&dJxv j < ^ X*^ x*Ab w*x i
A

W
y

(*

VU
!

AUf!

-'*) 4
Via d,vf <

S*

A.v^
*
V y|
< VAx

!0

( jy!>s<W

.JbM /*/
g
/
A *

ftyKWa&rjSinb*

<

*a

VM /*.1
7
*j/Oyl-nri'***) 1&* MW^bflwwbXw'X *
jJ

^^ ^(&'^//

}<
^
^^,< "<

V Ai 5 <2

f
<1

1x XI

*"-

W/e*

a|2C*

a CTa

? iuht/i^apsp

v<^1>i1ek

/Jui)

Genizah Fragment 27

P%^'^
p

>

>

vivtoibi^y/ibi <>(

fiyyj^nr( /,

'

^WW
<

j1Aw {

U ^^<<*(^*
w>f ^ '^/
4^V

A
tW/imJ j )!*,
3
'.4> bX!*a i /^X***** X-'!bf
rut*

lv

i
^

5 V

Plate

M'snrtiim**

W\A> &*>**)/}
**/WjJ#' HJ&TW

XXVII

/9

,-r

/OVJ^h

<,

p 05

*iyvufjt>
/0</"<^ * /x no/
?3k y*?ito ayjpz/ihjn ***} /dt'W &)&***** )
6

V*

*Pf/O

y>

//^0

^<3

^(2

yds*

tfevy >#Wm>/ a

??Jv

'ivrt&yhFP/yj* '2>

$w>v) ^^i41yy(

|Vk3
'

v; v)>
^

cTJ~

/,*,

<^^

**<

J1

/># il//,V2A#s

Ak;*>v

</</(*;

<1(

a b?
%**

**r

V-

,:>

V\

'

<

Vi

Wto^h

.tffrrrf

/^!^ ^|<^

Genizah Fragment

"i7

/;O
/

XXVII.

LETTER

XXVII.

LETTER

own

classicised vernacular of his

day.

117

already exhibits

It

many

of the

spoken Arabic of modern Cairo. The difficult passages

are no doubt in the slang of his time. Other peculiarities, such as the
occasional omission of the article, the redundant it, the strange use of
'?y and other prepositions, and of common verbs, are not so easily explained. He is especially prone to mix forms and turns of expression
while putting them on paper.
Unfortunately the letter bears no date. It was written, however, before
peculiarities of the

1050-1098, when the addressee died.

Below the address there

is

a line of Arabic script which cannot be

made

out.

Recto
1

my

May God lengthen his

existence and prolong his health and his happiness Amen! Selah
Today and there are six days remaining of Elul May God add unto

The

letter of

Lord the Sheikh has come.

him these feast-days that are

3

for

in the
4 for

him

years

it

by delay,

The
it,

4
:

in

righteousness and truth

Sabbath Day has been, with me and with

falling

upon the Ninth of

strength for our

[We

Ab 6

ill

affliction

which

my

Blessed be the

This

people, like the Sabbath

and we have not found any

spirits.

are conscious of nothing] save that

who have

and had been

namely the
,

who judges

arrival [of the

having been made

death of the excellent master 5 the Crown of our Head.

Day

and uneasy and sad by the great calamity 3 and the heavy

honest judge

my

in addition to

has crushed our strength

male offspring

occurred after [we] poor ones had yearned for

deprived of

come

[that he shall have] living

letter]

to

And may He make them for him fortunate and blessed

acceptance of the Law and the Commandment
And we wish

many

we

lived to [see] these misfortunes.

are victims of calamity,

And

we

these bitter

cups 7 have been drained, and our sight has been blinded, and our strength
cut off

and we

= 1313.5

shall continue to

Identity not established.

When

him

as long as

we

live.

Nebuchadnezzar destroyed the First Temple, and when Titus destroyed the

Last Temple, according to Jewish tradition.

An

for

plural of S35 with suffix.

weep

unusual plural of

GENIZAH FRAGMENTS

118

"

<

With only one

This quotation, Job iii, 21, is in Hebrew, as indicated by the overlining in the
manuscript and in our text. All Hebrew words are thus marked.
10

Jeremiah vii, 28.

In the Arabic form.
12
he. to pay a debt ?
13
Graves of the Fathers are probably Hebron, though we can not find any other
instance of this title. At Hebron the Fathers, Adam, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, were
supposed to be buried. The vicinity is fruitful, and one might have bought grain there
perhaps. Cf. Baedeker, Paldstina u. Syrien 1910, pp. 105 ff.
14
Or grain merely.
11

C1

15

plural of

strips, shavings, etc.

XXVII.
10

LETTER

1x 9

no strength now that he is gone. By 8 this Jerusalem! Many

have become
times we have desired death and longed for it. And
9
Who long for death, but it
one of those concerning whom it is said
cometh not, and dig for it more than for hidden treasures, because of
what I endure in the way of cares of
this world and the multitude of its sorrows, and the might of its calamities, and the hard-heartedness of its people from whom sincerity

There

is

11

12

13

has been cut

And

off.

perished, and

concerning them [the saying] 10 holds: Truth is

And nothing remains now

cut off from their mouth.

is

but that someone should take

14

your property by force, while you look the other way. Most wonderful
of wonders
Isaac 11
after we had waited
God keep him
12
for him
these ten months, went off to Kibhre Abhdth 13 and bought
16
wheat 14 in which was [something] like chaff(?) 15 and
17
14
and collected
wheat suitable for his place, worth a dinar and a third

15

16

And I said We will take it off your hands for a dinar

and 10 [carats the kaflz] 18 .
But he said: I am not selling. And he put the wheat into his house,
while we were standing by 19
This was the extremity of [our] patience.
the kaflz.

17

18

And nothing is known

to me about 20 him except
has

in

Not

this:

his possession shall

dirham which he owes 21

me and

take except [as] against the base

that

render

good 22 . God He is exalted

requites every man according
to his intention
But the hour of this writing has elapsed 23 May
God make suitable 24 two kaflz of grain as the equivalent of the return
of the dinars 25 at three dinars and a quarter 26 But I am also looking
out for something else.
But let not my Lord worry. For they have received the fuel-wood, and
the olive oil and everything they need,
for

!9 evil

20

16

Hebrew.
*

17
18

Zi

was very poor wheat?

It

* V t

for

>-a[5

ail

If the carat is

Dozy, Supplement aux Dictionnaires Arabes, ii,

one twenty-fourth of the dinar (cf. Mann, op. cit.,

Cf.

p. 892.
ii,

p. 195, n. 13),

and was offered

dinars, or two carats more than
the cost. They wished to shame him into paying them on the spot when he received the
cash from them. The dinar is, of course, at this time the large gold coin, and not the
Isaac bought the grain at

J dinars

denarius.
19

20

6 does not usually have this meaning.

confusion of mind as between

and

21

22

23

My

letter

Psalm

xxxviii, 20.

has become long enough.

24

Sb

25

The modern dananir

for

Cf.

Then he makes

it

four times as long.

Willmore, The Spoken Arabic of Egypt 2nd

,

ed., pp. 8, 80, 81.

26

I.e.

for

two

kaflz, or 1.625 dinars the kaflz.

He

offered Isaac only \p before.

GENIZAH FRAGMENTS

120

*3

'

24

25

26

*7

28

3!

32

27

Ae.le

thing

is

modern Egyptian

colloquial.

In

1.

20 he has used the classical

and Palestinian ^.w.

28

grabbed, but

we take
29

in the dialect of Cairo, received.

This

is still

Isaacs case,

it.

-0.

Cf.

note 20.

pronoun is feminine but the verb is masculine. The writer has both the
mother of Abu Yusuf and the Sheikh al-Sharabl in mind, but he means the latter.
30

The

31

relative

'

is

from

colloquial,

The

is

merely a graphic reminiscence of the

singular.
32

here and in

31,

not

but

(Dozy, op.

cit.,

ii,

Spanish (15th century), Moroccan and Tunisian form of the same word.

Church of the Holy Sepulchre? Perhaps we are

Place of the
33

Church of

belonging

to.

the

Holy Sepulchre.
34

for

cM

to read

p.

493), the

Is this the

and understand the

LETTER

XXVII.
22

such as onions, and

and other

salt

And

things.

And

thing 27 that turns up for them.

12

am

rejoiced at every-

they have received 28 from

me

in

addition
23

thing from
24

26

27

29

And

me.

at

most times

go out

they do not need any-

to the

29

they have

which they stayed when they first arrived

a full month
with the mother of Abu Yusuf and with the Sheikh alSharabl who married 30 his son to the daughter of al-Ballutl.
And, although they had rented 31 a house in the vicinity of the Church 32
from 33 a Muslim man for five dinars for a whole year,
and he was to receive the money before 34 we took possession. But when
we had brought the five dinars, he said Six dinars We shant make
35 .
it less
The matter was
hard for me 36 And when we had agreed to the six, he sought 37 to
bring 38 troubles from other directions. We dropped the matter.
house

in the

in

28

And

house and ask them whether [they] need [anything].

remained

25

And

three dinars cash for their pressing needs.

And we

hired a

month

[the

room 39 of 33 a Jewish woman

al-Muharram five months. And

little

of]

two dinars

for
is

it

until

a room, in the

neighbourhood
30

of our friends, in which are

the neighbourhood of
31

And

it.

things necessary to

all

wazn 45

And

[for] eight dinars,

cannot describe 41 what

according

there were sold from

and

is

colloquial

is

in

have done

in

nm

it

to

43

whoever offered

44
of a
39 quarters

[the] price

i
35

the bath

neglected no tradesman

nor wool-merchant, nor cloth-merchant

[things] for sale 42

And

it.

the Jewish Quarter, near to the

in

Church 32 and the Ruba'Iyah 40

regard to

32

it

j ,

nahuttshe from classical

be

we

shall not lower

at all.
36
37

with

is

^Xis

38

in this

sense

is

colloquial root
x 0 *

regularly represented by

is

in

No.

XXVI,

from

*b*.

and

found
* 0

39

diminutive of

recto ,

13.

_!

The
j**.

writer has hired this for himself.

40

The fourfold or quadrilateral place, but not city square to our knowledge.
Perhaps this name was applied to the site of the Mediaeval lodgings and hospitals of the
Knights of St John, which passed into the hands of the Moslems in 1187, and became

known

as the Muristan.

The room

between the present Harat Bab

in

question was probably in the block of buildings

al-Silsileh,

Tank Bab

41

from

is

al-Silsileh

and Suk al-Lahhamm.

without the

as in

modern vernacular.

Cf.

1.

<>

40,

and

other instances.
1

42

makes no

sense.

Perhaps

it

is

a confusion between ty-5^1 bo

0

according

to

what they offered

presented himself.
43 I.e. this

The

for sale,

0 *

and

writer of the letter

is

according to whoever

subject to these confusions.

room, which seems to have been used as a shop.

0J

14

45

is

with a connecting vowel.

The wazn seems

to be here a definite weight.

16

GENIZAH FRAGMENTS

122

33

34

35

36

37

38

39

4<

Margin
1
1

1
I

46

The

writer sold 39 quarter wazns for 8 dinars, or 292 dirhams, which was at the rate
After he had sold out at about

of 7^f dirhams the quarter, or 29H dirhams the wazn.

30 dirhams, the price sank to 20 dirhams the wazn.
47

The vernacular miss

^

for

48

greenness.
0

49
,

j*0^-4

and

'

vt

i.

have

for

which

is

very unusual and must

point to a dialectic peculiarity.

0 s

0 -

50
,

confusion between

and

(vernacular bakat).

LETTER

XXVII.
33

123

became 20 dirhams 46 every dinar being by exchange 36 dirhams and a

half 47 And of the [buyers] some people paid me [with] a note, and of
them some people
paid a part, and a part remained with them [unpaid for]. And mouldiness 48 had attacked it in consequence of the fermentation 49 which had
,

34

developed
35

in

And

Egypt.

mained 50

as brought
36

remained

weighed

it

back 51

in a

But Praise to
the row which occurred
matter.

37 at

my

God

place:

made [me]
means of

unpaid
unpaid

its

55

by

it

55

from

it

And

for].

Him who made

has taken away

to profit 54

dirham and a half

for],

fermented condition, while

their possession,

[in

addition to this remainder which re-

out, in

[in their possession,

am

diligent in this

star to sink

its

bitterness 53

a dinar,

to such

it

And

52
!

as for

And where God

has

have done business by

partly

56

and gum-arabic, almonds and soap 57 and earthen pots 58

such as I am unable, and am not in the mood 59 to mention. For even as
60 .
I write this letter, I sigh: Perhaps death is very near
But I was
61
pleased by what it
said about the arrival of the ships
safely in Sicily, and their success with the cargoes. And I desire of my
Lord that he inform me of the names of the people
arriving in the Spanish ship; and likewise, [of] every ship which comes
let him inform me of all the news,

38 in

prunes

39

40

4[

Margin
as though

were an eye-witness of

And

it.

some place

a letter from Sicily, or from

perhaps there

or other.

him

And

there arrived to

me

to

me

to the present

May God decree

my Lord the

[news of] the escape of the youth has not reached me.
safety for

may come

But up

the letter of

Sheikh a little while ago, mentioning that he had got the pamphlets which
belonged to me [and were] with Rabbi Joshua May God keep him
And
of these there reached Rabbi Israel two pamphlets in which were the elements
of [Hebrew] grammar, for him to copy off for my Lord. And after I had

51
,

brought
52

I.e.

is

58
,

59
60
61

came back complaining, and

54

for

>

/ ^

or

is

doubt that the writer has anything

56

57

the price to sink; or, caused the matter to be forgotten.

an error

We

confusion between

back.

it

made

53
55

Cf.

Dozy,

op. at., vol.

ii,

in

mind when he uses it so

cleanser.

perhaps a feminine plural of the masculine noun

is

carelessly.

p. 625.

from -> _$

my breast

is

not expanded,

I.e.

Oh

I.e.

the letter he has received from Egypt.

that death were near !

am

not happy enough, to...

GENIZAH FRAGMENTS

124

Verso

62
,

if

63

correct, is
is

we

attacking.

But

Syrian vernacular, esh hada from

of the person

G*

what

is

unusual.

sort of a thing this

is.
j

64
65

66
67

>

Having used the double

is

with an extra

The correct title was

Numbers xxii, 28, about

68

Genesis

69

Possibly the Messiah.

71

The

iii,

and

1,

is

the ass of

Cf.

Balaam

Samuel

xxviii, 7.

that spoke.

about the serpent that spoke.

70

I.e.

that exists between us?

are written over the line so as to suggest

cT*
:

for S he employs
to avoid a third V
due to confusion with the singular form.

0,4

which we take

to

be

XXVII.
him

written to

May

are, so that

know what

to

!25

God keep him

taking him to task 62 about [not]
arrived to me his letter, saying Inform me of what
may write about them to Alexandria. So, I dont

sending them, there

they

LETTER
!

make

of this 63

for his letter

is

[on

file]

me

with

that

all

of

them reached him, and to the effect that he would send them to me with
whomever left [there for here]. But I am tired 64 I shall not write about it.
But they are eight pamphlets 65 among them [some treating of debatable]
questions in my own hand-writing [namely :] by Rabbi Samuel on
A woman, Possessor of a Soothsaying Spirit 66 , and The She-Ass 67 ,
and The Serpent 68 (?) and many questions. And [there is] a pamphlet
in which
Lamentations, and a pamphlet in which [there is] the story
69
of the
other, not
and the pamphlet.
and the
to
Rabbi Israel for him to copy them. And, by the Love 70 May my Lord
the Sheikh dispel 71 this care from me! And we were pleased 72 at the
73
success of the
May God increase the profits by means of it, and
guide us aright and all Israel
And as for us in this country, we do not
74
think there will be any enormous 75 relief 76 in grain. And they have added
.

May God make

profiteering 77 to [shortage].

[grant at least] subsistence

Verso
1

favorable the outcome, or else 78

And up

Rabbi Nathan has not arrived from Damascus,

He said to him Go away

to the present

because he went away with Rabbi Isaac.

with
2

and

will give

you the

God keep him

3

me
third of what

that

make.

And

as for

what he says

should write at his wifes expense

two or three 79 amulets I am expecting the arrival of Rabbi Nathan, and

And as for Rabbi
I shall do in this matter more than he could desire.
:

Isaac,
4

he

good

in

is

And let no one doubt what he has said God

worrying 80 over his bodily suffering. Unto God

health.

keep him from

his

[be] the praise,

5

who cured him

And

perhaps there

me, and he

relief for

will

inform

will arrive

me 81 And
.

from Rabbi
so also

my

Maimun some
Lord Abu al-

Fadl

Perhaps

73
74

mine, or source of supply.

we

perhaps a confusion of

[do not] think, and colloquial

yarau they
,

[do not] think.

75

should be masculine.

76

80

81

78

is

is N)|_$

0 Z

79

a break in the grain market, or a relief in the stringency of public need.

is

77

is

r~^l.

The an was pronounced

XXVI,

Cf.

No.

I.e.

about what

11 .

0.

12, 16.

to

do

for

my own

sickness.

GENIZAH FRAGMENTS

126

"

!4

!5

!7

Margin
1

_
82 I.e.

84

83

events.

Article needed.

0J

forest straining toward.

85

is

/O(

86
88

87

is

l.e.

He makes no

Jews and Muslims.

distinction

is

a confusion between

Ox

and

between close friends and mere acquaintances, between

89

I.e.

do

you.

LETTER

XXVII.
have an account against him

6 I

heart

if

but the greatest happiness will enter

me

there should reach

127

my

[news] of the health of his body, and

news
7

informing
I

me

of

83

long

day

all

82

it

For here

West.

in the

am

yearn to hear news, because

shut up in the

house, waiting impatiently for 84 the time of afternoon [when]

out for an hour and take a walk and return for the

And
9

And

is

with us

often
!2

has been

May God

ill.

And

it

people are disappointed 86

often

it

results in things

One

Rabbi

Isaac the Spaniard

God

him 89 kindly write

14

!3

keep him

to me, for

any
!

the side of safety

am

Abu

And

my

-God

news about

there

his

And

is

heard

arrival, let
.

May God

him kindly inform me

let

reaches

May God

Cairo.

the

my Lord the Sheikh the most disLord Abu al-Etan 93 and [to] my Lord
,

he

Abu

am

al-Faraj

[good] health.

is in all

with him.

is

The most excellent of greeting

God watch over him have arrived
And the boy, Asher, God preserve him

keep them both

the letters of

from Tyre.

if

Ula 94

his relations

And

And

writing to

!7

the houses of the

in

hold him in great affection 90

cause me to hear from him good news

91
if the Rabbi
May he live forever!
Exalted put him on
tinguished peace 92 and [to]

16

And

like.

13

tries

which one does not

leads to a crash on certain occasions 87

[One] buys him something, and he [goes and] lives

Muslims. To him there is no inside or outside 88
of

the Exalted

he says that his losses are reducing him to poverty 85

he finds no one visiting him that he does not speak to him violently

do a kindness

to

He

Jerusalem.

in

And

against me.
11

can go

prayers.

Sarur Ibn

Sahlan

heal him
10

Minhah

letting

him 95 know

that.

Peace be unto him 95

Margin

me in the house of the

went
on
between
us. And he has
And these doings
97
98
received his deserts
But woe
unto us! For we are not unmindful of
our own condition 99 May God
(?) my Lord most abundantly and
extend his life

And

Sheikh

the

Abu

man

has died

who used

to

importune

96

al-Ala.

90
91

I.e.

92

98

99

dependent upon him as to heart.

of the letter itself?

I.e.

96

97

am

is

93
95

The bearer

94

is

Cf.

Hardly

All

and we

find Ula in

No.

I.

the addressee of the letter.

k

_^aa 5

Dozy, op.

Cf.

cit.,

is

He remembers

Friedlander,

ii,

The

Der Sprachgebrauch

des

Maimonides

p. 92.

p. 546.

was repeated from the preceding word.

that he also

may

die, as well as the

man whom

he disliked.

GENIZAH FRAGMENTS

128
21 ddress
0j3[z>

A5^0j.*jj

J.C A.U1

100

As

121

jjl JsUA~.i)t

Mi '3

01aj aJUI

jUst

there are scarcely any points to distinguish similar letters from one another in
it is almost useless to try to make them out.
But the Arabic type

these proper names,

commits one

to

some

definite reading.

XXVII.

LETTER

129

Address 100 :

To my lord the Sheikh Abu Yahya Nahrai 101 Ibn Nisslm,

From his grateful Abu Zubair Sadakah al-Maghribi.
May God extend his [earthly] sojourn, and protract his
happiness

Al-Fustat
101

102

If

it

please

God 102

Aramaic.
I.e.

that

it

should arrive safely.

the Powerful and Exalted

health and

GENIZAH FRAGMENTS

13

PART OF A LETTER

XXVIII.

Paper 1 if x 51 inches.
Arabic in Hebrew characters.
The beginning, perhaps a considerable portion, of this letter, is wanting;
but what we have is well preserved. The cursive Hebrew hand is neat and
legible, and continues so to the end
and the margin has not been filled
;

with added scrawls.

blank space has unaccountably been

left

near the

bottom.

After the conclusion, line 25, several postscripts have been added.
cryptic signature or date stands at the lower right-hand corner.

This fragment

may

be the ending of a letter of which No.

XXX

is

the

beginning.

6
:

"

!3

used as an indefinite relative, quite clearly in this case less clearly in other
among our fragments. This is not modern vernacular, and appears to be a

instances

characteristic feature of Judeo-Arabic of the time.

0

also have in our fragments

strative pronoun, then the relative pronoun, then the conjunction.

same

the

as that of the

le for 10

is

jk*..)

The

demon-

27//:

ana mabsui

Arabic-Engtish Vocabulary,
3

illi

is

ma gash,

first

1st ed., 1895, p.

4

The Hebrew words.

I.e.

am

glad that

17.

wife.

and not
writer

=
nounced

colloquial

Palestinian.

J 0

modern

Cf. Spiro,

he did not come.

the

This use of

a semantic change illustrated by English that

0'

in the sense of

We

j> 3u, it

seems.

spelling almost phonetically both

is

=
in the

Hebrew way by

=
Jews.

For

this

his

Arabic and his Hebrew

passage we

know

that

was pro-

XXVI

Plate

^^ *
12

;7

1(,*

{** ^-1 / V
Wsi ^* ^
[

^^ ^,*^*

1dmjn

W
*

lUAa,, ?

^** 2\

'
^
*^ ^
/^ ^/^^
- r-? ? ;*.;

Atji'f'nyinl

jrj/ryJ

&*

^;

<1

A1

jb-jsvlvsnrvrti >b?AA

*?

vj

1&

''2 '-*' 1 yyjfxijf

<

<

J,\v

JfSJVW

Wj^ww ^;;rJc;v2rivy

^^
^< *^ ^ ^
<& ^ ^

<*

/*^

^
*
^^ <*^*
&

fcDAjito^of

?> 1

uyfW

*/^

&

^
?
^*^
*).^

2|[

0^

'^ 1^

Vt'iPJ

1
'P

*<^7 "^:'.

?)^/

jwrfc

*"
5

)"

fA*!

"

1,

)^^
^?

^**!

*/0

$*

^^

''?

^-^^
*

hytovvo

as

Genizah Fragment 28

PART OF A LETTER

XXVIII.

XXVIII.

is

extremely interesting, not only because

has been plainly written and perfectly preserved, but because

by possibly two hundred and

we have

PART OF A LETTER

XXX,

This text, with No.

it

fifty

antedates

it

years the next oldest specimen which

of colloquial Arabic Hnzz al-Kuhufby al-Shirblnl, A.D. 1687. (Cf.

Brockelmann, Geschichte der Arabischen Literatur vol. ii, p. 278.) In marked
contrast to our texts Nos. Ill, XII, XXII, XXXIII, XXXIV and XXXV,
we find here a Jew writing, probably in the early fifteenth century, almost
what is spoken in Cairo today. Was the writer a slave ?
:

And

you with and inform you of all that I know. And

you with me [in fancy]
to every house to which 1 I go 2 After this go [in fancy with me] to the
shop. [The proprietor] sends me
all business.
From this there are two [shares]. Fie says to me There

is a dirham ! and Give [me] a dirham

Every day there is my business and at night I work at reading some of
the things which
the Master has taught me. And
am content with your prayer for
you say
May God grant you grace 3 and favor 3 I have received [it] from you.
And I and my household 4 and my sisters
and my people, and my companions, and the congregation 3 are at peace 3
I

shall acquaint

shall take

Then 5
8

the perfect

yourself and your

salutation, to
6

dear people:

the honorable 3 Rabbi

10

Sedhakah al-Afif
and to his son, the Sheikh Abraham 7 and to all his household;
and to his Honor, his Excellency 8 Rabbi Obadiah, his Excellency 87
, and

11

and

also his father,

to the honorable 5

Rabbi Aaron

al-Saflr 9 also his father

,

and to our

great
12

lady, the mistress of the house 10

13

benevolence

and to our lady [wife

of]

Abu

al-Faraj,

mistress of

Moses
14

and

good

make your
=

Shukrah 11 daughter of the deceased Rabbi

,

mistress of

to our lady

fortune,

and generosity, and benevolence.

May

he grow and

live

Arabic
I.e.

and
are Arabic forms of the title
and
interchange. (Cf. Dalman, Aramciisch Neuhabraisch.es

ed., 1922, p. 138, col.

10

God be favorable to him

(Cf. Mann, op.cit., vol.
p. 260,

line 8.)

May God

lives

1,

i,

Worterbuck, 2nd

lines 19-20.)

sapphire, a substitute for Aramaic

the wife of the addressee.

11

l.e.

excellent, perhaps.

bright red.

GENIZAH FRAGMENTS

132

[]

^
8

9
3

3!

3*

33

34

35

36

37

38

12

13

sugar.

I.e.

son of invention.
son of the little Sheikh.

14

I.e.

15

I.e.

Cf.

etc.

^0^* teacher.

16

and

17

appears to be

etc.: Spitta,
18

Zuckermann

I.e.

are plainly written.

Grammatik
for

Cf. the

modern Cairene sams

for

shams semal for shemal

des Arabischen Vulgdrdialectes von Aegypten

1880, p. 18.

PART OF A LETTER

XXVIII.

1;

of you

all

the

longest of lives, without want!

Then 5

33

the perfect

salutation

Sheikh Aaron, the cook al-Sukkar 12 known by [the name of] Ibn

!6

to the

17

SanTah 13 7
and his house and his children
in-law, known by [the name

20

and

Sheikh Abraham, your son-

to the

of]

Ibn al-Shuwaikh 14 the son-in-law 3 and his household 47

18

and

to all

your

wifes relatives, all

19

and to the honorable 3 Rabbi Joshua, husband of my paternal aunt. And

please, Master 15
from me in conversation for 16
he loves much to quarrel 17 because
3
5
he is an old man
Then [the] salutation to Rabbi Moses Ibn Radi,
and to Radi and his household 4
and to your father, Abd al-Aziz, and to the Sheikh Abd al-Karim and
,

22

his
23

and

household 4

his children 18

and the Sheikh Samuel and

his

household 4 and his

children,
24

and

whom

to those

congregation 36
25-26 So, Farewell

25

26

The

27

of the Master.

have forgotten,

is

to the rest of the

Master 15 do not ask

slave

and

[of them];

all

[for reassurances]

not ashamed

Allah

30

excites me [to think of] how I have made

your Excellency waste time [In the] winter
I have no provision.
[In] the summer

31

God

28 It

29

32 in

regard to the affection [which

be counted 20 at

33 shall not

got the

34

35

The

it is

Thursday. Farewell

bis

This

bis

to hold aloof

is

fire
35

36
37

It

the slave,

38

34

bear] toward you.

silver.

writer of

your insignificant servant,

Genesis Exodus 21

33

not ask [for reassurances]

I

all.

37

36

Do

the Exalted 19 will help.

bis

22

But we

the separation.

from

my

helper

Do

you again. Far be it from you

not consume my heart with the

me

a speedy answer

shall see
!

of

your cruelty 23
I implore you by Allah
T implore you by Allah
.

bis

bis

19
21

=
Hebrew

20

Return

Do

is

not neglect the slave

(Vllth for the

VUIth

form).

it

22

These two

lines,

with the curious

for

Ul

(?)

and the

classical

-kumii, could almost be scanned as rajaz verses.

23

Followed by a curious scrawl, half Hebrew and half Arabic.

forms ending

in

GENIZAH FRAGMENTS

34

XXIX. PIZMONIM
Paper iof x 4| inches.

Hebrew

in cursive

Hebrew

characters.

Since the paper and ink are well preserved, and the writing
plain,

almost every

at classical

letter

The language

can be certainly read.

Hebrew, often distorted

is

is

very

an attempt

sake of the meter, and not

for the

always giving clear sense. Vowel points are inserted

in places, and for the

most part correctly.
The meter of the first nineteen verses appears to be a sort of rajaz
trimeter. The remainder does not scan. In this first section of nineteen
verses the second hemistichs are all rimed, with some difficulty, on the first
hemistich of the poem this hemistich appears again as the closing one of
;

the section.

In verses 21-24 the

in the last verse

same rime

continued;

is

it

appears finally

of the entire poem.

The fragment can perhaps be dated not long

Abraham to whom it is addressed, in A.D.

before or after the death

of the

1237.

Recto

!
*

Perhaps influenced by the Muslim formula.

Cf. Psalm xxxvii, 5.

for

on account of the rime, as

Numbers

Cf.

Cf. Isaiah v, 28, as nagld.

Cf.

Abraham Maimuni was physician

Genesis

xxiv, 17.

xvii,

Cf.

in

Genesis

other cases also.

xlix, 24.

5.

to the Sultan.

PIZMONIM

XXIX.

35

XXIX. PIZMONIM
This poem of praise, consolation and encouragement, is addressed by
some unknown person to a certain Abraham, who is a physician, a man in
high position in the world, and greatly respected by the Jewish community
of which he is the champion. He has been attacked by certain enemies,
and perhaps even by a mob. The person meant is presumably Abraham
Maimuni, the son of the great Maimonides. He was born June 17, 1186,
and died in the year 1237. He became nagld, probably in 1205, and was
physician to the Sultan.
See Mann, op. cit., vol.
pp. 248 ff.; vol. ii,
Abraham
sein
ff.
Eppenstein,
Maimuni
Leben
und
seine Schriften,
326
pp.
(cited
Mann);
Steinschneider,
Gescliichte
Literatur
by
der
arabischen
1914
i,

der Juden, 159;

2nd
p.

series, vol. v, p.

463

sub voce

und Wissenschaft

24; Monatsschrift fiir die Gescliichte

1900, pp. 9

ff.,

14

ff.

Jewish Quarterly Review

Zeitschrift fiir hebrdische Bibliographic, vol.

des

iv,

Judentums

vol. xv, 1899.

Recto
1

Name

In the

of the Compassionate 1

The company of your rejoicers

you in awe 3 my Lord, and it shall increase.
A star 4 has gone forth for you and its light has shone to our satisfaction
in your land.
If they gave it what it asks, it would come down [from the sky, to] become
the city of your desire.
You are exalted above every prince. And the world is about to be filled

Your bow remains strong 5

Commit

[your ways] unto the Lord 2

shall praise

with your abundance.

10

You were called

an Abraham

Your arrows are sharp 6

Abram; but the Lord of the World has made you
shoot.

your resting places 7 [For]

He makes your cures succeed, and you are exalted 8 He lifts up [His]
countenance upon you, and is gracious to you.
Arise and go up today for the Law of God. Give thanks unto God, your
redeemer and your deliverer.
You are the mightiest of shepherds unto your companions. You have
in

hastened [to help]

ir

you

until

many

in court

Splendid cypresses have grown

in

with your ready [help] 9

the garden of your intelligence, instead

of (their being) thorn-hedges (of yours 10 ).

12

All enemies 11 and haters shall be cut off for ever, until your revilers

come

to an end.

10

His position made

it

possible for

him

to

come

to the aid of his brethren.

Cf. Isaiah lv, 13.

11

The

syllable

here dropped out entirely.

having no

Read

full
.

vowel does not count with the meter, and has

genizah fragments

36

!6

>

<

22

*
*

'

m
5

26

27

28

Verso

29

3
*

12

13

15

1!

and

lated to
16
;

17

twisted into

The

and

...

(corrected to

Cf.

then assimilated to

with direct object?

poet pronounced

as

stand for

Genesis

^- and

xlix, 23.

with
,

assirni-

PIZMONIM

XXIX.
13
!4

Thy

God,

37

and increase, and flourish forever 12

O my Song, cover yourself with armor and raiment Arise and gird
your loins today
What have you to do with suppressors of song about you? Scatter my
song today to those who would cut you off!
If thus the sons of Levi praise you, we sons of David are your interpreters.
Behold I am the pinion 13 of your intelligence. I will winnow your whirlwind 14 and your chaff.
cuttings,

shall multiply,

15

16
17

18 If

the people with arrows attack you 15

with you
19

16

And [had I
who say unto
.

Bless those

unto the Lord

22

who

those

fear 17

them

God

Commit [your ways]

2 .

Your greatness is not at all diminished. From God is your holiness,

He will demand satisfaction from your oppressors and from all those
seek to ensnare you.

day of the pouring out of [the] mob [there was] the leadership
God] and your resting secure upon your holy house 19
The Lord will keep you from every ill. He will keep your soul 20

On

the

[of

24

Pizmon

25

26

that contend

[Pizmon 18 ]

who
23

will attack 15

only] your arrows

20
2!

To

the Lord

will give

thanks

for the

redemption of

my people, and

the

healing of the Father of Multitudes,

27

Abraham, the chosen possession of the people of God, the

the Tahchemonites

28

May

chief of

all

21
.

the gathering of the outcasts of the exiles of Ariel 22 be pure.

And

they shall come with joy 23

the top of the Mountain

29 to

22
,

[the place of]

all

places which your soul

desires.

Verso

Pizmon
2

The Living God

pinion

4
5

He

calls to

His people

covers you, [saying

Hasten, Rejoice

For with His

:]

Behold I am a shield unto you !

H ow dreadful is this people today For the Lord is King,
and every evil nation shall be destroyed but you yourself shall rejoice.
people of Abraham, fear not

Pizmon

18

Instead of

Greek numeral

<J>.

occurs the cursive Coptic numeral for 500, derived from the Coptic-

This

may merely be

intended for an ornament, dividing the intro-

duction from the three stanzas.

19

Referring to some experience of

20

Psalm cxxi, 7.
I.e. mighty men.

21
22

Jerusalem.

23
.

Cf. II

Samuel

Cf. Isaiah xxix,

The masculine

Abraham Maimuni?

plural

xxiii, 8.

1.

would mean female ostriches.

GENIZAH FRAGMENTS

138

XXX. PART OF A LETTER

Paper

x 5! inches.

Arabic

Hebrew

in cursive

characters.

same letter as No. XXVIII. Both fragments are of the same paper, cut to the same width, written in the same
hand and in the same unusual Arabic (cf. Introd. No. XXVIII). Possibly
a page has been lost between No. XXX and No. XXVIII. The first two
lines of No.
unfortunately are defective, and we do not know the
This

possibly a part of the

is

XXX

name

of either of the correspondents, nor the date.

I?
.

P P

[]

or
2c

possibly
,

,I.e.

The

I.
first

two

I.e.

for J

10

the one who

f..
L

is

Cf. line 7.

stands

!"

served.

occur also at the end of the preceding

letters of
mI

to represent

the slanting stroke standing for

Certain! Confidence! Selah

for
4

used

line.

J
.

vernacular hasdlli.

village about twenty kilometers north

to Syria.

is

and east of Cairo, on the old caravan route

a confusion of ila and vernacular

li al,

the

representing the vowel

i.

Ml

II

= 0 *** 9

13

is

khdmastlydm.

the vernacular khdmastans&f.

line 14, d-rba^ansaf,

0

14

as in classical Arabic.

= 0~~3 .

12

four days above the

So

line.

also, line 11, taldttansdf, lines 12, 13,

and other instances.

/
^
'^

Plate

"^ T5V *
-

V
1 .<

jv

1*

ii

,
**

XXIX

8*

%** -

*1%*/

<

*?!

9 ,'"

..

' <

<vtWt<

^-

1'iwivjiW ^^^
*

^fHbw
"

1'

^^^^^^
, X

fsnvij&vv trf'X?Lj1yp

*4

^^
7

7 1

yyj),i

>

^^
&
^/ ^

ttijvfxfjvb 0

^
^$
1

*nw >pvit

0j|

u^v^bcw

x*w

fW 1 &

$* * <<
! /^
nW
9/

1^*)/

7 9 6

/^^^
<*

^
1

>(

j jp

*?<-&<

*.!!

^4

<0 (/pjytx

'

JJ5

_.2

(tfm7, ah

*/

^*
'?^
,
,wwlw

<!
p J

,*., (^, 0

<

&9

^^*
^
^
^^
^-

Frarmfnt

tt()

**"

XXX. PART OF A LETTER

39

XXX. PART OF A LETTER

We

have here the beginning of a breezy

Damascus

in

someone

to

in

Fustat.

The

by someone

letter written

made the
money from

writer has recently

journey from the latter to the former place, earning or begging

Arriving at Damascus he

(Jewish?) communities on the way.

by both Muslims and Jews, but especially the

latter,

who

is

mulcted

are jealous of

more trouble of the same

Here the text breaks off.
The use of ashrafl and nusf faddah, instead of dinar and
dirham, is found in No. XLI also. The nusf was not used before the
After establishing himself

him.

sort,

and

in

business he has

befriended by the Muslim

is

raTs.

days of the sultan al-Muayyad (A.D. 1412-1421). Our fragment

fore be dated in the early 15th century.

may

there-

al-Shafik

May God

al-Sa'ld.

prolong his

life,

and direct him, and reunite us by seeing him in Jerusalem 1

in good condition 2
And in your days: A N S 3 since the slave 4
prays for the Master 5
often 6 God requite yo.ur heart with all that you desire, and give you what
you seek in all your undertakings! God prolong your life and multiply
your sustenance 7 as long as days and years continue ! God enable me

O, Master 8 do not ask what happened to

to [answer your] questions

me from the day when I came

up from Cairo
9
I had
good luck by the grace of God and your grace. I came to alKhankah 10 having with me eleven
13
half pieces of silver. I stayed 11 four days 12
I made five half
[pieces of
silver]. I arrived on a Sabbath 14 in Bilbais 15 [and so] I made 16
13
nothing. We went to al-Salihlyah 17
I made three half
[pieces of
,

10

11

silver].
12

stayed

came

stayed 11
11

five

to

days

Katyah 18
13
.

fifteen

About 35 kilometers from

16

The

two

earned an ashrafl 19

We

came

Gaza 20

to

21

15

first

al-

letters of

Khankah

further along the caravan route.

occur also at the end of the preceding

line.

17

About 55 kilometers from Bilbais, further along the caravan route.

18
About 75 kilometers from al-Salihlyah, further along the caravan route, in Sinai.
Cf. Wiistenfelds edition of Yakut, vol. iv, p. 144, where the article is omitted as here in
our fragment.

The

in

1.

12 ,(

1.

13 ), represents the vowel of the

preposition.
19

A gold-piece

and our note

worth a dinar, or somewhat less than a dinar.

23.

The

preposition bi

is

Cf.

Dozy, Supply sub voce

here properly used with the verb.

Cf. Spiro,

Vocab., p. 413.
20
,

cf.

note

18.

About 190 kilometers from Katyah, further along the caravan

route, in Palestine.
21
t

changed

to t

khdmas td^sher is an interesting form with transposed

by the . The modern form is khdmastasher.

still

retained,

and

140

GENIZAH FRAGMENTS
3

'

2!

2 ,.

24

26

27

28

9
3

22

Cana

23

If the ashrafi

p. 43),

and east of Nazareth.

was worth 1 5f dirhams (of. Le Strange, Palestine under the Moslems
75 half-dirhams or half-faddahs would be the correct total of the collections in the
of Galilee, north

various towns.
24

Cf.

25

He

put aside

note

1.

though

where and how?

68

half pieces,

and took seven along

to

Damascus.
26

for

27

possibly for

used of the addressee of

0
28

j Ja laJ
.

plural

is

The

singular,

here used of the

Damascus

is

elsewhere

Jews.

with

The

this letter.

The

redundantly.

writer was virtually seized by the

Damas-

cus Jews.
29

I.e.

the

31
.

32

Damascus

Cf. the

30

Jews.

MaghrabI form

The vernacular

Vernacular idiom.

Cf. Spiro, op.

cit., p.

119.

Jifnna.

-sh abadan.

negative, via

uj

33

34

y.

See Dozy,

op.

cit.,

vol.

i,

p. 736,

inspecteur.

Since in line 9 he says that he had only eleven half pieces upon reaching his first
from Cairo and in lines 16-17 he says that he left owing four ashrafls (= 126 half

station

pieces according to line

14.

Cf.

note

23).

XXX. PART OF A LETTER

13

days.

days
>4

earned an ashrafl 19

13

four half13 [pieces of silver].

half 13 [pieces of silver].

We

25

myself?]

we crossed over
among you

18

my

will

He

took from

28

Damascus seven

to

The remainder
Damascus

to

owing a debt of four ashrafls

against

five

held onto 24 as a present [to

remained on the road 45 days

16 until 26

17

stayed 11

23
total [was] 75 half [pieces of silver]

The

me

There crossed over with

15

Kafr Kannah 22

to

earned

came

14

came

went out from

with the help of the gentlemen

Damascus

to

By Allah

safely 1

safely

to the rals, the son

went

27

of the
19 sharif.

me

the very] midst of

[in

heard [of
21

the

(of

rals

They were

this].
it)

in a

the house of the

went about

jealous about

[and] others, said

they gathered
22 at

And

it.

crowd
mushidd 33

all

We

They

said

We

business 30

of them
to

and he

my

tried to

The

rest

all

And

32 .

make peace

disadvantage.

not take more than 20 half [pieces of

shall

Five of them 31

shant listen to this at

between them. The peace turned out

23

it.

my

me

and he gave

15 half [pieces of silver]

receipt in the [presence of the] aforementioned assemblage 29

silver].

Now
24 also,

25

they have taken what he took, [and] 75 half [pieces of silver]

and a gratuity of ten half [pieces] 13 the total being 100 half [pieces].
,

But I owed 100 half [pieces] with [the debt

of] which I set out from Cairo 34 That made 200 half
.

26

before

[pieces].

desired

half [pieces]

fifty

26

my

should take

seat 11 in a shop.

After an idleness of 25 days,

after all
27 this, I

clothed myself for 100 half [pieces] from

rowed
28

36

at interest

payable the next year 38

[also

41
29 at all

I]
,

myself

40

sums

35

(?j

which

bor-

37

And

peace 1 reigned, with your favor 39 and so 1

;

had no more anxiety

Blessed be the Lord 1 I sat 11 in the shop.

[was at peace], and

with the help of God.

The Jews
30

went to the rals. I told 42 him.

Stay where you are, and dont be afraid of them.

were jealous of me.

35

I.e.

sources.

36

For

this sense, see

37

Hebrew
3

38

He

said to

me 43

Dozy, Supply sub voce.

5/y

an adjective of defect, derived secondarily from A-w year, and meaning

usually skipping alternate years.
39
Vernacular binazrak.
40

Aiwl,

I.e.

my

41

Ijol

42

ihket.

43

kdllt.

head.

Cf.

u-*

Cf. Spitta, Gra?n., p. 232.

an<^

le Ethiopic rees,

'

head,

self.

GENIZAH FRAGMENTS

142

LETTER

XXXI. PART OF A
Paper 7^ x 5| inches.

Hebrew

square

in elegant

This

Hebrew

Some

a hard point before writing.

two pages (cf. line 23), probably

and XXXII. But evidently one
the bottom of XXXI, and several at the bottom of

originally
consisted of
1

letter

XXXI

represented by our two fragments

line

Lines were drawn with

characters.

of the worn spots are difficult to read.

has been lost at

XXXII. Note

the persistent rime.

3
10

[]

..

"

!6

[]

]..

[][

I
3
4
5
9

10
II

Psalm
Psalm

cvi, 3

Isaiah

viii, 17.

cxx,

Isaiah xxx,

Psalm

[]

!7

!8

xli, 2.

5.

3.

Feminine endings forming a sort of abstract noun.

The Arabic name, with Abu changed to AbT, to make

it

seem Hebrew (cf. Abimelek).

May 10, 1954

Mr. J. D. Goldstein (Dropsie College) and Zvi

Ankori (Research Fellow of Columhia University)

say that nos. 31 and 32 are the same letter
which has become unglued before reproduction
and that the note at the top of page 142 is
in part in error.
-

Plate

XXX

*;'^^^ i?

'"& <^

$&&*$>?
>

&* ^
/?*
,;

i*^W V1

4*

;^

$ -"*' T.SJ

^
^^^
":
^^^
^
?*^ ^
^^- ?$*?*

^^^^
J[

**

"

19f

1 ".**

<*K

*J3 ,*

?* *
1

! jrair

^^"" v-

ywsSvv

* ^

w*my wsw
?
|!^

*v

. ,

:.

jN'W-'i
?

^fw< i'S

<

*^'*-*-^
:

^
5& ?m

>

;,

*0

mm

&&*&8

1 B.

(wiwrs.

far*

*< *

Ako

v.

-.^ ^ V-aV TtS

.: * rf

Genizah Fragment 31

\ivp
*

LETTER

XXXI. PART OF A

43

LETTER

XXXI. PART OF A
A

from one, Tobiah, to Abu Sad Abraham Ibn Abu al-Fadl Sahl
wealthy dealer in rarities who through the mother of the
Sultan Maadd, a slave-girl from his market, exercised great influence at
letter

al-Tustarl, the

See Mann, op. cit., vol. i, pp.

Jewish Encyclopedia vol. v, p. 62. Our fragment
but can safely be dated at about A.D. 1048.

court until his assassination in A.D. 1048.

76
is

ff,

and Index

Gottheil,

without address or date,

He

Tobiah has had great misfortune.

Egypt
1

Blessed

they that keep justice, and

are

righteousness at
2

Blessed

Woe

me

is

Kedar
4

times 1

all

come

to

that

[blessed

he that doeth

is]

The Lord

he that considereth the poor.

is

the day of evil 2

3

explains that he did not

order to obtain assistance.

in

will deliver

him

in

sojourn in Meshech, that

dwell

among

the tents of

3
!

And I will
Him 4

wait for the Lord, that hideth [His] face, and

will

look for

[To] the Beauty of the Dignity 10 of the Mighty

One of the Princes of

Commerce Honor, Glory with 5 those who teach walking therein
The Courtier, the Gracious Countenance 6 Illustrious, Merciful of Heart,
!

and

to
7

And

for ever

to

and ever he

shall

In His

be established.

commands

he

is

enduring
8

Beautiful,

Good,

do every thing well 7

Asylum under His shadow 9

to

In his spirit escape

8
.

Every

10
11

To

the

Honor of

the Majesty of the Praise of the Dignity of the Congre-

gation of the Multitude of the Height of the Beauty of the Dignity 10

12

of the

Abundance 10 of

the

Crown 10

Intelligent, the Pious, the

13

in his

of

my Lord

and Master the Wise, the

Generous, Upright

ways, Perfect in his deeds, the Honored Prince, the Glorified

Elder,
14

Abraham, known

may
15

as

Abu

his Protector help

decrease,

and may

Sa'd 11

him

May his Rock

13
!

May

12

be his preservation, and

his wealth not

his light not be extinguished

May

they

fall

that

17

and his enemies be brought low, under his rod

May they be confounded One and all, may they be confounded Son
of the Honor of the Majesty of the
Beauty of the Crown of the Glory of the Beauty of our Lord, the Elder,

18

and the Honored Sahl, known as Abu al-Fadl.

rose against him,

16

the Great, the Prince

quickened
12

I.e.

God.

!3

14

May

his soul live 14

GENIZAH FRAGMENTS

144

22

24

25

15

16
,

Aramaic.
pages,

pages, our fragments

literally

XXXI

rows, series.

and XXXII.

The

letter originally consisted of

two

XXXI. PART OF A
19

of the righteous, in the

of the Serpent
20

Garden of

planted

in

Life,

man poor and

45

under the tamarisks of the Garden

the Garden of Eden,

saturated from the Tree of Life!

a

21

15

LETTER

The purpose

my

letter,

from

that] there

have

[you to] study.

Nor

of this,

despised, [and]

the establishing [of fact] to result from this [letter

is

passed, over Tobiah, your servant, the lean, troubles

And

22 like this.
[is

23

25

is

no book on this [subject]

my words when I say

for

What

is

this

like another man when Thou [O God] hast brought me to

These two pages 16 have been drawn up 17
for you, my Lord, the honored Elder
to make
May God preserve him
known the causes [of my plight]. For I did not
might seek anything
come here to the land of Egypt in order that

Nor am
this

24

there

there anything] like

I

from the

elders.

GENIZAH FRAGMENTS

146

XXXil.

PART OF A LETTER

Paper 7| x 6 inches.

Hebrew

Hebrew

Lines were drawn with

worn spots are difficult to read.
This letter originally consisted of two pages (cf. XXXI, line 23),
represented by our two fragments XXXI and XXXII. But evidently one
line has been lost at the bottom of XXXI, and several at the bottom of
in elegant

square

a hard point before writing.

Some

characters.

of the

XXXII.

][

"
3

[]
All

Read perhaps

is
2

gone.

See No.

[ []

XXXI,
for

note

[ ,

except what

stubbornness, or

<

service .(?)

brought with me.

Plate

.^*
^^^
^'*
^

'&*srv

^,
^^^^^^^
V

>*

:1

-*

-^i . 1

'yyT^'T^W

.
^\\?

'

TV-

***

&

~** *

"

'

**

^ t**'* **

.$'

srwiww sr^w:

"'*^

^ ^:
^
';
>.< -^
&
^^^
^&%

^^;
^^^^ ^^^
-^ ^^^
.

33

wk .<

fecyvE

?
sffi

-.'

< Vv*

'.-

<

<^

'

V
*.
.

!:%ms.w-^*

..

Tfrr

.^
!
5

:;
"'

\...

#8

'*

***^

6^*

*_

>

'

.^

?5$

^?
I

^- ^*'
"- *

- k

'

*$ \->>v:
V,

-'Mip

XXXI

'

t^V

\\

11

'fS';
'

t t/

Gbnizah Fragment 32

3y K-vy^'V

>

LETTER

XXXII. PART OF A

XXXII. PART OF A
As

LETTER

more than one

the context shows, hardly

47

line

has been lost between

XXXI

and XXXII.
Tobiah has become a burden

Egyptian community through his

home, somewhere
in the Roman Empire, and asks Abraham to give him a letter which will
protect him from molestation.
1

go to and fro and get a living; but I came here for another reason.
And I remained a whole year [engaged] in the business of my honored
Master. But I have not beheld
any profit through the work of my hands. Yet I have not stood before
any man to beg
of him support
nor have I begged of [any] man
nor has any man

me

[anything,] from time out of

mind except

And God knows how we

place.

lived

three persons

the year, burdened [with] the need of sustenance.

that

my

And Abu

all

al-Faraj...

me

told
8

6 in this
7

to the

desires to return to his

to

given
5

He

support himself.

failure to

Lord, the honored Elder, was angry because

have dwelt among

you.
9

And when

heard his words,

said to myself that perhaps

had become

a burden to them.
10

For day

after

hausted

day

stand before them

my

n he has heard(?) about

a
12

at

member

my

and

my

Lords patience

is

ex-

or

of the

community

among

dwelling

when I became
became angry
mind to go to my own

stubbornness(?) 3 from the day

them.

in this

And

place; and he

made up my

country and to
!3

14

my birth-place and my kindred; and [I am]

my Lord, the Elder, the honored Prince,
that he perform my request, on account of

my

placing

which

petition 4 before

came down

to this

place.
15

16

17

For here there is no one who has been gracious to me, or requited me
[with good]
Quite the contrary 5
save only you. For your favor has remained for me perfect 6 and you
have even added and will add [favor] in this
matter. And you will have a reward in this and in the coming world.
And [my request is] that you prepare for [me,] your servant in the

abundance(?)
18

of your wisdom, a letter.

the way, even as

it

.-'

For

overtook

fear that [evil]

me
7

,.

may

overtake 7

me

on

GENIZAH FRAGMENTS

148

[]

4
.

Probably the modern Henasslyeh near Benisueif.

Sudan
9
10

1908, p. 206.

See No.
I.e.

the

XXXI, line 14.

Roman Empire.

See Baedeker, Egypt and the

XXXII.
Hanes 8

19 at

favor of

Had

my

49

not been for the mercies of the Almighty and the

it

Lord, the honored Elder,

In those days

20 in prison.

PART OF A LETTER

should be today

had [money]

in

my

hand, and

gave a bribe.

But
21

in these

22

23

may

that he

not in

is

my

my

hand anything

petition 4 before

my

and on account of

this

Lord,

deal graciously with his servant, and not leave

him

to perish.

For your servant will magnify

and glorify the name of my Lord, the Elder May the Rock preserve
him 9
for all that he has done for me, and for every man
10
near and far. And I will
in all the congregations of the land of Edom

24

days there

am] placing

[I

order [the] second 11

25

[the] fifth 11 to

and

pronounce a blessing

for

my

honored Lord

And from my Rock 9 [I shall make]

that He turn aside from him every disease, and

in

the

every

evil

synagogues.
26

the request

decree [of fortune:] 12 even as

11

I.e.
,

arranged
.

13
.

Psalm

xci, 10.

written 13

Not

shall befall

14

or head of the school, and the members,

There were the
See Mann, op. cit vol. i, pp. 54, 264.

in a certain order.

12

14

etc.

it is

.,

GENIZAH FRAGMENTS

XXXIII.

LETTER

Paper
x 5 inches.
Arabic in cursive Hebrew characters.
See the introductions to Nos. Ill, XII, XXII, XXXIV, XXXV, which
it closely resembles in writing and language.
All of these were possibly
dictated to the same scribe by members of one community. Cf. also the
similar writing in Fiihrer durch die Ausstellung (Sammlung Erzherzog
Rainer),

Wien

1894, opposite

assimilated to one form

p.

yet the

The language shows strong

262.

Many

characters are

same character may have

completely

different forms.

foreign influence.

Recto
!

..

.. 9

"

"
!

di

Cf.

No. XII,

see Dozy, Suftpl

. ,

Much

line

1,

vol.

ii,

where the complete expression

p. 319, line

is

used.

For

0 j

this sense of

6 from below.

of the difficulty of translating these letters lies in the intentional vagueness

There was danger of their being intercepted.

See Dozy, Suppl vol. ii, p. 697, col. ii, middle.
Vernacular via dayya na losh. But the -sh is still objective not yet adverbial as

with which they were written.

1

. ,

now

is.
0

b/**

it

Plate

XXXII

Genizah Fragment 33

Plate

XXX III

*^ <*<
<* ^^*)
#

0 <^ '</

>& wy t>^r

"

|| pi/
,
KJX
1
p'
/*
<'/>(<
i
, ^ }Ay
^
<<
4
/<
juyy/*< 40 (/<
j''F
>y
L
<:<<' 1 "< ^ ^
Wv y
'*jfl >j 4>uid//
^
P v, ^lx> lr
<
w>V
VI
l/I)t
}
1a>
>A

yy y?

i t>*
:

>A 1 ( <*.*-

- '-/<

^-<

/<

'

>
'<
o>Wf
v
fSAVo#*
<<^* 1 '^^
,
>
^U *
V !jVK- i* P^/P* f
.
F
l*sV
2
,j
v
cm
?Y
\r*>
<
^y&>A>o$1
^
,

Os< y

>

'

<j'/

^
,viv
ssi
2
,

*?

/ i*

V ^

>**

V
-

V
.

*$*
:

-i

..

'
'

9 =S

^ oa<i j**?'*y
k

* v

%"
*

--

<

jS*-

T-v

*Tf/

vip^
r.!v-'i.

Genizah Fragment 33 b

LETTER

XXXIII.

LETTER

XXXIII.
A

from Allan(?) Ibn Yahya to Abu Umran Moses Ibn Abu alHayy. The former has left the latter and gone to a distant city, whence
he writes back concerning a number of business and personal matters.
letter

One

Both are engaged in handling miscellaneous merchandise.

reminded of II Timothy iv, 13-14.

Where

the context

is

strongly

becomes uncertain. Interrogation

lost translation

marks might have been used more

There is no date.

is

plentifully.

Recto
1

[This

is]

my

May God

letter [to you].

prolong the

life

of

my

Lord, the

glorious Sheikh, and continue his safety

and his health and his prosperity,

and confound his enemies! [This letter is] from one who inquires 1 [after
his health. Written] when 13 days of Shebhat had passed. The mercy
of God be upon you and upon us
through its most favorable termination, and make [it] acceptable to you!
May God hasten the happy 2 reunion in His goodness and His abundant

He

kindness.

is

[sufficient]

Know, my Lord,

4 for that.

and found everything

5

a condition of safety.
told you,

that

arrived after tribulation

by sea and

land,

in

We

praise

and about which

my

God

that the matter, about

which we

heart

that matter has turned out rightly for me. And I ask God
me and prosper me in [the business]
in which I am [now engaged]. Verily He hears and answers. And it is
not possible for me to explain 3 to you
this. And those people had already paid 4 it 3 May God protect them
And I went out, and [then] I remembered you. And already
And they said We have not wasted 5 [anything] of his. And
their
And they journeyed to him when he wished,
I saw them talking.
And I saw their condition. It was not good, on account of weakness

was troubled
to direct

ro

nourishment 6 Then, when it was

your
brother
came, after I [had come], I went 7 with him to
Friday,
your house. He said Bring out to me the grain. But there was no
strength left in him [for such a task], I needed first of all a tailor 8
And I turned the sacks on their sides, and I worked hard,
by Allah, at it. And that 9 grain poured out [of the sacks in] good [condition]. There was 10 not anything [the matter with it]. But he went
to work and hauled out the whole business. [And still] he didnt find

and

11

insufficient

12

13

Of
8

This

should be
foreigner.
9

10

line

is

in

very bad Arabic.

as an outer plural of >[/

One can only guess

the sense

the grain of those sacks.

Vernacular ma fih she. But the -she

He

* i

used for ^Jl.

^1' is

intervenes.

(?)

does not exist except for the

tore his clothes,

working

(?).

I.e.

is still

subjective

not yet adverbial.

Cf.

note

5.

GENIZAH FRAGMENTS

52

20

2!

23

26

[]
Verso

11

Here he avoids the

plural entirely.

Cf.

note

8.

12

Jai?

13

Cf.

14

Palestinian vernacular form.

15

see line 22.

Not
The MaghribI vernacular

note

8.

16

form.

means to bet with someone about.

Not an error, for it occurs in line 11 also.

ordinarily
18

for

19
20

Vernacular in

bihill alek
22

21

Dele

23

See Dozy, Supply

21

Confusion between cLi

vol.

i,

p. 549.
')!

terruptions in dictation.
25

Palestinian vernacular hek for

and

resulting probably from in-

XXXIII.

LETTER

the sack[s] u anything [wrong] at

14 in

all

12
.

You

said in

your

letter:

53

If

13

you bring out for them sacks of the new [grain],

they will mix them up [with sacks of old grain. To

15

16

Do

not bring out to us anything until this 14 [old]

is

they replied

this]

And

exhausted.

paid them more than 15

16

pay them the second dinar and more 15 as you

directed. And I risked 17 asking your brother 18
in the shop of the Sheikh Abu al-Habn(?), about the good manuscript
copy of the Prophets 19 which belongs to you. And he said
But

a dinar.

will

17

18

havent been able to [give

it

up], because the

boys read

in

he said [further that] you had already written to him about

21

write to me,

And

if

and

them

said to

will

take

away from him,

it

willing or unwilling.

When

you have bleached the yarn and finished reeling it, take whatever you
can get among yourselves for weaving [it]
and for 22 embroidering it 23 . And your brother 18 said to me that you had
written to him an explanation of everything 24 [As for] the alum
None of it has arrived, and so 25 prices 26 [are] a dinar and a half and I
have offered [mine] for sale to them. Perhaps, by Allah
some of [the things] will be sold 27 and in [doing] that I shall not forget 16 the basket. [As for] the indigo There has arrived
today a second caravan, in which are 100 baskets and they were not
sold here. So if
you have the inclination, write to me what 28 I should do for you in the

20

So,

permitted 20 you [to do]

it is

19 this

And

it.
it.

22

23

24

25

And

matter.

27

28

that.

[As

much we can

divide them.

for] the dinars

(it

29
)

and

Verso
1

they are too

if

which I left with you Subtract

my 30 [credit by taking] from 30 them four dinars.
And take from them the value of the wine of yours which I have
turn over the balance to Rabbi Abraham
al-Kalal(?) 31 after you have bought for me from it

do
from

26 will

and a pot of candied roses 32

for(?) the Sheikh Abu

which there are four rotls
because I asked him about [that point. As to] the spikenard 33 I took
by chance 34 into the shop of Banyas(?),
it to the Market
for half a dinar sugar,

Isaac, in

26

Perhaps

27

28

plural of

JjJ.
29

Vernacular.

Redundant.

30

(,>* of the person,

31

The same

33

as No.

331

32

7.

Andropogo?1 nardus or nardns

,

0 of the thing.

XXXIV,

Celtica.

Or

saffron.

See Hava, Arabic- English Dictionary 1899

,

GENIZAH FRAGMENTS

54

"

[]

<

Address

[]

[][
34

35

[]

A*5_5, 1.32 oz. avoirdupois.

36

akj.

39

Egyptian vernacular.

See Baedecker, Egypt and the Sudan 1908,

,

38

37 J..0
j.a3.

p.

ii.

?
^ 0

41

I.e.

with

40

omitted.

here and in line 10 because

42

it

See No. XIII, verso, line

Incorrect plural of Ajji.

Cf.

No. IX, many times.

The

has been omitted

has become a hamzah, as in modern vernacular.

45.

LETTER

XXXIII.
3

the father of the parnas.

It

35

to a dinar

and a

didnt sell

And the death of the boy who lived

May God the Exalted recompense 36
And said to him I 16 will lend 37 you I

to be concerned(?).

me
6 his

was worth evidently(?) up

16

55

third the wiklyah

So
it.
I desire that
you inform him of that and if he prefers to sell it, let him do what he
thinks best. And the owner of it has reason
I

with him affected

deeply.

heart

you]

left

[at]

mans letter arrives. But

do not be concerned 38 (?) about him. And [as

have a dinar

[for

until the

your house:

Do

for] the things 39

not forget about them.

And

[as

which
for]

the

water-skins 40
8

which

drinking-water

[are] for

the basket

Perhaps you

Do

will

not forget about them.

send

it

to

me

in

And

[as for]

the care of Rabbi

Abraham.
have informed my Lord of this. And give my greetings 41
Lord the Sheikh Abu Isaac Ibn Tayyiban 42 and his son.

[So]

10

And

[to]

my

Abu al-Hasan send 41

you greetings 43
And you will surely have to write. And I would like, if you please 44 to
have you give my greetings to my Lord the Prince of Princes 45
and to present my apologies for [the circumstance] that the saucer reached
me, and I 16 did not go to him, nor did I 16 meet
him. And I have bothered [you] to ask 46,16 about that and do not be
heedless, but let [news of its accomplishment] reach me in your [next]
And
letter. So farewell
48
47
Hilal
al-AtrublusI
about the leather box which Abraham left
I asked
and he said to me I have it.
at his house
Remind him to bring it. And I 16 will let you know [if he fails], and
make 16 him bring it, and write 16 to you about that. So farewell
the Sheikh All Ibn Salman(?) and the Sheikh
.

11

17

!3

14

15

A ddress
[To]

my

Lord the Sheikh Abu Umran Moses, son of Abu al-Hayy 49

whose

rest [is in]

God lengthen
[From]

his life

Allan, son of

43 i.e.

and continue his safety and prosperity

Yahya, whose rest [is in] Eden.

S *

ALaij

46

Vernacular

45

Hebrew.
3

49

Zi

41

47

Eden

48
new moon.
of
certain Abu al-Hayy was

lines 8-ro,

No.

Ill,

0*0Z

for classical O***)!.

Tripoli.
still

alive but suffering

verso were written.

from some skin disease, when

GENIZAH FRAGMENTS

56

XXXIV. LETTER
Paper 6| x 5 inches.
Arabic in cursive Hebrew characters.

Both the language and the writing are similar to those of Nos. Ill, XII,
XXXV and what has before been said need not
here be repeated. On the recto the scribe uses some care but he grows
1
more careless, and on the verso his slovenliness is extreme.

XXII, XXXIII, and

Recto
'

'

'

'

'

'

'3'

'
'

'

'

'

^
1

See XXXIII, note

Read

'

The opening formulae

Vernacular nalldna for

Since you have gone

Aramaic.

Hebrew.
acLJI.

if

"

of the two letters are almost identical.

W 0^
God only knows how we have missed

not a mistake, represents a childish pronunciation.

you.

Plate

XXXIV

4a

r? 1

5
5

Mile- 5

Jo
.

~3 ,*t> &1 1-314

S| f

*I

*
^

Jb
| a.
%\
4

2 *
|
OA

r
|
1

5 *
g 1
^*-3

< s

LS

Fragment

(jenizah

Plate

XXXY

b
84

Fragment

Genizah

XXXIV. LETTER

57

XXXIV. LETTER
A letter from Nathan Ben Nahrai, in Alexandria, to Nahrai Ben Nisslm,
head of the Babylonian community in Fustat (See Mann, op. cit., vol.
p. 206; vol. ii, p. 248), who is temporarily in Mallj(?). The addressee and
a certain Abu Sad have recently visited the writer in Alexandria.
Translation is difficult at times, because the writers constructions were
mixed in his own mind before they reached the paper.
i,

Recto :
1

[This

my

is]

letter [to you].

May God

most glorious Sheikh, and continue

prolong the
his safety

life

and

of

my

Lord, the

his health

and

his

prosperity,
2

and confound

his

enemies

[This letter

from one

is]

who

inquires 1 [after

Written] when 20 [days] of Shebhat [had passed]. May

[the month] for my Lord with the best [sort] of com-

his health.

God complete
pletion 2

O my

Lord Behold you have gone God increase your

health and we have had 3 [in the way of] bereavement of you what
God [only] knows 4 And everyone in the household [feels likewise]. And
as for Nahrai 5 my [little] boy
[God] preserve his life to you
he is
inform you,

3 I

angry with us
and says When will our Rabbi 6 come, and Abu Sad ? And he says
Is the dentleman 7 here? And up to now 8 we have been saying to
;

him
6

They

are in the synagogue 9

worried [about]

how you

They

coming

are

directly 8 .

And we

arrived,

Thursday at evening Rabbi Abraham al-Kala! 10 and the Kohen

arrived, and informed us of your arrival
with all safety. And we praised God and asked Him for a completion

of you,

until

[of

your plans] with [His] benevolence.

O my

people

who

And

Lord, when you arrive safely,

are likewise] safe, that

if

desire

God

will,

12

[your

arrival

your place of residence; and I shall praise God for that. And everyone in Alexandria 11 from among our friends
May they be blessed 6 is grieved at your departure 12 praying 13 God
for you [that He will] grant of you the pious prayer,
and not scatter you nor scatter 14 us from our native cities. And inform

10 at

11

among

you inform me of your

me,

10
11
13

14

O my

.
.

Lord,

See No. XXVII, note

See No. XXXIII,
Vernacular form.

32.

Dozy, op.

recto, line 28.

12

for

cit., vol. ii, p.

493.

GENIZAH FRAGMENTS

158

!3

Verso

>

5
?

Address

3
15

Maghribi form.

16

See Yakut ed. Wiistenfeld,

vol. iv, p. 639,

But near which Mahallah

x

17

Omission or inadvertent change of construction

,0/

0 t

0*y

GW.

XXXIV. LETTER
13 in

your [next]
Malij 16 as

!4

or whether

15

up
your

15

shall

59

send you the female slave to

agreed with him,

you have

my mind

in

regard to her another opinion, for

to send her to

you

had made

after the arrival of

letter in regard to that [matter];

Verso
1

whether

letter

the
and so
I did not ask your Excellency about the meeting with
Sheikh Abu al-Mufaddal concerning the matter which
because my Lord was prevented from sending
depends upon the 17
him 18 and I did not write it to you in the memorandum. I have

informed
3

my

Lord of

[Please] give [my] most distinguished

this.

salutations

21
and my Lord
Lord the Sheikh Abu Sad 20
the Sheikh Abu al-Hasan Isaac, with greetings, and his parents 22 Nahrai,
my boy, kisses his hand, and sends him special greetings. And to
Abraham,
the bridegroom, his Excellency, he sends especial greetings. And so do
we, great and small, kiss his Excellency and send him especial

especially 19 to

my

greetings,
6

and beg him not to forget us, by way of a pious wish. So, Peace and
good health, Amen 6 And we wish you not to cut us off. Farewell 6
!

A ddress
[To] his Excellency,

my

One

Lord, the Haber, the Great

bhah, our Rabbi Nahrai, son of Rabbi Nissim 23

his 24 life

of the YashI-

May God

prolong

and continue his 24 strength

[From] his 24 affectionate and grateful Nathan, son of Nahrai, whose
[is in] Eden.

18

The same person

as in recto line 13?

,

19

20
.

21

Is this

See

recto, line 5.

a twice unsuccessful attempt to write

22
23

24

See Mann,

op. cit., vol.

Cf.

No.

II,

i,

p.

206;

note 25.

vol.

ii,

p. 248.

rest

GENIZAH FRAGMENTS

160

XXXV. LETTER
Paper 6| x 51 inches.
Arabic

in cursive

Hebrew

characters.

See the introductions to Nos. Ill, XII, XXII, XXXIII and XXXIV,
which this fragment resembles in writing and language. Although the hand
is careless, it is not quite so bad as that of the other fragments mentioned

The language

and some of the characters have a different form.

better. Verso bears earlier Arabic writing.

also

is

Recto
'

[]

1
1

"
!

!3

<

3
1

Koran, Surah

i,

v.

1.

U*.

He was

Vernacular.

Vernacular.

Vernacular ddna 71 lr.

The missing letter is perhaps a deleted

vernacular for

Literally:
5

al-BusIrl?

cleverer than
0

I.

kasabah = about

. The

1 1

ft.

7f

in.

form was then yitrddd Egyptian

Plate

XXXVI

a
35

Fragment

Genizah

Si

?1
,

A
|-

m kp ff
A *X
^A
a
n *| f$f
|H
*3H

***

&,3

< /J

4
r ?

V*

s k sr5 *
t

t**

:5

5
a!t&. i

>

Plate

XXXVII

b
30

s
Fragment

IS
eft*

Genizah

R'

it

XXXV. LETTER

161

XXXV. LETTER
Two

men, both Jews, have for more than forty years engaged in business
one of them, the writer of this letter, travelling about, the other
remaining at home, as indeed was often the case in partnerships. They
handled general merchandise, but especially cloth. They advanced money
to weavers, and took the cloth as it was produced.
The writer now complains of his partners inertia and timidity, and of
his own exertions and losses
perhaps merely the business usage of the
together

time.

Recto
1

[This

is]

my

has come
2

O my Lord and Master and Chief.

and continue your strength [The month

letter [to you],

prolong your

life,

peace

in

May God
of] Safar

God, the Lord of the Worlds 1 The weaver has

arrived here in the midst of the Festival, and a letter
has come to me through his arrival. I went out to [meet] him, and he
delivered your letter, stuffed with excuses. [You write :] He has
taken advantage of me 3 . My opinion is that you are shiftless, and want
people to come to you in your shop. He knew that
nothing 4 would be done for him or for me [through you]; so, he went to
5
in person, and [the latter] paid him the
I bn al-Basrl
twenty-seven dinars and a half on 30 kasabahs 6 He delivered to [the
latter] on the day when he received the dinars 7 5 kasabahs [of cloth].

and praise belongs

to

Then
7

he did the same thing with the

last

On

it

finished.

And

and [the

said.

latter]

[Tell me,]

went

off,

If

took every day and each time what was convenient, until

And

the business 4 was settled.

10

tell

he had only told you, and you had gone along with
But he went back 8 to [Ibn al-Basrl 5 ],

as

him

by little, and at
you how he was getting along.

rest [of the cloth], little

he did not

the contrary, he kept putting you

have

was

to

when have

as for sitting idle:

and joy 9 ever come to you by chance? You

[the weaver] as one goes who does not buy

! anything except

for

relief

cash 10

Now, you and

I,

the

first

time we did

business with him, found [that] he had no

12

more than a little in excess

and you got all the rest

of 30 kasabahs.

Yet we paid the 100 dinars,

by little. But if you had

[of the cloth] little

paid
13

him the dinars 7 at the time of his arrival, and he had said to you Wait
a month, it would have troubled you in a very short
time, because you 11 would have acted as one who fears that the house
will walk away under ones very eyes, so that the profit does not
9

419 tuJ?

10

See Dozy,

op. cit., vol.

ii,

p. 849.

11

GENIZAH FRAGMENTS

162

Margin

a)
)

Margin

(b)

Verso

^
3

O*

^4 0 4

04

'

'

**

<4

*^4 A UI

>

aJLJI

13
15

Hebrew.
Egyptian vernacular dilwakt.
Hebrew. Deut. xxiv, 5.
1

14

Hebraism.
> n this age.

i^jslS

V. jussive) and

^5

10

Cf.

a
17

dUI ^tr~j

0j.Ja.a-

UL> <UJI

12

JU

'

oje.

(O* + l)

4
5

*5

XXXV. LETTER
15

Lord Abu al-SarOr

You say What 4 has happened 4
Send first of all what he prefers:

Margin

it].

at the

And

[same]

May God continue his strength

my

17

deception [about

which has arrived

epistle,

[as]

the letter of

no

share has decreased

have called attention to your

moment
16

My

return to him.

163

you

to

a)

Let it be [anything] except the whole of it. When God has made it
easy [to do so], and you are not worried about what I am entitled to from

al-Sad

[the matter]

Margin

which

mentioned

65 kasabahs

send

it

(b)

Let the remainder, 53 kasabahs

remain yours about the value
more or less. Charge it against my Lord Abu al-Sarur May God
protect him
and do not divide it with me. Let the two [things] agreed
upon be extension of the term, and distribution of the thing. So there
will arise from it a blessing 12
to me.

of a dinar,

Verso
1

If

had had a thousand

me
2

ruin in

my

my

amount [from]

condition would have been like [the ruin of] a beggar, instead

lot in

And upon

it

he setteth his heart 15 . This [has been]

partnership [with] you [during]

more than 40 years. You know

my testimony at any time as to

my bitter toil 17 and the greatness of my patience to [undertake] journeys
You were most kind to promise and say: Do not disat my age 16
others besides

this 13

for all this length of time, the

of 14 profit
3

and you had taken

dinars,

me who

will

bear out

tress 17 yourself

10

and endure [hardship] on 18 land and sea without

limit. Send me whatever you like, and I will see to selling it and sending
it off for you.
So I relied upon your word.
But my share did not help me no deception [about it]. Be so good, my
Lord, and let me have 23 kasabahs.
And send them together not
cut up, chopped up
if it please God. God only is my sufficiency

In

A rabic letters 19

To

the Sayyicl

From
2

Israel

May God

Bu Sad

life

and continue

May God
In the

Name

Ibn All Ibn al-Masrl.

Ibn Israel Ibn Daniel.

lengthen his

Abu Salamah

Ibn

strengthen

Fustat.
!

of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate 20

Excellency my Lord the Kadi the Imam has arrived.

May God lengthen his life and prolong his strength
and confound his enemy, and destroy him who envies him

The

letter of his

0-3
18
10

for at,

Egyptian vernacular for

Extremely uncertain.

20

Jl

Muslim formula.

GENIZAH FRAGMENTS

164

XXXVI. AN

ACCOUNTING

Paper 10| x 3f inches.

Arabic
served.

Hebrew

in cursive

characters, distinctly written

Decipherment would be easy, were

it

and well pre-

not for the peculiar nature of

the contents.

On

XVIII, and

the verso are notes, in another hand, like that of No.

apparently in Arabic

The words gold and

but they are badly written and badly preserved.

silver can occasionally be

made

out.

Recto

1
4

2
5

I.e.

three-quarters.

unit-fractions.
1

5
3

=| + i+i

See L c

Egypt by

Karpinski, The History of Mathematics,

demand

these renderings ofj*- and

you.

this word must mean some commodity viewed

Without the article and with
though there is no authority for this rendering.
Cf. the plural of this word in a similar accounting, No. XIV, verso b, line 3.

lectively,
6

All fractions, except two-thirds, were expressed in

>

Context seems to

4 I.e.
5

121

Thus

col-

Plate

XXXVIII

y,y

js

*< <Vi/vM
/v

K^>

<2

<
<^

v* j>0 '*yoia

'***

<

fajsy

**<;'<?*><

vm?v j^*

<% jtA/isj\rj

0*AMl4

^yrjF fth

*
< 541W
^*h9\F* Jgv ' /*
rfy**/

<*<$

/MA*3S<

<ysy&tvsm/ **V**<*/*
<
fl/JpW
**
myb t***ftyy*&nS1MA 7 *
anvis
<^
yW p ?&
*

^
^*
(<4

r3>t/

41

(/

<0

<33 */
*

jwsjftjt */

^ VV

thtt

>
)

<

*yvJiWk

h<v>>

j>y

*
i

3 <(<*

504 /Ha

//

/ 1

h/^/

Maokji ?a w*v>y pjMjfta ^

1

H'Zr

/$&/<*/

l^y 153 < /

1(

JgA ft

Hi jy* "

4*

Jf -

ps

>

*/J

30-k

>* %4

yJ

*fU/v Vj/X/
. .
-

yrw
l*f'M 07;V

7**/*.

?'*

V^}
^yv[yu1fTf\vhm
&

v*t/ib

&**&*$

<w
^
**
221

/1

<Jt

}/* 3^

vfp/i'f

y **

Genizah Fragment 36

S
*

ACCOUNTING

XXXVI. AN

!65

XXXVI. AN ACCOUNTING
This

an account rendered by some unnamed person to

is

No

Arusah Joseph.

Many

Abu

al-Afrah

dates nor places are named.

and commodities are

meaning of such contemporary
technical terms. Also, the amounts are not always followed by the name
of the coin. If the dinar were everywhere assumed, the sums would often
different sorts of expenses, charges, officials

One cannot be

mentioned.

sure of the

be too large.
Recto

Blessed be the

Name 1

Account of the Sheikh AbO al-Afrah Arusah Joseph

You have

my

in

keeping,

bale of purple [goods], the weight [of

Sir, a

which is] 4 kintars

and a half and a quarter 2 the [purchase] price 3 [of which is] 14 the kintar,
[and] the value 3 [of which is] 66
dinars and a quarter. And he 4 has a half and a quarter 2 dlnar[s worth
of] twine 5 and rope and leather matting 6
And he 4 has five dinars[ worth of] clover [for] the provisioning 7 [of the
,

animals], the

sum

total [being]

What

Pourboires for the sailors,

[Fee

is

deducted

[for]

72 dinars 8

provisioning from this

Ships porterage,

1.

and revenue-tax 10 and

for] seal,

Obligation of the craft 9 a half dinar.

1.

[for]

signature [on] papers, and

what was paid

9

to

Abu Muhammad
two and a

10

Porters,

11

What was expended

12

Obligation 9

13

and
14

and a

women 13

661 + 1 + 5 = 72

Fee paid
^

yt>

10
11

12

to

Ferry 14

a half.

an eighth of a dinar.
.

[One] person,

1.

Bread

for the

camel-driver

1.

Three women 13 a half and a quarter.

,

for the privilege of

doing business

See Dozy,

op.

cit.,

common

grain, trifle.

vol.

i,

p. 226.

words, but evidently in some technical or cryptic sense.

This seems to be a unit of weight and a coin.

uncertain.
1,1

hire,

and a habbah 12

and an eighth 2

some guild? Fee paid

Plainly written
I.e.

sixth,

Inspector, an eighth.

a quarter and an eighth.

a quarter.

for the

Rosetta: Ships

in

Registrar, a half

a quarter.

11

Spit

half.

a quarter

Sea-shore u

Apology 11 one and

an eighth of a dinar.

plural of

14

du

Its

value

is

GENIZAH FRAGMENTS

166

<

29

3!

32

33

34
*

35
7

36

37

Or perhaps another place name.

15

Abbreviated.

16

Colloquial bdraniya for

17

for

18

38

ACCOUNTING

XXXVI. AN
15

[At] the gate of Alexandria 15

167

[One] person, one and a

External 16

half.

a quarter.
16

Lodging 17

two

for

nights,

and guard, and a water-bottle, and door-keeper,

and inspectors,
17

ticket 18

and

and

and

letter,

and carrying

rolling

[of bales] to the ware-

house, three and a half

18
19

and a quarter. Hire of camel, a sixth and a quarter

of the

and

a dinar

office,

klrats

15

and a

Twine

half.

Agent

klrat.
5

a half and a

quarter.
20

[To] Ibn Ain al-Daulah, one and a

one and a

Scraper 11

half.

Porters,

half.

two and a

Exhibition,

5.

Carrying to the place of

half.

embarkation,
22
.

and a quarter.

a half

and

inspectors,

gift 19 to

the scraper 11

and the scribe of the place of embarkation, one and a half and an eighth.
Pourboires for

24

and

Porters,

And

two.

sailors,

gift 19 to

Breakfast

the chief, a quarter.

the ship[s crew],

[for]

a dinar.
25

Total of the paper, 22 klrats and a

26

Equalled by 20 what was spent

4

27 to his

28
29
,70

Account of the
price

and a

credit, a klrat

60

sale 21 of the bale of purple [goods].

the kintar, the

weighing

The

balance, 430 and a half.

32

There were deducted from this

value,
:

three

Breakfast,
rubaI 23

23

I.e.

dinars

and a

klrat.

From

the

the balance:

Carrying to the hostelry 24

to the gold obligation of the office, a rubaI.

a rubaI.

The

total:

J'

7r av80)((!ov.

21

and a half and a

Z '

20

a quarter of a dinar.

[to]

Water-bottle, a half and an

for 44k..

J 0 J

24

and

Youths and Sultan, a dinar

Hauling, a rubai 23

a dinar and a third.

Sultan

Obligation of the

eighth.

19

sold,

Wages, six dinars and a half and an

Favor

was

264 and a sixth and an eighth.

of the seller 22 seven dinars and a klrat.

38 place,

the

to

34 and a half and a quarter and an eighth.

37

It

Obligation

eighth.

36

Balance

in the office of the representative.

Four hundred and seventy-four, tribute

youths, three and a half. The

35 gate,

cash, 4 dinars.

half.

31

33

And

half.

in provisioning, 5 dinars.

21

<x)

See Dozy,

Hire of

klrat.

* 0

22

for

op. cit., vol.

i,

p.

504.

GENIZAH FRAGMENTS

168

39

4!

43

44

45

Margin

26

25
1

has been deleted.

.
.

ACCOUNTING

XXXVI. AN
39

This

is

what the representative brought me.

The

result

169

was

Weight

of the

and the buying 25 two kintars and a half and a rotl. The price,
fifty-five, after being greedy and zealous. Amount of the
value, 248. Deducted from this 26 2 and a half and a kirat.
What the representative charged against me, and also value of oil, 22
and a quarter. And in the way of breakfast and provisions, six dinars
and a half. And in the way of
generosity, though hard, two dinars. The total, 52 and a sixth and an

40 selling
41

42

43

44

45

eighth.

Margin
bought from that,
The remainder amounted to ... less a sixth
I
27
67 dinars less a sixth, [in] Moroccan money. Price of the exchange
12
to the mithkal. The number of them was 68 and a 1ubaI
5 habbahs
,

and

27

or

22

GENIZAH FRAGMENTS

170

XXXVII. LETTER
x 4 inches.

Paper

Hebrew in cursive Hebrew characters.

The language is exceptionally good. The writing, though apparently
plain, gives some difficulty because of the unusual forms of some of the
letters, and the way in which they are combined.
There

is

no date

but the occurrence of a watermark places the fragment

certainly after A.D. 1282.

the watermark

is

See Briquet, Les Filigranes, 1907. Unfortunately

indistinct.

4
5

3
4

!5

<

9
7

XXXIX

Plate

-C-

vA5

^yy

JtJJpjdS

'jrpp > JLPJ'

OJ

0s<1<

*&

)MzUj<

Z>

,>/>/

2>j

jda Al

*SjZj )*ildj
>V'>ji J1>pj

:y< UpJ ! ill?

X?js3 SVs> <&j

opp^zD^ozJ
7k!? x>> 7>j&u

oj

J^e> J>S

Zp

j'**

9j^1y

&7 7

^ 2<yW

y> >s>

o?J,c>^ , >

o< / y

?( 7

A47 &

4/

Aji)
*
-Zjk U!}*Lf *,yyUs yikj?) 2>i^>
?VUs> (t&j
d^iby 0)j>
*fft' djj
<
11 1 jj?j
U*is
C ?

)IsoioJ
1

,*>Js

&

'

<*7>jsjj

^1 (

'

) ->jv)

i<

9s 'J

'

*u

sJy

ovaj t%js ',

?XJ) J7J/>

IxyU >>&?>
pTi'O 7?^ Jty M'
S->pJ7

1-1L*s7 s'lJ3

oJ>> VJ
%yr> ph

*rf-l

^'12A

&S')
'^
f

'

'

'pL! 7aIs>x ;

Genizah Fragment 37

XXXVII. LETTER

XXXVII. LETTER
From Moses Ibn Abu Dirham, to a younger man who is unnamed.
The writer is about to leave his present place of residence, and remove
to Slkat 9

near Alexandria, where he will live with his son-in-law

in

tower. There he will be safe from the present persecution, and enjoy a

prosperous business upon the highway of travel.

Blessed be the
1

3
4

and Exalted Sir, my Son, Crown of the Law 2

am glad
After many greetings 3 His 4 letter has arrived; and
6
4
5
condition.
And
know
that
my
son-in-law
his
good
know
of
to
8
7
live
in
with
us.
For
I
has rented a tower to

Intelligent

cannot go to rent [one];

together in

with his household to Alexandria.

Name 1

and

my

And

it.

last

so, all of

night

my

us are to live

son-in-law went
[It is]

my

down

intention also to go,

household, Monday, the 26th, to dwell in the house of

son-in-law 6

10

even though no trustworthy information has reached here as yet

for there are people rejoicing, and many people dead

11

yet there

13

no trustworthy information. At all events I

should like to go away from here to Sikat 9 for it [is]
a place of passage and [there will be] passing by us continually

!4

people of Egypt

is

so that

we

shall dwell there like prosperous folk

18

have mercy and His anger will depart from

12
even though there are some who say
His people Israel
8 are untrustworthy.
But as
towers
the
that
also
shall
And 1 hope
we
do.
done,
[so]
others have

19

that he 4 will write

15

16
17

Perhaps God

what he

11

10
.

will

me

a letter 13 [expressing]

of his intention, and

all

And may God 11

give us peace with His wise counsel

and deliver us and you from every anxiety and oppression, and from

,0 [is
2!

my

going

to] do.

pestilence 14

22 and from famine! Many greetings from [my] unimportant [self who]
4 love, Moses Ibn Abu Dirham 15
2 3 rely upon his
to my sister, and joy from [my] household
greetings
2 4 ) (Many
25}[Friday, first day of the month of Adar.
.

his

Or

father-in-law.

Some

=
=

= your, he = you.
7

place near Alexandria

5
8

Perhaps

10
Arabic Ajit*,)!
name being lost.
13
12
Numbers xxv, 4.
15 Arabic: Abu Dirham, the man [who

I.e.

11
14

.*.*

suffix.

second element of the

DKtn.

collects the] dirham.

Spanish family see the Jewish Eticyclopedia sub voce.

vOLJt

strongly built house?

road, the

For the Arabic

with
and

Inf.

On

this celebrated

GENIZAH FRAGMENTS

172

PARAPHRASES

XXXVIII. POETIC BIBLICAL

Paper 6f x 5^ inches, folded so as to form four pages

filled

all

of which are

with writing.

Hebrew

in a large

square

Hebrew hand, very much

effaced on three of

the pages.

The

original verse division has

and verso ( a )

recto (b)

other two pages

Recto

it is

it

On

but lost by the copyist.

all

can only occasionally be discovered, but on the

quite evident, although

it is

not followed.

[
[

(b)

been

[]

]
]

[]

]
[]

]
]
.

[]

[]

Verso

a)

[[
[
]

Cf. al-Harlzi,

Tahkemom Chapter

iii.

XXXVIII. POETIC BIBLICAL PARAPHRASES

173

PARAPHRASES

XXXVIII. POETIC BIBLICAL

This fragment seems to contain remnants of poetic paraphrases of

and division into verses, but with no

Biblical passages 1 at times with rime

,

apparent meter.

and

have been rearranged so as to display the intended

This was not possible with the other two pages.
Conjectural text supplied between brackets by Professor Gottheil has been
Verso

(b)

recto (a)

verse division and rime.

translated without brackets.

Recto
1

(b)

to his house

And

and

......

Go now, and I will send a

So there went with the letter
Naaman. And he took of his silver and of his

unto

King

the

said

letter

all Israel.

And

gold.

it

came

to

pass,
5

when the King of

sorrow.

6 in

And

it

came

to pass at the

that he sent to him, saying

came with

sent [word, saying]:

God
10 for
11

he rent his garments

Israel read, that

and

his horses

end of eight days

Fear the Lord

And

his chariot.

Go down and

[the]

And Naaman
King

dip [thyself] in the Jordan;

and

[will be]

And Naaman became

thee a refuge.

and he opened

mouth, making

his

angry, and spurned [him],

wide, [and he said]

it

Are not the

rivers of
12

Damascus good

And

!3

to dip [oneself] in

his servants

My

drew near and spake

14

unto him and said

15

the Prophet hath spoken unto thee.

16

And

17

to return to being as the

And

Man

of

Wilt thou not do

he went humbly, and dipped [himself]; and his

Verso
1

Father, a great thing

God had

[it] ?

flesh

began

spoken.

and he begged him to accept goods

and gold and every [sort of] gift. And he said: As Jehovah

he refused to go

silver

before

And

of earth.

liveth,

The

whom

he said:

stand,

is
:

will receive

cried out:

Earnestly 3

following

pp. 314, 385

none.

Approach me with presents

wish to repent.

based upon

II

Kings, Chap.

inventions to rime with

Literaturgeschichte

d. S.

P.

v.
.

See Zunz,

Zur Synagogalen

Poesie

GENIZAH FRAGMENTS

74

[]

][
.

"

[]

[]

[]

11

[
]

Verso: (p)

!5

[
3

[]

The

Job

Isaiah xxx

portion of the law (Leviticus xvi, 1-18, 30) read upon the
xix, 29.
8.

Jeremiah

Leviticus xix, 13

xvii, 18.
ff.

^
7

10

Day

Exodus
For

xii,
.

of Atonement.
14.

"

XXXVIII. POETIC BIBLICAL PARAPHRASES

return to God,

6 I will

will greatly

my

And

who

dwells

in [the]

multiply deceptions

And

face in reverence 3 .

he departed from him a

begins with the words]

when

awful 3 heavens.

bow

he said to him
little

175

way. And

Go

in peace.

[add here the

poem which

On

the shore of the sea; and After the death of [the two sons of

Aaron 4 ]:

me remember

13

today the Day of Fury and Anger,

when a great burning appeared before the Ark,
and Jehovah spake unto Moses, after the death of the two sons of Aaron 4

14

Be ye

11

22

Let

afraid of 5 a repeated disaster 6

16

Let the like of this day be unto you a reminder 7

And Jehovah said unto Moses Speak unto Aaron

17

bring unto you a healing

18

around thy neck

15

in a

make

of

it

Behold

a necklace,

law book, and that

it

may remain

unto [the]

last

day 8 !
1

Verso
1

(b)

Turn thou away from the possessions of thy

9

inquired after.
2

Examine 10

the wages of a hired servant shall not abide

night until the morning.

all

[the Scriptures]

of weakness

has sought and

shalt not oppress

thy neighbor, nor rob him

with thee

Thou

by exegesis three months, and turn from men

11

(?)

Regard the lawof three blind men, and

Thou

scatter

more widely, and draw out 11

not curse the deaf, nor put a stumbling block before the

shalt

blind.

Commandments concerning which no one

shalt thou examine and from the unrighteous

[The] Ten

judge

away 11
7

On

Thou

entitled

to

[shalt thou ] turn

the day

lies,

is

when thou

seest [pretended] justice exalting itself, speaking

separate thyself with a separation 11

do no unrighteousness in judgment. Thou shalt not respect

the person of the poor, nor honor the person of the mighty,
shalt

Fear Jehovah, and be not a [carrier of] slander, revealing the secrets 1 2
of thy neighbors and thy friends.
'

10

11

Destroy three pursuers 13 and deliver three pursued

await the coming of thy salvation.
,

Thou

shalt not

in their persons,

go up and down as a talebearer among thy people, neither

shalt thou stand against the blood of thy neighbor.

11

and
12

,
.
Proverbs

and
:

cf.

xi, 13.

and

Ruth

are purely artificial nouns invented to rime with

ii,

16.
13

Read

[
[] ] ^

genizah fragments

176

Recto

a)
]

^[

[]

[]
]

[]

[]

XXXIX.

Not the expected

[ ] [ []
15

Leviticus xix, 17 ff

[
[]

1J

[]

[]

[]

FRAGMENT OF MAIMON IDES

Paper 6 x 4J inches.

Hebrew

Hebrew

characters.

portion of the Yadh ha-Hazakah of Maimonides, corresponding

chapter
the

in cursive

first

vi,

sections 1721 of the edition of Jessnitz, 1739

three words only are written.

Of

to

section 21

XXXVIII. POETIC BIBLICAL PARAPHRASES

177

12

Cease thou from hatred, [yet] thou shalt surely rebuke thy neighbors.

13

Hope

in

He

Jehovah and

save thee, and love thy neighbor.

will

Recto: (a)
14
1

Thou

shalt not hate thy brother in thy heart

thou shalt

surely rebuke thy neighbor.

From vengeance and

15

thy

spite shut thyself

uphold [him].
This great command which is

And

off.

be thou attentive to

to

in the

Law, take hold of

[as

it

something]

steadfast
4

Thou

my

any grudge against the children

shalt not take vengeance, nor bear

of thy people

field

but thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.

laws ye shall keep, and ye shall be kept.

with two sorts of seed, and two sorts of cattle

and two

sorts of

garments, combined, [are forbidden],

7

Because of this I shall multiply unto you the produce of those [fields
which are] rented by you. 16 I, Jehovah, speak righteousness, I declare
things that are right.

The house of Israel received its reward this day

hear
made the multitude around me
17
And it came to pass in the seventh year, in the

when
fifth

[month], the tenth

[day] of the month, that certain of the elders of Israel

10

a prophet

their shoulders(?).

came

to inquire

of Jehovah, and sat before me.

16

17

Isaiah xlv, 19.

Ezekiel xx,

1.

XXXIX. FRAGMENT OF MAIMONIDES

Variants.

the

first,

^
1

and the

n section

for
'

Arukh

third,

for

19,

Hilkhoth

Terephoth

inserted after

belongs to the following word

for

AD

after

for

for

^, are legible;

wrongly omitted

De ah,

Yoreh

omitted
the

are four(?) words of which only

In section 18, after

section
1

for

43).

shuiimn

In section 20,
for

(cf.

unless

for

23

GENIZAH FRAGMENTS

178

XL.

LEAVES FROM THE NOTE-BOOK OF A

MARRIAGE BROKER

Paper 8f x 6| inches, folded lengthwise so as to form four pages, all of

which are filled with writing in the jumbled fashion of a note-book.
Arabic and Hebrew in half-square Hebrew characters.
This Jewish text has, quite uniquely, in addition to the usual Hebrew
alphabetic numerals, Coptic numerals, arranged

throughout the

text.

It

is

in

a column, and scattered

often impossible to see their relation to the

They are Greek alphabetic numerals, in the cursive form

employed by Christian Copts after they had given up Coptic for Arabic.
In the absence of special type they must here be represented by the usual
Coptic alphabetic numerals with the superior stroke. Except where the
adjacent words.

have a direct relation to the text they have been omitted in the
Translation, because they cannot be reproduced typographically without
making the page unintelligible.
figures

The date
Recto

is

A.D. 15

1.

(a)

Vi

Vivi Vi

Vi

Vi/

Vi

Vi

9
7

? ?

1
;

"
1

Evidently Spanish for sweet. The girl seems to have had no Jewish name.
In a different hand. The name occurs in line 4. Very uncertain vocalisation.
Seleucid Era, beginning 312B.C., which makes 1823 = A.D. 1511.

XL

Plate

*""^^

'

>!

- !#&
'

>

v
.

^;*
^^^
^/
^^
^ !^^/

vO

Jink

71

ipj^j,

^W

**** 1

v\'^ 4*

<T

P)

((pj[?

><4

!^

Jjfp
^"^

7;

#^
^,; r^yjt

^,?**

**(

*^^
W

>

yc^V
<TO<*
/<

,,

W^ *

ft,

<

f^r)

-.,.

*Ty

^
,,.
c r6
'

'

V
^*'

-:?vwm m<
.

4 * w.1c4
,

7 kc

rf,

&^

1cXS

*
ai
^

yrtr;

? ;<'

^****>43

JK^IXf (V

4**7

W*i

*^

A^fj*

*" ^0

'

h 3**>t
,

jltf

-*

j^J

4te

wm<;;4Fai
^<..L40^uA^.( 0 a >^

!/

^cTuiul J

>W^fanu'x

*-

A,rr **1$

**^

f
4

7 , >|J

F t01

'-1

'"^

&tk 2J 'C'\
?

Ci4^utr>

t^

1 '^la-

j
>

u (fi!

'

*ijbbiwf

^^^ ^K^,o W
< ^ ^^?

^,

far

Genizah Fragment 40

Plate Xl.I

"

<

-s.v'cW5

j.

(b .9

3 py

V
r
a^
*r
?
k

{Oanrfcj!

1*

r5jjP

j,

5 < 0

**

fej>

~?

!!&

1>

^^

o'M
'

p>

s*.yi

Pfebn

f~

r*

\l/

t,J

r.

l){

V?!ltoj

^ >;<.4

,3

^^ >*

|:

"

>

.5

V^

J>r

<

>jtjj

nMj1f1V

5
A*
nr.
.*

[
&.*<

\ gw*

& <*3
)

#*

V**

11
*
'&
1*

5r

?5

9c

^ir *<

4>'?&bft1fe

?*3

<

NWg&V
&^
11
1

<

1
r

n-S

A WJV5y**

!^

'

rust o^i;.

^ |^<

* s

^ "^^

_S*T

>
Wjsbap^ff*

$4

07 !4

*>

^!

<

1{

1- *<

-S.''

*,*AV
3

>

- -

^, ^ 4 /

J
k

* > l'ryyy

j<~

3 "_

o>S)wi.

1> C

Jr
o

X
>

.-

'

?Fjei

%l

i<~

y&

ivfSiif dt

/
Genizah Fragment

nid

jpnte

-K)

NOTE-BOOK OF A MARRIAGE BROKER

XL.

!79

LEAVES FROM THE NOTE-BOOK OF A

XL.

MARRIAGE BROKER
In spite of the large square
series of

Hebrew

titles, this is

not a document nor a

documents. The lack of legal precision and the jumbled condition

show

of the pages

that

is

it

some

a double leaf out of the note-book of

marriage broker, possibly a rabbi.

It

memorandum

simply a

is

circumstances attending the marriage of certain persons,

named

of the

and

is

concerned with the invoicing of the brides paraphernalia.

the meuhar seem to refer to the old formal betrothal

chiefly

The mukddm and

and the marriage proper, which at this time were beginning to be celebrated
in quick succession. See Aaron Ben Elia of Nicomedia (ca. A.D. 1300-1369),
Gan Eden ed. Goslava, 1866, p. 142b, on Exodus xxi, 2. Professor Gottheil
believes that, unless the Rabbinites had accepted the Karaite formula, it will
be necessary to suppose that we are dealing with Karaite documents.
,

Recto

(a)

Confidential

[memorandum

of]

Yahya

[as to]

Dulce 1

[and] Judah Ibn Jiwa 2

Hour

In a Propitious
1

This auspicious invoice [has been made] on the

first

night [of the week,

the] eighth
2

day of the month of Tebheth,

[of] the

year of documents 1823 3 with

,

reference to
3

the bridegroom 4 the Elder, Rabbi Judah Bar

known

called Dulce, daughter 5 of

6
7

to be supplied] at his expense.

the bridegroom has received.

And

The dowry

her ornamentation
is

a ring of royal gold,

a garment, and a clasp 9 of gold with conical caps, and a clasp of gold,

two Cashmere shawls 10

11

MeIr,

Rabbi Isaac Bar Joseph A good omen

known as Naaman.
The advanced [gift] 6 20. The delayed [gift] 6 64 7
The brides handiwork [shall belong] to the bridegroom, but her clothing
[is

10

Solomon Bar

as Ibn Jiwa, [and] the bride 4 the marriageable virgin

a pearl, and a dancer of gold, a collar [with] gold at the corners 11 three
,

pairs of bracelets

Hebrew and Aramaic words creep

Arabic
5

for

Hebrew
The sign

10

in

and Hebrew words are often used with the

article.
?

..

For

for

and not

apparently for

and

in this

document.

60 seems to have been deleted.

9

For

11

For

Above there
.

is

an unintelligible word.

GENIZAH FRAGMENTS

180

x
x

,
'

<

fi
5J
I

JX

s
Jx

e
8

- 2

X
Recto: (b)
!

X
3

12

13

For

14

See below. Hormuz

is

an island

in the

Persian Gulf.

NOTE-BOOK OF A MARRIAGE BROKER

XL.
12

of silver, one [of them] gilded, five rings of silver, one of

!3

and an agate

!4

an Alexandrine kerchief with gold thread,

15

half a kerchief with gold thread,

Hormuz!

14

striped

Hormuz!

a purple

16

ring, four chains

15

and boxes of

them uncut 12

ivory,

two halves of two Alexandrine 13

kerchief with a silk habara

kerchiefs,

16
,

with a habara of gold thread 17

veil

181

and a purple

Hormuz! garment,

Hormuz!

a purple

!7

veil

with a habara of gold thread, a purple

kerchief with gold thread, and a trembler

Hormuz!

18

a gazelles blood

19

20

a Maghrib! [woollen]

Stamboul

18-20

veil

five [of

veil

with a habara,

them] with

smock

Hormuz!

18

Stamboul habara,

five [woollen] smocks,

two pairs of drawers, and shadds 19 and a tarh 20 and isabahs 19 and
,

and [other things] besides

a lamp-cover,

this,

in

number,

13,

the

value, 10,
2

a kamiliyah 21 of native blue damasquette, and a kamiliyah of green

damasquette,
a Bedouin

22

garment of abyari 22 a
,

gazelles blood jacket 23

articles 24 of

crimson cloth,
Recto:
1

(U)

a white veil with borders of silk, [something to wrap] about the breast,

with borders of
2

silk,

two white dressing-gowns, and a white

four white safari

15

16

combs

Perhaps the fanciful

19

A
A
A

kind of turban.

thin fabric.

21

22

* 0* *

for a sort of

3 0 3

kind of

3 0

name

of

veil.

some ornament

See below.
for the head.

For these names see the appropriate

articles in

Dozy,

op.

cit.

veil.

kind of robe.

The phrase sounds

,0 *

Arabic origin
23

F or

>

Persian, although the

first

two words are of

^4*3.

24

For bLl, a plural of

25

Some commercial

26

j.Ho

is

or geographical term.

singular because the plural (ibLo ?)

was not used.

adjective then remained singular, while the second

the

black

JU&...J

18

20

Sj.43.~J

I.e.

kerchief,

26

The modern name

/^ ^

17

25

remembered numeral.

became

See lexicons. The

first

plural under the influence of

GENIZAH FRAGMENTS

182

Inverted

Vi/

Vi/

Vi/vi/OVi/

V> Vi

4
.

pn

27
I.e. four days after the body of the memorandum.
added, in the same hand, though somewhat larger.
28

29

I.e.

besides the writer of the

Hebrew.
VJ

30

For

Ml

or

J J * *

memorandum.

These

lines, 4-7,

were then

NOTE-BOOK OF A MARRIAGE BROKER

XL.
4

And

183

they went under the marriage canopy on Thursday night, the

twelfth
5

day of the month, the present year 27

Nathan.

And

the collector, has taken charge of

[as for] the marriage writ,

The

other 28 witness 29 [was] Rabbi

Samuel Karablls 30
it,

in

order to bring

to the father of

it

the bride.

Inverted

The

Judah Maghrib!
In a Propitious
1

On

the date of the

day

first

Hour

captive, Esther

[of the week], eighth

day of the month of

Tebheth,

year of documents 1823 3 an agreement was reached between

Judah Bar Jacob Bar Aaron, and the bride,

the captive 4 [who

A good omen

The advanced

called Esther, daughter of

is]

!son of Jacob the Wise,

[gift]

and

is

it

Rabbi Moses 31
as Kuhll 32

known

her ransom 4

50.

The delayed

[gift],

180.
7

The
[is

8
9

handiwork

brides

[shall

belong] to the bridegroom, but her clothing

be supplied] at his expense.

her ornamentation the bridegroom has received.
the estate [is to be divided at death] according to the [Pentateuchal]
to

And
And
Law

13

husband inherits [the goods of] his wife.

And ifwhich God forbid! the husband should die, and leave behind
sons by her,
33
she shall not [take] from the dowry more than a hundred perahlm 34
and what remains shall belong to the sons. And if he should divorce

14

the hundred and eighty credited to her in the marriage writ, in [their]

10
1!

12

that the

[her], she shall

entirety 35
15

16

take

And they went under the marriage canopy on Friday, the thirteenth day of the month, the present year 36 And [as for] the marriage
.

writ,
17

Samuel Karablls 30 the

,

bring

31

32
33
34
35

36

Above the
I.e.

collector,

has taken charge of

it,

in

order to

it

line,

dealer

but deleted,

in collyrium, or

dark about the eyes.

An arabism?
I.e.

blossoms.

For

of

some coin?

days after the body of the memorandum.

same hand, though somewhat larger.

I.e. five

in the

Name

These

lines,

15-19, were added,

GENIZAH FRAGMENTS

84

Verso

a)

kZ.

KT

1e

"

"Xc

I
JU.V

Xh

>

KH

<

11

fc

TF

21

ec

S
.

?
37

As

3s

F or

in the first case.

if

this is the

meaning.

NOTE-BOOK OF A MARRIAGE BROKER

XL.

The

to the brides people.

18

Verso

Nathan 37

Yahya
1

other 28 witness 29 [was] Rabbi

185

[They

red kamillyah 21

Kamar 39

are] Sicilians 38

Gold

4
2

a silk shirt,

a piece of native dress-goods,

a cut 40 [of cloth],

a native kerchief,

two shadds 19 of [camels]

a Syrian silk

a sha'rlyah 20

a mizar 20

4
24

cubits,

1 1

Silver

21
hair,

23

veil,

10

a towel,

half a kerchief,

12

an Alexandrine 13 kamillyah 21

13

a green

14

a blue veil,

15

four cubits of yellow

Hormuz!

16

half a cubit of black

Hormuz!

17

a native kerchief,

10

18

a native nikab 20

12

19

a yellow shadd 19

20

an irregular piece of Hormuz!

wooden

4i

Hormuz!

22 isabahs,

veil,

43
38
[stuff],

28

[stuff],

[stuff],

16

sandals,

52

and head-discs of sheet metal,

23 shoes,

39

Arabic for Moon.

Cf.

note

1.

^ c ^

40

Cf

ro|M

in

Dozy,

op.

cit.,

vol.

ii,

p.

435.

24

GENIZAH FRAGMENTS

186
Verso

{b)

X
KY

IZ

Toec

io

14.

Xv

Tec

xi
"
2

!3

<

'

HG

XG

22

Made of sesame-seed residue, with honey and sugar.

Perhaps a pomade containing butter as a base, rose-water as a scent, and another
substance. If, in spite of the dot, one may read ghawT, then one may translate seductive
or fashionable. See Dozy, op. cit., vol. ii, p. 232.
43
See Dozy, op. cit., vol. i, p. 605.
41

42

NOTE-BOOK OF A MARRIAGE BROKER

XL.
Verso

18y

(b)

Silver
1

hilawah 41 and other [sweets],

rose-water and jawl and butter 42

30

cymbals 43 bracelets of

a pair of

and two rings of gold,

and two rings of

and an ashrafl 44 of gold,

23

silver,

Gold

silver,

Silver

19

3^91

Gold
33
7

Total of the things 45

with the ashrafl and the

and the rings

Silver

19 1

46
35 ashrafls

10

Then

11

husband of the

Isaac, the

two

!2 all

that

13 for

the bride, and

is

in the

Yahya on

lists, in

brides mother,

the

way

handed over

of a deposit

order that he should deliver them to the bridegroom,

in

the night of

going under the marriage canopy, during(?) the Feast of the Passover 29

!4

And

the bridegroom

Yahya made

it

a necessary condition of going

under the marriage canopy,

the night of going under

15

that from that date

16

the marriage canopy, he should provide food 47 for the bride.

till

The bridegroom [is] Yahya Bar Nisslm Bar Menahem, known

Hanun. The bride [is] the twelve year old girl,
called Kamar, daughter of 2948

17

18
19

as

20

The advanced

21

22

The delayed

[gift],

35

[gift],

55

19

The handiwork

of the bride [shall belong] to the bridegroom,

20

but her clothing

[is

the bridegroom has received, in Cairo.

44

According to the

be struck in Egypt

to

between a.d.

71

to

be supplied] at his expense.

cyclopedia of Islam, vol.

i,

p.

And

her ornamentation

976, the old dinar (66 grains) ceased

and the first ashrafls (53.8 grains) were struck in Egypt

1362 and 1376 or 1421 and 1438. See No. XXX, Introduction, and notes
in 1346,

19 23.
,

45

Egyptian colloquial.

46

The sums

19 and 369J are correct for these columns of figures.

the remaining figures on this page, as well as of those on recto a and b,
w
47

F or

48

The

/ J

fathers

name was never

filled in.

The meaning
is

not clear.

of

GENIZAH FRAGMENTS
Surrounding

last four lines :

Inverted:

A cross

verso

Margin of verso

NOTE-BOOK OF A MARRIAGE BROKER

XL.

Surrounding

189

last four lines:

And all this was [done] in the house of Abraham, the Dayyan, son of
Samuel, and in the presence of Joseph the Scribe and upwards of ten
[persons] from the congregation, assembled.
Inverted

Done on

the

first

night [of the week], seventh [day of] the

Kislew, [the] year of documents 1823 3

Nathan 37

The

verso

And

after

of

Moses Nakub(?) 49

[Signed:] Fadl Farlkah(?)

A cross

month

other witness 28 [was] Rabbi

they had reached a satisfactory agreement about

[the bridegroom] arranged for her [the] final betrothal-rites,

all

this

on Monday

day of the month of Tebheth, the year of the date [of

memorandum]. The other 28 witness 29 at the betrothal-rites also was
Rabbi Nathan 37

night, the second

this

Margin of
On

verso

the date of Friday night, twenty-second [day] of the

Kislew, [of] the year of documents 1823 3

49

Lines 23-26 are written

in a different

hand.

month of

GENIZAH FRAGMENTS

190

XLI.
Paper

Hebrew
in

this

Latin h
function

if x 4| inches.
in cursive Hebrew characters.

collection.

The

writing

is

unlike any other

character resembling a small inverted, suspended

for

not clear. Cf. the

The mention

abbreviations, and

muhmilah

sign in

in

other places where

MSS. and upon

its

glass weights.

of the maiyadl places the fragment certainly later than

See note

a.d. 1412.

often used

is
is

LETTER

13

and No.

XXX.

Recto

3
4

'

!4

!6

Equivalent

Double

10

in

to

Arabic
5
!

.
.-

x*j.
6

I.e.

you.

9
.

Raphael Isaac Ben Aaron Mayo, or Maggio, who died

the Jewish Encyclopedia, vol. viii, p. 392.

certain

recorded

].

plural.

in a.d. 1810, is

XL]

Plate

/
*

...'*

.? .* ^

fp **(ft

Wf W- ^cCv

&
r*an)
&>F fcft&tfri
~

>

ro*

fy

I
Y$/bAv

J 5<

4>u* j/y>

filt

'*Vtr^frvrfqf

*,L&

>

< ^* ^
A
Rfcfr

?/ j3j
(j^jU

>/j

/*>

*/ Jsf/

<^a

(k

?G

&

<Att *

2
Mu*> fax* j&*j< 30* <* 4? 1 ^ $

Kxy

<" *k/

* *

A/mbx

(& 5^

; /!ft

Hn P* ^
*
^

&$**?>?

)>

-3) aSJ

^,yj

aW

*&*<&

*fc

j&>*b&

/'A

ffff

ra* ?
*

^//< 4

//*

Ay^^A***# P

fl) y&ti

S J

? *t

4*

<x

^;MP^ 4,y*+**j* P ,^f 3 *

xl/X* l>? f&x*
V>
^ 2 y
)?juy>M>S&t
'

/(d>

>

/?Ab'* a*j

;^ $$

< yhbpyd ***

'

?**

j^<3

*!* ojx>

jd?/* t&V
*J*jtA>? fibftlf *A ftAsrh k!s
fkif^kH;

^ ^

> | 1x
^
^ f*'?{? l ^
<SZtShl

;i

M)&t*&tj ***
,

\<0/ -

}/.,

5"

#^p&/

S;l

<?//?&

/'*Wyavf &*? %" 3

fijjf

^.

pJ6

*,

-'*X. A

yj^pUf *>

^ s.l ~>J*b Cr
jjw/'.i?

>>*.

Genizah Fragment 41

41
$>

Si^

>,

LETTER

XLI.

9I

LETTER

XLI.

from one Solomon, perhaps in Jerusalem, to one

Joseph (or Nisslm?), perhaps in Cairo, about several business matters,
especially the sugar trade. Solomon professes to be too much engrossed in
rambling

letter

Bible study, and too pessimistic about sugar, to undertake any business
ventures.
In places

very

it is

make

difficult to

satisfactory sense of the text.

Recto

With the help of the Name

1

[To the] Man of Valor, Active,

Rabbi 2 Niss[lm?]. After

[of

God] 1

and Excellent, the honored

Intelligent

the

many

greetings 3

lines 4 to inform [you] that

have come with these

today

morning

3 in the
I

have written

And now

at length.

as to 5 the sugar:

have not found

any arrangement [possible]; because what the gentleman 6 wrote that

7
I had been offered
ten
less a quarter and did not sell
[is untrue].
Be it known 8 to you that

they had offered

in fact if

have

But be

evening.

me

[even] nine and a half

known 8

And

to you that the sugar arrived here on Friday at

spoke with the honored Rabbi 2 Isaac Mayo 10 that he
,

the uncircumcised [Christian]

out
10

11
!

should have 9 sold and not

held back.

it

should speak with

9

and

he said that

May

his

should leave

So I went along with him on Sunday

opened the sugar but it was not

name and memory be

it

in

the office

and he went

till

blotted

Sunday.

and

in[to the office]

11

[to be] considered

12

days,

Isaac asked

15

16

17

for use, in his opinion.

to wait

And

the honored Rabbi 2

two

money
we could not reach

he should see [whether] perhaps he might have some

till

13 for [at the

14

me

fit

moment] he had no money, and

therefore

any agreement. Now really

you did not act wisely for you trusted to his word, and did not
take from him any money [as guarantee], and did not make with him any
binding agreement so, when it came, he made fools of us, and so it was 12
For the gentleman 6 said to me
that he 6 would not send him any sugar. And [as to] the casks(?) 13 the
;

captain

n
13

(?)

!2

Fasser mit getrockneten Feigen, Jacob Levy, Worterbuch Berlin, 1924, sub
.

voce\ Tiegel, Dallmann, Aramaisch-Neu/iebrciisches Handworterbuch Frankfurt, 1922,

,

sub voce.

GENIZAH FRAGMENTS

192

!9

26

28

'

Upon

the

margin:

'
I

14

For mu' aiyadi, the half-dirham coined

The Modern Egyptians App. B, and No.

15

16

See al-Dhahabi,

measure of capacity

17

op.

in the reign of the sultan

XXX.

drugs and perfumes.

for

cit., p.

See Dozy,

123.

JO*

18

19
21

22

See Wahrmund,

Perhaps

I.e.

It

What

20

qualifications

looks like

is

it

have I?
?

op.

cit.,

Muaiyad, see Lane,

Muaiyad reigned from a.d. 1412

sub voce.

op. cit., vol.

ii,

to 1421.

p. 383.

XLI.
offered nine [ashrafls 14 ]

18
9

kafas 15

20

Jabarti

22

16
,

and ten maiyadls 14

to take

Rock, preserve him 17

his

five

And Rabbi 2 Abraham

did not do any [business].

May [God,]

from him

93

has

gone

to Egypt.

will do [business] with him as much as

Here there is no arrangement at all for he has not appointed
me in any sense
manager 18 since I have not talked with him. The gentleman 6 knows 19

hope] you

[I

2!

and so

LETTER

you

can.

the enlightenment(?)
23

of the country as to sugar; and [a word] to the wise

6

the gentleman
24

upon me;

for

negligent 22
25

my

trade

23
.

And

wish to take up

27

to

28

29

30

Thus

[transaction]?

26

sufficient 20

Let

not depend

what [have I] in hand [with which]

[as I am], and [trying to] negotiate

some important

is

[even]

all

the

if I

did

it

is.

And

to operate in business 21

as for me,

my

Torah

is

day with business matters,

should not 5 give

money
any man [for investment]. And it seems that fate determines; for
Rabbi 2 Rehamim with [only] a little
money has made a profit, as you wrote to him [that he would], even

though 24 you do not have so very

much advantage [from his transaction yourself]. But it appears 25 that
he takes no part at all in sugar [dealings],
and the whole thing falls on me. Therefore, my Lord, do not blame me;
for he is so

Upon

the

margin:

He

more and more associates, and he would

How could you rely upon emptiness
to buy sugar [for] 42 talents 26 without any security whatsoever
And as to
what the gentleman said to me at the time of his departure, that it was not
your intention to send sugar at all for that reason you have acted wisely.
Now really, if the gentleman had sent money
I now have nothing to lose.
we should have been satisfied 27 I have shown him today how to do busiHe has, namely,
and he gave for it about 16, and the
ness 28
[is
worth] about 4; and I kept the [matter] secret. There is a gentile [here]
who has about a thousand swords of Monziah 29 and Isaac Mhlnl made a
[bargain] with him [for] one kafas 15 each sword for about 26 maiyadls 14
and the sugar [sells for] about 9. And I do not
greedy and desirous.
like to gather in the

takes on

whole world.

23
25

26
28

29

.-

24

.
.

Confusion of

with

27

probably for dinars.

p er h a p S
Monza,

locally

to bargain

Monscia a
,

and be bargained?

city in

Lombardy.
25

GENIZAH FRAGMENTS

94

Upon

the upper part

a)

1
1

;
I

)c(

Verso
'

30

31

?^

XLI I. LITURGICAL

MEMORANDA

Paper nf x 4 inches too long to have been a leaf from a book, and
hence probably a memorandum of some sort. Number of lines 53-62.
:

The language

Hebrew, with connective and directive words

is

J 0

Arabic, such as
0

*'

0 s

or

in recto, line 2, verso

lines

recto line 49, verso, line 38;

,

yp

verso, lines

line

39 and 46;

44 and 45

in

and
toe
L&jI verso

45; J>L> verso, line 58; the Arabic article in verso line 38.
,

The

writing

is

semi-cursive

Hebrew

of two varieties: the

first

covering

and the first five lines of verso. Both are difficult to read as the paper
worn and the ink pale. Abbreviations are so extensively used that many

recto
is

passages are unintelligible.

Of Biblical passages one recognises Psalm lv, 9 in recto, line 7 followed

by Psalm cii, 1; xxv, 16; lxxxvi, 16; lxix, 14; lxxiii, 22; li, 17; Proverbs
Psalm xix, 15 Psalm xcvii, 1 in verso, line 10; Psalm lxviii, 5 in
xvi, 1
Psalm xxix, 9 in line 26; xciii, 1 in line 29.
line 21
in recto up to line 7 various
Rimes are discoverable in three places
:

rimes

in verso, lines

16-32

toward the end of

verso.

Plate XLI1I

\MJ

Ay,

Sy *n9yji1

yji

^ywo ^yfe

NAd 1

p?U^ v*t

;v

*
'

v3

S}

v^n:1nyfJ 0
,

* j/m H$,

^1

*)$&!<

'.^
*^^
^^
W,
\

WwXtePW}*

$i^U&I >

'?P*
w

ji*
-

^;

^^^

'V

*tfW

**WjtWA^ ^A^fvy
1H *M.
n-v#^ < rfefe
p*****a*
iv
> >SA1;'
4
n
3M
P r
4

:/

Si?

';'-

'

Gen rz am Fragment Pi a

A'-n

XUV

Plate

*'*!*"

0 ^*

**

*?
?*|

f .;
s

N,/v2

PV i i>>

1 'I l

J*

'T3ff>5!

4rt#_.

***
'!SV^*
4>
*

>

..*
,

<3

?&* ** ** f4 :r4r * ?:

% .V '*3
?? 1
?<

*w,

,\sj
*ifcj4\

^' <

-*.***V fV-i
if ***

jf

>f

'

**

^;V

L.

fe;v,*

Pi

j>!
;

...

'owg 1*

ws&vm

j*t *V-i

* lJM

*-

'A F

'

!}jyipspi '.&

%*

r'

Genizah Fragment 42 b

LETTER

XLI.
Upon

the upper part

know what

to do,

(a)

have not run away anywhere

95

(?),

but

[stay here and]

prevent him 30 from doing anything on a large scale, or anything which he

does not need to do 31 for inquiring thought

,

is

necessary.

(*)

And many

thanks to (my) Lord

for his

many

efforts

concerning the pur-

Let him not take for me

Solomon and not on account of me(?). For

chase of the gold and concerning the

not from Rabbi 2
here the
with

it

to give

whatever

is

me.

possible.

And

as to the house: Let the gentleman

do

Farewell!

C)

[From] the humble Solomon

Monday, the sixth of the month of Nlsan.
Verso

To
32

the Intelligent and Excellent Rabbi 2 Joseph Hallufl

The

words are apparently abbreviations.

last three

XLI I. LITURGICAL
Most of the

32

(?)

recto relates to the

MEMORANDA

Musaph prayers

New

of the

Years

Day

service but
49 goes over into something else. There seems to be no
particular reason for making such a selection of prayers and passages, or
line

Perhaps they are the notes of some

fragment appear, from any point of
and
view, to justify transcription, translation and notes. Plates XLI 1
XLIV will, however, enable the student to form his own opinion.
Professor Israel Davidson has gone over the text and has made some
very valuable suggestions for which the editors wish to thank him. Bibliography Zunz, Die Ritus des synagogalen Gottesdienstes, Berlin, 1859;

for

arranging them

pupil.

in this

order.

Nor do the contents of

this

Jewish Quarterly Review vol. xviii, pp. 107-8; Siddur Rdbh Amram
Siddur Troyes, Budapest, 1905
Mahzdr Vitri,
Gabon, Warsaw, 1865
and Sefer Abu-dirham, Prague, 1784.
Berlin, 1889-93

GENIZAH FRAGMENTS

196

XLIII

AN AGREEMENT BEFORE THE COURT IN

JERUSALEM IN REGARD TO PRECEDENCE
IN THE ACADEMY AT AL-RAMLAH
Paper 51 x 6| inches.
Arabic and Hebrew, in half-square Hebrew characters.
Both the Arabic and Hebrew are fairly good but the way
;

document passes from one language

impression of an imperfect
of the dignity which

Hebrew

it

command

to the other,

which the

and back again, gives the

of them both, and robs the document

The unavoidable use of

Hebrew completely for

otherwise might have.

legal expressions leads the writers off into

and yet Hebrew cannot be sustained to

The document belongs to the period of the

a time

in

the end.

Palestinian gaonate about

which the Genizah has taught us so much, and deals with the familiar topic
of discord in the Academy at al-Ramlah, evident from letters of Solomon
Ben Judah, the central figure of the period, and his contemporaries, as published by Mann, op. cit.
It appears to be a record of the settlement of this

long controversy, alluded to by Nathan, writing

(Mann,

op. cit., vol.

i,

p. 15 1):

You have

how the peace came about and what we

The date is Tishrl the 2 1st, A.M.

in

A.D. 1042 to Fustat

received already [the account] of

did for the sake of peace in Israel.

4803, equivalent to October 8th,

A.D. 1043.

Recto

3
4

Mistake for
I.e.

Psalm lxxxv,

pp. 151, 193-4; vol.

ii,

school of Talmudic law.

See Mann,

op.

cit.,

vol.

i,

See Mann,

op.

cit.,

pp. 265-6, 272.

230-1.

Plate

XLV

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^
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Genizah

Plate

XLVI

b
Fi

*
Fragment

msm
H

'

'

Genizah

' #
.

'

'
:

AN AGREEMENT

XLIII.

97

XLIII

AN AGREEMENT BEFORE THE COURT IN

JERUSALEM IN REGARD TO PRECEDENCE
IN THE ACADEMY AT AL-RAMLAH
On

the discord at al-Ramlah, see

also pp. 71, 75,

A member
Egypt.

in

made

Mann,

op. cit., vol.

i,

pp. 141-152,

and

15, 129, 130, 193, 273

of the Palestinian

When

Academy, Nathan Ben Abraham,

his uncle, the

by

Law

Father of the

settled

Court, died, he was

influential Egyptian following; and the regular

Tobiah Ben Daniel, the Third in the group, was
pushed aside. Nathan then proceeded to undermine the authority of the
Gaon, Solomon Ben Judah, and at last to declare himself Head of the
Academy, the title borne by the Gaon. Then began a contest between the
parties behind the two rival Geonlm.
Our document records the terms of the reconciliation. Nathan must
renounce all assumed titles. Nathan must not decide matters of business,
nor pray for anyone without the concurrence of the other four in the group.
and [in deJoseph shall be judge in al-Ramlah in imprisoning an
termining what is] permitted and forbidden. When Solomon dies and
Nathan becomes Gaon, the others shall be promoted accordingly, and then
observe the restrictions of the offices which they shall assume. Should
anyone irregularly assume a title, Nathan (sic \) shall restrain and expel
him. This agreement was ratified with mighty oaths by all of the group.
Thus was Nathan shorn of all power except to punish in future such as
should sin as he had done.

P'ather

candidate for this

his

office,

Recto
r

God will speak etc. 2

Record of what was established between the Academy 3 and our Master
and Rabbi, Nathan 4 [Father of the Law Court] 5 son of Abraham,
deceased 6 in regard to what was undertaken 7 by the Academy 3 and
Copy of

the agreement 1

hear what

will

the Elders of
3

the Nation and our Princes concerning the advancement into the rank of

Father of the

Law

Tobiah, the Third

4

that he has

all

as he gave himself a

in the

is

[rightly] claimed

by our Rabbi

group,

according to the custom 8 of Israel

renounce

Court 5 which

come

in that [matter, to wit

to possess in the

:]

way of

That he
title, in

shall

so far

title,

by others, And that he shall not act as an individual

10
for any
in determining any matter, nor in praying
man in any of the classes of Israel, except [when he does] that in which
the opinion of our Lord Solomon Gaon concurs
or

was given a

is

title

i-w.

C
8

For

Copyists mistake for

10

See Mann,

op. cit., vol.

i,

p. 142.

GENIZAH FRAGMENTS

198

1
]

11

I.e.

Nathan.

12
.

13

the Babylonian Talmud, Kiddushln

See Levy, Wbrterbuch, 1924, vol. iv, p. 654, quoting

4(61a): Every conditional agreement must be

3,

twice pronounced, and must precede the transaction

before the dissent.

is fulfilled, then what one will do

Near Ludd, between Jerusalem and Jaffa.

the condition
15

One

expects here releasing.

tenance, or
16

17 -0

the

The

insanity.

same

for -ihi as in

and the assent must be pronounced

first state what one will do if
not fulfilled and then one may act.

This means apparently that one must

as

modern

familiar style.

if it is

visible

remains seem to indicate

sus-

AN AGREEMENT

XLIII.
7

with him 11

199

and with our Rabbi Tobiah, the Third in the group, and
with our Rabbi Joseph, the Fourth in the group, and with our Rabbi
,

Elijah, the Fifth 12

And

this

accepted for his

own

the group.

8 in

execution 13
9

And

agreement

is

a double agreement which he has

person, with yes before no and agreement before

similarly,

that the one appointed for the administration in al-Ramlah 14

15

prisoning and

and

determining what

[in

is]

in

im-

permitted and

for-

bidden, [be] our Rabbi Joseph ha-Kohen, the Fourth in

command of the Head of the Academy 16 by virtue of

what [the Head of the Academy] knows of the beauty of his adminisAnd when litigants appear betration 17 and his conscientiousness 17

to

the group, by

11

fore,

and judgment between them

who

previously mentioned,

in

is

given 18 by 19

some one of those

al-Ramlah with him, the judgment
is

shall be referred to him,

!2

together with the

the

rals,

Head

of the

Rabbi Nathan, Father of the Law Court,

Academy 16
is

And when

our

transferred to equal rank 20

all
13

of the sons of the

them

Academy 16

shall follow the

in their [several] stations

since each one of them

transferred to the rank to which he

14 is

named 22 and
,

And

not otherwise.

ordinance laid

is

entitled;

down 21

for

and they are the ones

the associates of our Lord

Solomon

Gaon
15 in all

the places 23 and towns shall follow their ordinances, in their ser-

and

vice
call
16

their

advancement 24

And when anyone

shall transgress

and

himself by that

by which the Academy 16 does not call him 25 and [these titles are:] our
Lord Solomon, Gaon and our Rabbi Nathan, Father of the Law
Court; and our Rabbi Tobiah, the Third; and our Rabbi
Joseph, ha-Kohen, the Fourth 26 and our Rabbi Elijah, ha-K 5 hen, the
Fifth
there shall be 27 with respect to our Rabbi Nathan, Father of
the Law Court, an agreement of the [persons] mentioned and they
,

17

[are] 28

18

The

l0

is

here either an adverb (German etwa) or a noun (some-

thing).
19

Passive verb with logical subject introduced by

Manual of the Ar amaic Language of

golis,

the

as in Jewish Aramaic.
,

75, 82.
20

I.e.
Ml

Gaon, successor of Solomon.

,03

22

Vernacular(?) tnusamma'in for classical

23

21

In the margin, with a sign in the text.

25

26

21

jJu,~.o.

/ J

27

Perfect of verbs, because

28

In the margin, with a connecting line.

all

See Mar-

Babylonian Talmud Munich, 1910, pp.

are the apodoses of the condition in line

15.

GENIZAH FRAGMENTS

200

22

Verso

^
5

29

32
33

for

The

st

30

See Levy,

op.

of Tishri seventh

31

cit.,

and

vol. iv, p.

last

664; and No.

I,

recto , line 21.

day of the Feast of Tabernacles, 4803 Era of the

Creation, equals eighth of October, a.d. 1043.

31

Rest of line scratched

35

See

line 23.

37

Qr

rectification or adjustment.

36

out.

See lines 24-26.

AN AGREEMENT

XLIII.
!8

201

our Lord Solomon, Gaon; and our Master Tobiah, the Third; and our

Master Joseph, the Fourth; and our Master Elijah, the Fifth
[Nathan] shall restrain 27 [the transgressor] and expel 26 him without

sentimentality 29 since 30
,

19

20

he has opposed [them].

And

[that

all

is]

written [above] they took 31

upon themselves, each one of them separately, in his own name, with
mighty oaths,
mentioning the Honored Name, Jehovah of Hosts is His Name,
and the Words of Sinai, and the Laws of Idoreb, by complete

acquisition through a valid instrument,

1

according to custom, making impossible

the language by which

all

to the institution 32 of wise

Day
22

the year 4803 of the Creation 33 in Jerusalem- may

be built up, and [the] Temple of Mercy And they agreed further

when any

appear
the

is

that

24

and conditions, by

protests

of Hoshanah [Rabbah]

of this year, which

it

23

all

men make [evasions] impossible, according

men. And we write [this document] on the

litigants

the city of al-Ramlah, before our Master Nathan, Father [of

in

Law

Court],

it

be his duty to examine them as to whether

shall

some one of them have not [asked]

judgment of the Fourth before [asking judgment
condition of association
[statements],

25 to

and

in

in

opinion [as

of] him.

forth]

in

And

the

the foregoing

rank applies only

Academy 16 named 23 therein, who affix their sigdocument. And if any one of them shall not affix his

those Sons of the

natures to this

set

signature
26

to

it,

he

shall not

initiate

Verso
r

who may

be consulted

in

any [matter] which any [man] may

present [a proposal].

And

the condition afore-

mentioned 34 as to the examination 35 in al-Ramlah, applies, according to

the preceding comment 36 to each individual in person. Summary 37
,

Elijah, the Fifth in the group, son of

Third
3

in

Nathan, Father of the

40

Head

Law

Court of All

Academy 16

Israel,

known

and Tobiah, the

son of Rabbi Solomon...

Gaon of Jacob, son of

Rabbi
Hezekiah ha-Nasl. Joseph ha-K 5 hen ha-Shofet, the dayyan 41 son of
,

Solomon, Gaon

the group, son of Rabbi Daniel Gsbr 39

38

of the

[and

as]

Solomon
5

Meborakh, son of Lwn, son of Moses.

And

[Nathan] took 31 upon himself

he should repent [of the agreement], he should

subject
to
judgment.
be

[the condition] that,

38

Solomon ha-Kohen was Gaon immediately preceding Solomon Ben Judah.

39

For

40

According to Mann,
For
?

41

if

treasurer?
:

op. cit., chap,

iii,

Nathans father was named Abraham.

26

GENIZAH FRAGMENTS

202

HALACHIC FRAGMENT

XLIV.
?

Recto

13

12

10

11

14

15

16

[]

[
7

18

17

19

Original text erased

(',

23

22

[]

21

25

24

26

28

This

The word can

line is the

heading

27

The

last letters are

29

to the entire subject as originally written

also be in the singular.

28

29

30

20 6

23

31

[]

on the fragment.

not well preserved.

The

meaning here is prohibitions.

3
The word
is used in this fragment to designate that the following
for
word or words are from the Mishnah. It is not usual in Talmud Babli and Poseklm.
The Mishnah treated in this page is found in Yoma viii, 1.
4
The passage is in B. Yoma 77 b. Compare Tosephta iv, 2-6.
,

to

Participles as

Arabic influence.
6

, , ,^ ,
,

are written with

instead of
instead of
Note the writing of
which was
instead of the
and imperative, an

the imperfect

The

was then apparently

Mann,

op.

cit.,

vol.

ii,

p. 297,

lost in the

note

1,

This

may

be due

This verb has,

pronunciation of the perfect and participle.

quotation.

in

lost in pronunciation.
Cf.

FRAGMENT

XLI V. HALACHIC

HALACHIC FRAGMENT

XLIV.

\x

Paper

23

inches.

Hebrew and Arabic, in semi-cursive Hebrew characters, not all by the

same hand, written in different directions, interlined, erased, smudged and
otherwise defaced.

Talmud adds
Talmud adds

words
p.

are,

But Rabbi Hananel, Rash! and

) 2 nd part 44c) omit
under the influence of the preceding
The
however, omitted in MSS m2 > and Hullln 107b. See
to Ydma,

244, note
9

is

10

omitted through a scribal error.

So Talmud, but

Talmud
MSS.
12
The in
11

is

but the

is

also possible.

omitted

For

this text see

MSS

(Bibliography, p.217).

For

to the influence of the next word.

due

is

fragment, and a dot

in this

this text see

placed upon the preceding

is

letter.
13

This word is written everywhere also with

due apparently to a scribal error.
The passage is found in B. Yoma 88 a.
Talmud Yoma omits the phrase

is
14
15

ma,
p.

Ta'amth

Besa 18b.

13a,

The omission

but

See also

61

p.

of the

preserved

it is

a,

after the

Shabbath

in

52,

p.

44 d.
16

Talmud
313, note

17

AlfasI

18

Talmud omits

text of the

MS

The

note

Talmud adds

See.

MSS m >.

See

Cf. Rashl.

For the correct

present text misled Rashl.

Cf.

fragment see

and Rabbi Asher have

fragment see
19

For the

p.

But the phrase

text of the

Dis

correctly omitted in

MS m

ibid.

It seems that the passage of

(B. Yoma 77b, in an abridged form) followed the preceding passages, but it was wiped away and replaced by an insertion.
Later an addition to the preceding passage was inserted.
20

Yoma

Passage in B.
adds
adds

Talmud
Talmud
Talmud
Talmud

21
22
23
24

MSS 01

see

for

is

MSS 01

Cf

p. 249,

note

ibid.

preferable, otherwise there

and

0 1,

Cf.

it.

and Poseklm have here

of the fragment

p.

no difference

is

53 has
in

But the

text

opinion between

25

In

same
is

AlfasI omits

has

78a.

For the omission see

Talmud

text as the fragment.

as

if

The

he explains the preceding

text

is

not a scribal error (see D

The

ibid.,

MS m

note

has the

Abaye

opposing Rabbi Yehoshua B. Levi, and not explaining his words.

Talmud has
For
see MS.

really
26
27

Talmud has

28

For

Talmud has Hebrew

see

MSS 02

But

Cf.
p.

note

62b and

AlfasI have the

Aramaic

29

Talmud

30

Talmud has

writes

without the

instead

but Rabbi Hananel, AlfasI and

For the

text of the

fragment see

ibid.
31

We

expect

but see

MS

2
.

Compare

also AlfasI

have the

MSS 0

* 1.

Cf.

GENIZAH FRAGMENTS

204
29

33

32

12

12

38

37

34

36

39

42

[
43

!
[
28

35

40

46

41

45

44

[]

[:]

43

[]

47

][

48

Right margin
49

50

51
:

52

54

53

55

58

59

57

][

56

..
60

{Remainder

32

34
35

note
36
37
38

Talmud
For
Talmud has
Talmud DICD. For
Talmud has here the

see
.

MSS.

AlfasI and Rabbi Asher have

see

'

MSS.

participle

For the

infinitive see

MSS 01

Cf. -D-fi,

Talmud
Talmud
The text

For the writing with the see MSS 21

For the text of the fragment see MSS 21
.

in the

tion,

missing')

33

The

Talmud

text is surely corrupt.

should be mentioned

accommodated

all

of the fragment

is

first.

It

is

See for

its

Rabbi Yehoshua, being of an older genera-

not likely that Zelra was a hotel-keeper

who

The

text

the scholars of Caesarea.

excellent.

is

This statement

support

MS m

is

not important.

which has

and omits

HALACHIC FRAGMENT

XLIV.

205

made a preliminary examination of this fragment

Dr Samuel Feigin to subject it to a thorough study.
The editors feel that,
article therefore is entirely his.

Professor Gottheil

but

remained

it

The

of this

rest

for

and Rabbi Asher and MSS 02 which mention Rabbi YehSshua first.
For the writing
cf. Frankel,
p. 86.
39
For its omission see MSS 02
Talmud adds
40
The writer, however, intended to omit the final
is written as usual in Talmud.
and put a dot over the
Cf. note 125.
41
Here the text is very confused in the Talmud and Poseklm. The fragment omits
The text of the fragentirely about the Ninth of Ab. For the same omission see MS m
rnent is in essential accordance with AlfasI. See
1
p. 250, notes
42
and AlfasI add here
43
Note the writing
with a

Compare
Cf.

also AlfasI

note

44

Talmud has
Talmud writes without
The text of the fragment is exactly as that of AlfasI.
The passage is found in B. Yoma 77 b and is connected with
The author of the fragment set them apart. Compare
.

45

46
47

the statement about

p. 61,

p.

44cd, and

second

48

The word

49

We

50
51

52
53
54

is

apparently

expect here

The

text

Jer.

adds

is

part, p. 127.

from

Jer.

but

The

Yoma

it is

missing, and refers to the right margin.

namely,

and the word must be 0 n.

last letter is rather

44d.

omitted

Rabbi Hananel.

in

The words show where the margin shall be inserted.

The text is found in B. Yoma 78b.
Talmud has the participle
but AlfasI and Rabbi Asher have
,

the perfect, as

the fragment.
55

There

56

The
The

57

is

space for two more letters and we expect two more words

question about a public fast-day

text of the

is

omitted here.

fragment seems to have been mutilated in order to make

with the present text of the Talmud, but without success.

ment was apparently

as follows

The

accord

it

original text of the frag-

..

which Rabba Bar BarHanna relates the actions of Rabbi Eleazar on a public fast-day. On this occasion he
asked him about the Day of Atonement, and was answered that it makes no difference.
To bring the text of the original fragment in accordance with the text of the Talmud, the
editor encircled the statement of Rabbi Eleazar, put small circles around the words
Rabba Bar Bar-Hanna went out to indicate apparently that these words precede the
However, there was no need to ask since only
others, and added
6
were, therefore, scratched out, and
was mentioned and the words
was moved
added, however, on the margin. The following passage ...
But

this text disagrees with the text of the

Talmud, according

to

further away.
58

Talmud

where
59

it

has

but compare

MS m

for the first

These two names may be

Talmud has here

the

more

familiar

note to section 95.

60
The rest of the subject was wiped away.

may

statement of Rabba Bar Bar-Hanna,

identified.

for

See

See

MS

2
.

p. 251,

insertion.

which

is

we

Since the verso begins with

think that a part of the passage of the Talmud, dealing with

originally written in the space,

note

Cf. S. Klein,

now wiped away, and

thus

made

was

place for the

GENIZAH FRAGMENTS

206
Left margin

61

[
]

[
[]
*][

[]

[]

Verso

[:

62

63

65

64

[]

66

68

67
5

[]

[]

[]

69

72

70

71

Written horizontally
74

73

76

77
:

79

[]

83

6
:

84

75

78 5

[]

81

80
81

82

3
81

61
The margin
Talmud about

is

not a copy from the Talmud, but

(B.

Yoma

78

be that he intended to copy only

attached to this margin to modify
62

The passage

see
63

is in

p.

The passage

B.

61 b,

is in

B.

Yoma

is

connected with the passage of the

The reason someone wrote it on the margin must

extracts from the Talmud itself. A later addition was

b).

its

78

b.

statement.

The Talmud has

pp.

Pesahlm 53b.

5455 and
,

Aifasi.

For the

text of the

fragment

FRAGMENT

XLI V. HALACHIC

no important conclusions have been

although

Dr

207

and

reached,

although

Feigin presents his transcription, notes, and general remarks, with

great diffidence on this account, the fragment remains a problem which

might be of importance to Genizah students, and ought therefore to be

presented

Dr

volume.

this

in

wishes to express

Feigin

grateful

ac-

knowledgment to Mr S. B. Maximon, of the Jewish Institute of Religion,

and Rabbi Z. W. Leiter, of Pittsburg, for the loan of needed books.

64

Talmud has

65

Talmud omits

the

after the

C f.

Talmud has

66
67

is

notes 29, 43.

erroneously written instead of

It

must be due

to negligence

on the part

of the copyist.
68

The Jerusalem Talmud, Pesahlm 31a.

But it seems that some name
has

69

Jer.

fragment does not seem to be a

70

Jer.

namely,

has a

Jer.

72

after

with

Jer.

73

This

74

jer.

75

fragment

seems

to

be

inferior.

See

Yoma

(44c! near the end).

separately written.

Jer.

77

text of the

final letter in the

copied from Jer.

is

Jer.

76

The

is

p. 8 iff.

Frankel,
71

The

missing there.

is

Perhaps the name

But compare Tosephoth

Yoma

79a.

which is surely not correct. See TosephSth, ibid.

78
The text is an extract from B. Yoma 79-80.
79 Talmud
and omits
80
The Talmud, as well as the Poseklm, had a corrupted text which caused many
The text of the fragment has the support of MS 2 which has
ficial explanations.
Jer.

See

p.

as follows

254, note

According

to this, the text of the

arti-

Talmud should be reconstructed

The

Talmud seems

present text of the

be formed by the following circumstances

to

and wrote
copyist omitted the words
When he noticed his mistake, he wrote the words

above the

The second copyist inserted the words in the wrong place. When it was
inquiry of Rab Papa remained without any subject, somebody added
although the inquiry about this
81

The

indicate that

it is

the line above

82

of

This

is

is

impossible.

84

MS m

note

p. 254,

script

note

around the word to

at the beginning of

but

MSS

have correctly

Talmud has
has

circle

and beneath it (
).
and Rabbi Hananel. The fragment omits the inquiry

Rab Ashl.
Talmud has
0

line.

noticed that the

a usual term in AlfasI

83

See

See

and placed a
wrong and wrote the correct word in smaller
instead of

copyist wrote

but

which

is

impossible (Cf.

MSS 02 have
1

I.

Halevy,

correctly, as the fragment,

vol.

ii,

p.

475

fi).

GENIZAH FRAGMENTS

208
86

85

4
87

[]

85

89

[
92

88

90

91

97

12

93

94

96
:

98

"

101

102

100

[
*

"

104

105

107

[[

106

[]

[]

95

10

[]

[][]

Remainder missing)

(.

Verso backward
109
[

][

[
[

[]

85
86

Talmud has
Talmud has

participle, but
87

it

112
]

108
!

110

[]

[][]

Before it was written on the fragment

was scratched out and written above
namely,

as

The fragment omits

not thinking
88

it

[]

erasure ]
111

[]

the passage from

if it

were a

79 a to

79 b, the author

of importance for his purpose.

Talmud has

In the fragment

is

written under

it,

apparently, in

explanation.
89
The fragment omits the passage which follows
Talmud, and continues with the following passage.

which was rejected

in

the

XL IV. HALACHIC FRAGMENT

209

The fragment begins with a heading: Laws [concerning] Prohibitions

Day of Atonement. Then follow three Talmudic extracts

of the Fast of the

on Washing. Between the first two and the present third section there
seems to have been another on the same subject but at present the space
is filled by an extract from Maimonides on entering into the Holy of Holies
and the Temple. The last line of this insertion comes just under the first
line of the passage on Washing.
Between the second passage and the
insertion from Maimonides is a note stating that the law permitting bathing
in case of pollution, even on the Day of Atonement, is no longer in force
and the authority is a Rabbi Moses, apparently Maimonides. This note
;

down in smaller script behind the lines. Two line-spaces

below the passage on Washing there follows one on Anointing. At the end
continues upside

90

Talmud adds

91

This word

92

omitted

is

For the omission in MSS'112 see D-l,

the Talmud, but is found in MS 2 See D1,
.

in

p. 256,

note

ibid.

Talmud has
is feminine.
but
Talmud adds
but it is omitted in MSS m . See
p. 257.
note
The infinitive absol. is omitted in the Talmud, but it is found in MS. See D
Talmud adds
but it is omitted in MSS. See
ibid.
Talmud adds
The phrase is omitted in MS m
,

93

94

95

96

and

is

superfluous.

Talmud has
Talmud has
The wording

97

98
99

from

it,

of the entire passage

is

not found in the Talmud, but

it

is

extracted

about which the writer of the fragment was not

after omitting the

concerned.
100

See

The phrase

p. 257,

is

note

omitted

in the

Talmud, but found

in

MS

2
.

Talmud has Aramaic

The rest of the passage is omitted.
103 Talmud adds
104
Talmud has
Compare job xxi, 16
105
Talmud has
but MSS have the same text as the fragment.
106
but also
is possible.
Talmud has correctly
See Margolis, The Aramaic
Language of the Babylonian Talmud, section 38.
107
The rest of the passage is now missing. It was wiped away in order to gain space
for the passage from the Talmud which is written in smaller script. It surely contained
101

102

in 13 Yoma 82a, to which the margin was attached.

Although the text is badly preserved, we can with certainty state that it refers to the
in B. Yoma 82 a. Since its contents were not found in Talmud, they
law about
were written on the margin. Compare note 6

the passage about

108

The author

decides about the fasting of children as does

and not as Rabbi Yohanan. The

109
110

111

Rab Huna and Rab Nahman,

found in Alfasl.
The words are badly preserved, but these words are fitting to the context.
This argument is given in
2 nd part 45a.
This argument is found in Rabbi Hananel and Alfasl.
first

phrase

is

The following is written in smaller script and is possibly a later addition by the man
who used it. He confirms the decision of the original writer. The first phrase is doubtful.
Compare the argument of Rabbi Yeshaya for his decision against the opinion of Rabbi
Yohanan which is essentially the same as given here
112

See

312 (.

27

GENIZAH FRAGMENTS

210

[]
[
].. [
]
115

116

114

113

"8

117

<>[

120

119
7

121

122

[]

"

124

125

126

127

[]

126

123

[]

[]

126

[]
6

[]

3
6

126

126

128

6
]

[]

133 5

129

[]

131

132

[]

130
]

[]

135

[]
137

[]

134

135

[]

136

9
138
*

125
!

[][

138

139

[] []

"

113

See note

114

The word

questioned
115

The

1 1 1.

is

letter

not well preserved, but there are traces of the letters.

was

last letter is

not certain, but

it fits

the context.

Perhaps the

HALACHIC FRAGMENT

XLIY.

of this a line was omitted

indicating

its

the ending of which

rections.

The

text

and

Then

insertion.

this

added

is

margin with marks

in the

follows a passage on the wearing of shoes,

mutilated by erasures,

is

and marginal

circles,

Then

interrupted in the middle.

is

21

is

cor-

inserted a law

from Maimonides on salting the sacrifices. Then comes a three-fold colophon

which the writer thanks God for helping him to explain these laws. On

in

the left-hand margin

a law about a cripple

is

Day

peculiar shoe on the

who

is

forbidden to use his

There must have been something

about this in the original text, which was removed to accommodate the
passage from Maimonides. To the decision on the margin a much confused
note is attached. In the midst are a few faint words in Aramaic, relating
to the subject, but belonging to an earlier entry on top of which this was
written. As we see from the narrowness of the space, both notes were
written after the passage from Maimonides was filled in. At the end of the
recto are two lines which seem to be the remains of the original text, upside
down, and which escaped the erasure. They treat of a subject apparently
from Middoth. In the space between the Talmudic passage on the wearing
of shoes and the insertion from Maimonides are a few unintelligible words.
116
117

The
The

restoration

of Atonement.

not certain.

is

not beyond doubt. If this restoration is correct we may have

here an allusion to the leader of the Babylonian section at Fustat. See for this person
restoration

is

Jacob Mann, The Jews in Egypt and Palestine under the Fatimids
,

vol.

ii,

p. ioi,

note

2,

and elsewhere.
118
Here follows another illegible word or ligature.
119
The word seems to be a remainder of the former text. The rest is wiped away.
120
The word is not clear.
121
The name of the book is not clear. Perhaps we have here the AlfasI referred to.
The letters are pferhaps
Compare Mann, vol. i, p. 297, note 1.
namely,
.

122 If
123

124
125
126
127

the preceding suggestion

The passage
Talmud
Here

Y 5 ma

in B.

MS m

but

without

Talmud adds
The arguments

this place,
128

found

is

See

MS

Cf.

73 b.
,

220, note

p.

note 40.

Cf.

correct the text could be restored

is

See

p. 220,

Yohanan and Resh Lakish

of Rabbi

note

p.

221, note

are omitted in the

Talmud

but followed at the end of the passage with the introductory word

Talmud adds
Talmud has
but
Talmud has Hebrew

in

{ibid. 74).

129

130

note

MSS 0
ms

see

in

1
.

220, note

p.

2
.

B. Yoma 74 a The passage which precedes this in the Talmud

has nothing to do with the Day of Atonement.

131

it

132

Talmud
Talmud
Talmud
Talmud
Talmud

133

134
135
136

137
138

p.

adds

but

omits the p.
has

adds
adds

p, 220,

221, note

it

but

is

omitted in the

cf.

MSS

2,1

in

MSS. See

04

p.

D- 4

221, note

p.

is

omitted here since

221, note

MSS

2,1

have the same

text as the fragment.

The word was scratched

Talmud adds
Talmud omits the
.

139

See

out by the writer as soon as he realised his mistake.

See

GENIZAH FRAGMENTS

212

141

140

142

3
143

144

145

143

144

[]

<

146

147

143

147
]

143

144

143
*

143

146
]

146

143

148

149

148

144

[]

143

<

146

149

143
]

150

Insertions

No.

][*

144

143

[]

Recto

,. ,

152

"

153

[]

154

156

[]

159

155

158

157

Under line

161

160

162

165

164

163

XL IV. HALACHIC FRAGMENT

The

verso begins with a final sentence on the wearing of shoes.

follows a passage from the Babylonian

Day

on the

same

213

act

Talmud on

of Atonement, and another from the Jerusalem

when

occurs on the Sabbath.

it

Then

the lighting of candles

After this there

Talmud on

the

a blank space

is

a marginal note.
The next passage, on the side, contains passages
from both Talmuds, on Eating that from the Babylonian shortened considerably. This is followed by something about Drinking, interrupted in

and

the middle by an erasure, in which

On

script.

Talmudic excerpt
a note on the

inserted a

is

the margin, from the bottom up,

is

in

smaller

fasting of

It seems to
and bears the name of Rabbi Hananel, as well as the
names of authorities otherwise minded, though the names and the analysis
are uncertain. There is some illegible writing behind and above.
There are thus four elements in the fragment: 1. A main text, dealing
with laws on the Day of Atonement, and taken from the Talmud. 2. Mar-

children, referring probably to the original text here erased.

be by a

later writer,

ginal notes on decisions touching such laws.

Maimonides.

140

B.

Yoma
141

Yoma

Talmud has another apocryphal Mishnah, but

74b.

142

in

Cf.

note

is

omitted

in Jer.

with
,

but

text of the

fragment see

]}

MSS (see
MSS have
0,1

We

144

For the

p. 222.

The text agrees

Talmud has

143

it

44 d.

Talmud adds

MS'"

Inaccurate extracts from

3.

Additions to the main text.

4.

note

),

while the

and

have here the origin of

145
Talmud adds ....
146
Talmud adds
Some MSS " 0 have only
has the same text as the fragment. See D-l, notes
.

Talmud has

See 0
See Levy, Worterbuch, vol.

ii,

<

p. 223,

notes

p. 420.

and omit

this
,

However

MS

Thus MSS 01 but Talmud

148
Talmud
see MSS 0,1 in
note
For
149
This is omitted in Talmud and has consequently the singular. For the text of the
fragment compare 0.
notes
150
Talmud adds
But it is omitted in MSS m0,1 Cf.
notes p,
151
The text is from Maimonides ,152
The first sentence is changed here from Hebrew into Aramaic. The original has
147

153

The word

than

which

is

put above the

Original omits

155

Original has reversed order.

!56

Original

167

Original has here

text, is in the original

and

is

better fitting

18 Original only

In the fragment

it is

at the end.

!59

Original has instead

160

Original

161

Original reverse order and omits

162

Original adds

163

See note

164

Original adds

165

The
.

154

has

157.

last letters
.

seem

to

be a ligature

namely,

Original

GENIZAH FRAGMENTS

214
0 2

Recto

166

33
168

167

169

170

171

173

34

35

36

172

37

174

[
..
Addition

175

to recto, lines

7-8

38

39

4
4!

:(

177

..

176

179

178
9
1

181

Verso

180

182

Addition

( left

to

margin of recto ):

183

184

185

186
166

The

original

is

in

Maimonides

3
.

It

has two

in-

adequate headings.
167

168

it is

a free rendering of the original

The words

169

Original quotes

170

Original has

written above explain the

word

171

Here

172

Original has

added

is

173

Omitted

174

This

is

in original.

a colophon, which

is

written in three different

ways

in

order to

fill

in the space.

FRAGMENT

XLI V. HALACHIC

215

The main body of the text is not simply copied from the Talmud. It
does not follow the same order as the latter, even including a passage from
Pesahlm it omits portions of passages when irrelevant to the purpose in
hand it combines both Talmuds and it uses the Talmudic expression
for a Mishnah from another treatise. Our fragment is thus clearly a
codification, perhaps from some posek, though different from those commonly
known. It reminds one of AlfasI and other African scholars. It uses the
;

technical term

other hand there

is

as equally authoritative

and agrees on the fasting of children. On the

no explanation of words and phrases and the text
;

contains no decisions.

itself

Talmuds

regards both

omits unnecessary text

We may

conclude that this codification could

dispense with explanations and decisions, because

The

teacher, or with the help of a teacher.

it

was

by a

to be used

character of the erasures and

we have
seems not to have been taken from an existing
posek, but to have been composed independently for teaching purposes, and
there may have been other pages of the same sort, covering the other holy
days. The spiritual leaders of communities were accustomed to teach them
the laws concerning each holy day thirty days in advance. Our fragment
might be the memorandum of such a teacher and it might even have

additions, as above described, point rather to the conclusion that

here a teacher's notes.

It

gained currency, as a sort of

(Cf. Levy, Worterbuch vol. iii,
because

it

was already known

The Mishnah was not

17.)

to the

pupils,

Possibly Alfasls work was called

Mann,
175

op. cit., vol.

The

ii,

p.

from a

in distinction
p.

297, note

or

more

for the

included,

easily available.

same

reason.

Cf.

1.

addition seems to have been put in after the space was

filled

with the insertion

copied from Maimonides.

176
177
178

It

seems

to be Arabic.

The line was

The word

The

rest

is

not clear.

In explanation...

partly crossed out.

was explained by
made to Maimonides.
180
The first letter seems to be certainly a
The second letter, unfortunately, is not
clear. The word is apparently a ligature.
It was either
in which case Maimonides
was alive, or
in which case he had already died. The lack of space urged the writer
not to be extravagant in titles.
is the usual title for Maimonides.
181
For the designation of this work as
see
Kobes I, 25C (Cf. Mann, vol. ii, p. 316.)
182
Some words are omitted, namely ...
183 The addition to
was written after the insertion from Maimonides was made
and thus there was no space left for it, and therefore filled in the space in wedge form.
The beginning is in Arabic, the end in Hebrew and in the middle are some words in
179

Here reference

is

surely

Aramaic.
184

The

It is

glossator intends apparently to define what

forbidden only

is

prohibited.

And

he states

185 The word is badly written and the letters are indistinguishable. From the context
which is forbidden to be used on the
we may assume that it designates the form of the
Day of Atonement. This must be in the form of a shoe, otherwise there is no reason for

its

being forbidden to be used on the

186

Perhaps the same word

is

Day

of Atonement.

Cf.

referred to in Tosephoth, ibid.

Tosephoth
.

to

Yoma

78 b.

GENIZAH FRAGMENTS

216

187

]..
.

188

"

189

<

190

Recto backward

192

191

[]

193

194

195 6

196

187

The words

188

These few words are a remainder of an earlier note in Aramaic.

This is apparently the end of the Arabic note.
This seems to be the end of the note from which few words remained

189
190

Cf.

are the Arabic

note 188.

191

It

seems that we have here an explanation of

Cf.

Levy,

s.v.

in

Aramaic.

FRAGMENT

XLI V. HALACHIC

217

The fragment

in its present state contains the names of Maimonides,

Rabbi Hananel, Rabbi Judah ha-Kohen, and Rabbi Isaac. But the last
one is uncertain, and all four are probably younger than the text, Maimonides at any rate. The text itself is a copy, as may be seen from errors,
corrections, omissions and inconsistencies, of a sort very unlikely in an

No

original.

conclusion as to date

we look

If

whom

Hananel, a teacher, to

possible.

is

someone from the country of Rabbi

for a likely author,

was

Rabbi Nisslm Gaon, author of

we may choose

attributed,

See J'EJHIT)

vol. iv,

By

was meant, however, particularly the teachers

comments, preserved by the pupils, and not intended by the teacher for
publication. See Jewish Encyclopedia vol. ix, 3 5 ff. The present fragment
is the text-book, to which the comments and their results were attached.
pp. 236-238.

Thus

the present fragment contains a passage from the Jerusalem

about

which

Talmud

quoted from Rabbi Nisslm by the Arukh, apparently

is

from his

The fragment

important

is

proves to be a page from the

if it

some text-book.

In any case it has a text superior

Talmud, in the sense that it combines
the best of the known variant readings and it may well be the old African
,

or even from

to that of the printed edition of the

recension of this time.

192

The phrase

193

Mishnah Middoth
In the Mishnah

194

we have here a

Yoma

is

not well preserved and

is

not clear.

4, 7.
.

There

is

not enough space for

all

Perhaps

these.

ligature.

195

B.

196

Talmud adds

52a.
.

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Talmud Babli, meaning the printed Talmud, Wilna, 1881
Rabbi Hananel, Tosephoth Yeshamm, Rabbi Asher.
Talmud JerushalmT, Louis Lamm,

Berlin,

Krotoschin edition.)

MSS
MS is designated

For the

Munich

The

Text, RashI, Tosephoth,

(Photographic

reproduction

of

(abbreviated
of Raphael Rabbinowicz, 1871. The
)
by a small m, the second MS of the same place by 2, the
the British Museum by 1 (London), following the Hebrew marks used by
:

Oxford by o,
Rabbinowicz.

1920.

following Poseklm, which partly share the methods of the writer of the fragment,

were compared

Warsaw,

1874, pp. 61-62.

Rabbi Hananel, Wilna, 1881.

AlfasI, Wilna, 1881.
of

'

of

of

printed in

from Vienna, printed

Wilna, 1881.
'

Rabbi Asher, printed

of

in

p. 49ft

printed in Lemberg, i860, second part

wilna, 1866.

in Zitomir, 1862,

p.

second part

p.

44 ff.
162ff.

GENIZAH FRAGMENTS

218

XLV. LEAVES

FROM A NOTE-BOOK

Paper 6^ x 6| inches, folded down the middle so as to form two leaves

and four pages, all of which are covered with writing in the same difficult
cursive Hebrew hand. On verso (b) the postscripts have been written
diagonally.

The language

is

Arabic, with a colloquial tinge, at times very

difficult,

not only because of the strange constructions, but also on account of the

many technical
The date is
Recto

terms relating to wearing apparel and the

A.D.

like.

141-1 142.

(a)
!

1
16

!9

2
3

he will write in the name of.

Tammfiz 1453 = July
of Documents
I.e. turnover and make.
See No. XL, Introduction and note 8.
I.e.

Era

A.D. 1141.

Plate

^
-^ *?'
,

XL VII

tfcup*\ ir>

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w*
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8

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^^
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*'**

^,
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<;^

(<11

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Genizah Fragment 45 a

.wd/
0

k>u<N

<j[o

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^*

^^!

*/** r/Wyikf

^' r{

ix>

f/,\'JS32 /V'H

Ujy tefidM* tfcyo v

^
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yy{*! \>/!

^ ^^ /^^
* ;,/*

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f4y/*fto

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1/ jj ^Jyt

0;

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'^*
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6 13S / ^</ v'Phpzj *

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Plate

XLVIII

^^^

^\ar/2ir^

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\<v \

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Jto *j'&j >m

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vX rJ if!y

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(y <

yfr

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P*y Vf'h'XyJHIVb&fry
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*f

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f?

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y(jy

tty#' nj
'$ si+> tow

^ " - 77

>;i1ri

ty[' ops

Genizah Fragment 45 b

'

^{
V^
*yjtiw

1 <<4^

FROM A NOTE-BOOK

XLV. LEAVES

LEAVES FROM A NOTE-BOOK

XLV.
The contents
and verso

of the four pages seem to be unrelated. Recto (a) and (b)

(a) refer to

marriage settlements, similar to those

Verso ( b) deals with a case, very interesting but not very clear.

under the suretyship of al-Labban, buys of

them

219

the offspring of Janan Nathan

Abu

Ben

al-

Hasan

in

No. XL.
Mufaddal,

Muslims,

all

of

Jew; and another

daughter of Nathan becomes the property of Abu al-Hasan. Nathan seems
to have died or to have been forced in some unknown manner to permit
Isaac, the

such a transaction.
Recto

(a)

Abu Jacob Joseph Ibn al-Dhahabi

convey 1 the property [which is invested] among the gentiles

The

possessions of the Sheikh

He

will

Ab

months
and Elul 1453, and Tishrl 1454 2

after three

4 to his daughter, together with the profit

and gain 3 [accruing from

its in-

vestment].

And

he will give to the girl what he has of hers, [accruing]

from apparel which he caused to be sold for her,
and the profit and gain 3 by the year. Of this [marriage settlement the

the Sheikh

three dinars

bridegroom,]

Abu

al-Mufaddal

[mukdam,] 4 and

Abraham Ben Obadiah,

shall provide

[six dinars, meuhar,] 4 the rest of the nine

dinars
10

which belong

And

to her.

the condition [laid]

upon her

[is that],

if

her

father
it

shall not

do

this,

she shall go forth [from her fathers house] without any

purchase price 5 [from the bridegroom],

12

And

13

beat her, nor insult her, nor

14

15

the condition laid upon

Abu al-Mufaddal

[is

that] he shall not

demand

from her the fruits 5 of [her invested] property; for he has promised them to
her through her [investments in] apparel. And if he shall demand of her
the fruits 6 [of her investment],

16
17

18

he

and on condition that he has

them [to her] in the agreement
[about] the apparel.
all liability]

19

shall be liable for three dinars for the

And

(?)

from her, whereas he promised

each of them absolves his companions [from

the father, and the daughter, and the husband.

tract

5
6

for

Hebrew
Hebrew

Hebrew

?
,

or else for

plural of

UO?

Hebrew

And

the marriage con-

GENIZAH FRAGMENTS

220

2!

22

23

4
25

26

Recto

(J?)

3
4

..

]
3

[]
[]

[]
]

[[
1

Vernacular Egyptian Arabic, the postpositive demonstrative da.

FROM A NOTE-BOOK

XLV. LEAVES
remains as

20

221

in all its stipulations

it is

24

and the nedunyah 4 and the remaining conditions.

And [as to] the housekeeping This 9 Abu al-Mufaddal has no
responsibility for any part of it. This 9 Joseph has [the responsibility],
Without cost 10 he shall maintain [Abu al-Mufaddal] in it. He has no

25

request of this

26

of his wife for

27

Tammuz

as to the meuhar

22
23

make any]

[right to

Recto
1

2
3

al-Mufaddal, nor

any part of

1453

gold disc

(?)
11

gold rings

and a

13

saddles

6
7

And

crystal

saddle cushion and a

silk

10

16

a silver cup

and two

silver rings

three dinars.

and a gold
and a jewel-box [one]
The whole [equals] a hundred and seven dinars.

The

and
A Jewish
A Labakl

silk

five.

(?)

dinar.

clothing:

forty.

fifty.

thirty.

20
21

blue Dabikl 17

22

and a blue

silk

three [dinars],

and its hood forty.

and a Dabikl 17 kerchief
and nikab 18 thirty-five.

gilded sun

10

of white.

A
A
A

19

for three [dinars],

14

18

silver ring 12

silk,

17

five.

said to be worth about two dinars.

amber armband [worth] three dinars, with a gold bezel (?) 14
spoon, and a deep bowl, and two collyrium sticks, and a fan 15

gilded

16

large

!3

15

month of

mirror

11

12

in the

pearls, a saddle cushion.

A
A
A

Written

it.

(b)

Hungarian

And
Two

Abu

cloak

19

garment.

thirty.

blue kerchief

20

twenty.

Vernacular Arabic, balash. The pronunciation here indicated would be balcttsh or

balaish.
12

11
.

-^

wlt h

with

for

0 /

13

Le

14

This phrase has been deleted.

0 s

f r

15

Deleted, then written above.

16

Hebrew

silver,

17

money?

According to Yakut, op. cit., vol. ii, p. 548, Dabik was a place
al-Farama and Tinnls, at which a certain cloth was made.
18
19
20

kind of

veil.

as in line

12.

as in line

17.

in

Egypt, between

GENIZAH FRAGMENTS

222
Verso: (a)

9
!

"
!

[]

[]

<

<

<

20

[]

2!

22

23

24

Verso

(b)
<

^ According
22

Persian

to

Dozy,

op.

cit.,

sub voce, a kind of taffeta originally of Bagdad.

XLV. LEAVES
Verso

A silk Dablkl 17
and an AttabI 21

4
5

6
7

214

223

19

twenty.

red silk 22 skull-cap, and a Dablkl kerchief

and a half cloak, doubled thirty.

A Munyl 23 isabah 24 and a Dablkl kerchief of white 25
A Munyl isabah and a Yemenite kerchief twenty.
A white 25 cloak 26 and a blue cloak 26 ten.
garment and a nikab 18 ten.
A

forty.

Two kerchiefs, with a

! A kerchief of Saft 27 and

of red 25

12

13

1?

The

six.

a kerchief from

eighteen.

and four kerchiefs

A Dablkl arda 28

11

NOTE-BOOK

(a)

FROM

five.

red silk 22 skull-cap and

twenty-three.

and two waist-bands

fifty

16
1

hundred.

total, four

18

19

of brocade
29
Dablkl

Dablkl coverlet of white

A
A

pair of pillows: Princes

fifty.

forty.

20
1

22

23

pair

ten.

Horse 30 thirty.
of pomegranate-red pillows 31 and a pair of

pillows 31

and a

pair of
24

blue pillows 31

The

total of

Dablkl [goods], twenty-five.

Verso: (b)
1

Mufaddal Ibn Abu Sad Ibn Subyan

has bought a slave-girl, the child 32 of Janan 33

Nathaniel Ibn Isaac, the price [being] 32 dinars 34

The

sale of slaves

Vi

x 0 J

0 J

23

For

24

25

The nominal form

from

the

name

of several places in Egypt.

kind of turban.
xx

26

as in line

I.e.

AbT

27

Cf. Saft

28

According

to

Above the
Hebrew

line

29

30
31

33
34

Jirja, Saft al-Urfa

Wahrmund,
:

I.e.

dark.
is

(b).

Similarly

line 9.

4.

and

Saft al-Kudur, Yakut, op. cit., vol.

Ha n dworterbu ch

iii,

pp. 97-98.

sub voce a kind of cloth.

six.

DID.
32

I.e.>Lk~e.

There

as in line 12 of recto

Janan

a strange

is

not the

mark over

Why
seller.

the 2

not

He

is

the father of the

girl.

and both numerals seem

to

have been deleted.

GENIZAH FRAGMENTS

224

<

4
35

36

should have the

article.

The Muslim dating is unusual, and is due to the circumstance that the
chaser and surety were Muhammadans. Both dates equal exactly Oct.-Nov.,

seller,

pur-

A.D. 1142.

FROM A NOTE-BOOK

XLV. LEAVES
5

at present [is] not otherwise than thus

He

[now] pays him

in this

[month

(?).

of] Rabl 35 al-Akhir,

36

537 [A.H.]

corresponding to Tishrl, 1454, [Era of Documents] 36

two

and the remaining

11

every month.

12

And

his security

[thirty dinars he will

is

14

and the property of them both.

And
in

And

according to settlement two years.

of this Sheikh

this [has

this 38

4 seller,

one dinar

way

at the rate of]

Ibn Abd Allah 36

al-Labban

the

pay

37

13

dinars,

10

225

been agreed upon] together with what

it

involves

of market-fees and auctioneers commissions.

Janan has a

Abu

girl,

aged

She remains

[the property]

al-Hasan 39 the
,

instead of [becoming the property of] the

buyer.

The

basic [price
after

40

is] 34.

two

dinars.

The Sheikh Abu al-Hasan 39

from

37
38

39

it

is

[therefore] 32.

I.e. seller of sour milk, or brick-maker.

Vernacular Egyptian Arabic.

This shows that Janan

in, but goes to the

thrown
40

[takes]

two dinars. The remainder

is

not the

seller as

seller.

See note 33

The younger

child

is

a consideration.

has been deleted.

29

not

GENIZAH FRAGMENTS

226

XLVI.

A PAGE FROM A PRAYER-BOOK

Paper 6| x 4^ inches, with writing on one side only.

Hebrew, in cursive Hebrew characters, pointed in a most unusual way
which can be due only partly to ignorance. The vowels are here printed
as they stand, regardless of the translation.

*
;

T T

T x

"
2

**

<

<

PAGE FROM A PRAYER-BOOK

XLVI. A

A PAGE FROM A PRAYER-BOOK

XLVI.

portion of the

The

Yom

Kippur

service.

copyist has disregarded the verse division indicated by the rime.

There are traces of an

1

initial acrostic

extending from

Lord, hearken unto the prayer of

Thy

to

p[

people, and unto their suppli-

who

cation,
2

pour out their entreaty, to confess their sins

watching,

all

in

the gates of

the multitude of them, at the doors of

behold them
4

227

Thy

Thy

mercy,

portals, knocking,

Lord, forgive their shame, their

sin,

and

their wickedness, the

mote of

their evil
5

judgments, for ever and ever. [They] appeal to

of their music.

Blessed art Thou,

[With] a perpetual love hast Thou loved

Thy favor (?) with the song

generation whose eyes are raised to Thee from the

evening unto the evening.

Lord, that bringest the evenings

Israel,

Thy

people.

With Law

and commandments,
and judgments, [hast Thou loved] us therefore accordingly, when

9 statutes

we
10

11

lie

down

and when we
and happy
and rejoicing
For they

by the

Also

in the

words of the study of Thy Law, forever and

in

our hearts

statutes of

and the lengthening(?) of our days; and

day and night.

12

[are] our

13

Lord, give ear to the music of the house of wanderers

14

prayers, and, like the poor, stand up [before Thee].

tate

Thy

arise.

life,

in

will,

ever.

them we medi-

(?), who speak

Admonish (?) in Thy

great mercy,

18

which is plentious, over everything. And in the Book of Life let them
be written down.
Often do they cry out, thirsty and hungry, to put aside their wickedness
the blotting out of their sins, like clouds. [O] Living [God] bring them
back for unto Thee
[would] they return. Remember Thou the love of lovers toward [their]

19

Thou, Lord, that lovest Thy people,

15

16
17

beloved [ones].

Blessed [art]
Israel

Amen Hear
!

GENIZAH FRAGMENTS

228

LETTER

XLVII.
Paper 8f x 4f inches.

Hebrew
Nos.

XLI

The
scripts

Hebrew

in cursive

characters, small but distinct, like those of

and XLVIII, though not identical with

text

either.

written in several directions, in order that the various post-

is

and afterthoughts may not be confused.

Two

of these shorter

additions are to be inserted into the text, and are here so printed, with
asterisks.

The date
460 (May
Recto

is

Wednesday, 7th of

28, A.D. 1067),

is

in the

Tammuz

immediate

and the 23rd of Rajab, A.H.

past.

(a)

8
'

'

"

.
2

Apparently an epistolary formula, meaning after the greeting. Perhaps

=
"

3
4

probably for

suggests a vernacular form

Arabic

before the

despatcher.

where there should indeed be a

ushrfn unless the

,

is

transposed from

stands for 3 (afcHJ), not for 400 as in

'

Hebrew.
5

l.e.

of the Hijrah, which equals

May

28th, A.D. 1067.

The

would then stand

for

0 * *

400, nor for

6

The

3,

as above.

letters,

though

TlD might stand

plain, yield

for 4-Lw

no sense.

but there would then be no numeral.

7

Arabic.

XL1X

Plate

<

'm*s6

'**n **>

>1 1*2

*V^ AXi-

^J,

hit.

tf/

3^

....,.,:.

i*

A'
J

1J

>

,/"

i<

y>

ebw-j

tx^yj'f y

V'

-r

? rn7<*^

'

,^

/-4

4'

o-^s

07
:

lj

v ^;

?tst*?

^7

'-ij

^'

|
; *!

jj

^
*

sj

r'

%.

'

S\

A*

If

<

k*

^CV>^J4 U A

* *&!=9*

'

7 ^?

^>y

? ;

fijy

j>

^1 <

"0

>a
J " ..</

*L*
-

?'?J^r
7.

^ X^^

."./-!

'

*+^

^4

** '***

^,,

& i

/)^

~,

^C7

ft*.

, 1

-*

*
'

0?

v>*7>o^*

6
'

7 S

....

/1i7

a*?

)?p~

,j

_ 4)^ ^

-0

~1+r>b+

~11

^? v>A. ^,

yi%l

^/

,nt

/*/

'

^,
11 3 .
v.

(r

<?>

_
'

'

Genizah Fragment 47

'''!
<V
"

"W
V
4

S2>
,*
< ^*

XLVII.

LETTER

XLVII.

LETTER

229

A letter from one named Nisslm, in Katyah, Sinai, to a certain Rabbi

Solomon IskanderanI, in Cairo or Fustat.
It is a rambling and repetitious account of conditions in the small and
turbulent caravan station on the Cairo-Damascus highway. There is much
about caravans. Robbers infest the way. The Muslims have demolished
a synagogue(?) and a private house of the Jews.

most Sheol, and the

Recto

pen

writers

Name

my

God]

After the solace 2 from afar

This

Rajab, 460 [a.H.] 5 And this is to inform the Gentleman

know whether the letters reach the Gentleman
.

And

the merchants

who

and from Gaza

merchant whose name

from Nablus
a Halibl 8

for

do not

inform the Gentleman, now, today,

Wednesday, the 7th of Tammuz, of the

150 camel-loads and
6

them away from the runners. And now

that [people] say that they take

is]

at length to the

this [is] also to

6

and

name

third 4 of

Name

[is] to inform the Gentleman [that] I

Gentleman a letter, [sent] from al-Am!rI,
the mutasaffir 3 of the caravan which went [from here] in the company of
the wise, the honored Rabbi Jacob, son of Rabbi Is[aac], on the twenty-

have written

in

Lord, his Exalted Honor, the Rabbi [whose

written at the side [of this letter] 1

[of

[To] the Prince, the Dignitary, Exalted and very Eminent,

Reputation,

as hot as the nether-

a)
Blessed be the

It is

broken.

is

are in

And

7
.

is

arrival of a

it

there

[are]
in

is

And the Syrians who are in it:

One whose name is Sldl Mahmud
Rahman the Syrian 10 and [a few

from Damascus 7 and

,

it

Abd

Sldl All Ibn

caravan of about

al-AzIz al-Hal!b! 8

sheikhs 7 of the Jews

and the

11

that the caravan 11 of Hallbls 12

His

rest [are] individually like

the merchants told

Name

selves

8
9

any

11

12

be blessed 13

For

what

travels in the lists of a caravan.

11s

would soon

arrive,

with the help of

And because they have not found

for

God
them-

leader, so

The context indicates Aleppo, but

Modern vernacular Arabic form.
uJ

10

and [another,] Abd aland five

Lulu,

others] aside [from these],

ro

And

Ibn

there appears to be no authority for such a form.

C *

Here the Hebrew word

for

plural of

13
.

instead of Arabic
Cf.

note

8.

GENIZAH FRAGMENTS

230

11

<

6
'

Recto

( b)

11

*
^

14

See No.

XXX,

caravan route,
the

is

in

doubled

line 11,

in

15

Cf. note

16

Mentioned above

in the

same

in line 8.
is

does not necessarily indicate Katlyah, for

and

line

next.

to have made a great impression upon the

from the heat. Cf. recto (c), line 7.

18

Cf. line 9.

He seems

suffering

19

About 75 kilometers from al-Salihiyah on the

18.

spelling

8.

writer, or else the writer

17

and note

The

Sinai.

with the

Hebrew

article.

jy-

20
.

Cf. the title

above

line

.
:

LETTER

XLVII.
n

that [they

may] depart from Damascus, they have not journeyed from

will

but with the help of

And what

of the merchants.

upon the
14

arrival of the

prevented sending the runner immediately

caravan mentioned

was] because

[It

there are here labor requisitions on account of building the

man

not a

can be found

in

Katyah 14

And

16

of Damascus, there are about 35 sheikhs.

in the labor requisitions in building.

who

[There are] about

[named] Sldl

is

In

And

almonds

And

19
.

And

to

God His Name be blessed 20

man a blessing, until no breath

and

fear [of

moned.

God], and

[Signed:]

on Wednesday, 7th of

And

to pray

21
,

broad, and wise, and

who

and sum-

are] prepared

insignificant Nisslm.

in haste,

Tammuz.

(b)

this

is

to inform the

Gentleman that no runner was found

in

to inform the Gentleman about the persons 11 of this caravan.

fore
2

has held back

Mahallah and Manzalah

and Manzalah way

And

it

value
4

Katyah
There-

we have not

And

sent the runner to bring news.

the inspector

no

with a broken reed,

Written

21

the soul of [those

in

The

20

Recto

is

send unto the Gentle-

will

his soul

is left in

There

and

of knowledge,

full
[9

[that] He

is

[from] Syria 18 [they

[use] in continuing [this letter], except to supplicate

18

seized

16

Nablus [party]

[the]

and

from Aleppo 15 there

Ibn Abd al-Az1z

All

sheikhs 7 [of the Jews] 17

five

bring] soap and

who were found were

the way of merchants

those

for fear of the labor requisitions.

a merchant

hill (?),

they have fled

for

!5

17

God His Name be blessed

the caravan 11
soon depart from Damascus according to the report

there

13

231

[will be]

And

is.

is

24
.

22

be

it

known

about the equivalent of

*But, however that

So

a sea-way.

farewell

may

collect their value.

wishing to hold

And

will

go

to

the money here until

four loads 7 of

be, the

Mahallah

Manzalah and

the inspector

23

25

necessary tomorrow to weigh them and

one of us

Gentleman that

to the

to

know what

their

Mahallah to
holding 26

is

saying that he

27

the arrival of a letter from the

is

Gentleman [directing him]

21

I.e.

22

For

until he dies.

23

Above

the line.

24

There are several Mahallahs, the most important of which lies at the center of the
Delta. Manzalah is perhaps the village on the lake of that name.
25
Obscure, like the preceding passage. This sentence is written on the margin, and
There is a sign before this sentence, but none after
its insertion maybe intended here.
.

26

For

27

Above

the line

is

apparently

will fix

it

up.

GENIZAH FRAGMENTS

232

11

1
.

*
1

9
;

Recto :

(c)

1
!

28

The modern

colloquial Cairene form of Isma 11

of Egypt, 2nd ed., p. 27.

29
These forms seem to have
30

This substance,

31

For

32

tion
33

for

mentioned three times.

is

written in the upper left-hand corner of the fragment,

There

intended here.

is

a sign

34
.

35
.

36

See Willmore, The Spoke 71 Arabic

This sentence

may be

is

Quite plainly with prefix

as in Syriac.

>

after

and

its

inser-

but none before this sentence.

XLVII.
to

pay him the money.

LETTER

For he said that

233

had come to him from

a letter

Isma'Tn 28 Shawish [saying] that the Gentleman did not wish to send

over any
6

And

reckoning of what Hakham, the son of Rabbi Isaac, had done.

the

inspector said that on account of the Gentleman he would hold the

money
7

here

until the arrival of the letter of the

And

Gentleman.

not weighed(?) 29 the loads, [and would not do so]

8 in

the

29

would not send

fore they

company

tomorrow, there-

30

the

(?)

because they had

till

of the mutasaffir 3 of the caravan 11

Ahmad Shuman.

But

His Name be blessed as soon as we weigh

*But truly
the
we
,with
send
send
the help of God His Name be blessed! the
and
of Katyah

everything with special care

with the help of
loads,

God

shall

all

shall

30

this

30

31

32

And

with very special care.

company

the [humble] servant, must go in the

I,

of the Mahallah [caravan] with the help of

be blessed!

in any event

33

May God keep him

And

God His Name

the honorable Rabbi 34 Jacob

Kohen

35

prevented 36 from going

is

company

in the

have torn down the house, and

gentiles. And furthermore

his

of this caravan, because they

wife

[would be] alone

among

Recto
1

(c)

Now we

have heard that with the help of God

the caravan of the

of
2

God

Aleppo

12

[company]

His Name be blessed

will

His Name be blessed

!

soon arrive 36 with the help

,

that already the road has been put in order 36

And

also

inform the

Gentleman that the house 37 which is here [in] Katyah

has been torn down, all of it and [that] they have brought accusations
that it was near to a mosque 38 and also
that more than 50 perahim 39 [will be] necessary in order to [rejbuild it.

the inspector has said that he would give us another place in which to

the confiscation of the house 37 will be prevented

Therefore

And

live.

in this

[way

all

question as to]
;

so that there will be no

longer [any] confiscations, nor [any]

7

troubles 40

And we

are in the midst of the greatest heat of the lowest

Sheol,
8 in this

37
is

Here

heat of Katyah.

at least the

So

word means

farewell.

synagogue.

Cf. line 10, just

above.

The

expression

intentionally cryptic.
38
39
40

Arabic
l.e.

dinars

Literally

words, affairs.
3

GENIZAH FRAGMENTS

234
Recto

additions (

1
1

Verso

41
42

voce.

for

very numerous and able Portuguese-Jewish family.

See Jewish Encyclopedia sub

,

LETTER

XLVII.
Recto

{additions)

And,

in

may happen while I am going to Mahallah,

Abraham Pinto 42 May God keep him 35

order that nothing

necessary 41

it is

235

that Rabbi
|

should be kept here.

And on

account of this

have not gone to Cairo.

I
|

So

farewell.

And now

the house shall belong

to the

Gentleman, and the possession

the Gentlemans.

[shall be]

So

farewell.

I (?)

have stipulated

43

with the

runner

that he shall

reach Cairo

Friday, after midnight.

And
So

the wise Malklel(?), pure soul 44 has gone to his [everlasting] peace.
,

farewell.

And
man.

behold

have made known 45 the matters

in detail to the

Gentle-

So

Verso

farewell.

[To the Pr]ince, the Dignitary, Exalted and very Eminent, in Name
and Reputation, my Lord, the Wise and Intelligent, his Exalted Honor,
Rabbi Solomon IskandaranI

From Katyah
43

to Cairo.

44

45

GENIZAH FRAGMENTS

236

LETTER

XLVIII.
Paper 8f x 4^ inches.

Hebrew in cursive Hebrew characters.

The first marginal addition is in the same hand as that
the letter, and merely continues the same. The second, in a
protests against the unwarranted presumption of the letter.

an extremely
a

difficult cursive

word or two,
This

Castro.

is

closes

hand, and

in

body of

The

third, in

Arabic, unintelligible save for

HDDNp

with the signature

therefore the writers

of the

different hand,

own language and

body
two other
the purpose of which is not

of the letter having been composed and penned by a scribe.

places there are brief combinations of letters,

Abraham

script, the

In

apparent.

Unfortunately there

is

no date.

][

'

11

?
?

1
4

Cf. Isaiah lvii, 19.

5
7
!

Aramaic.

Cf. Isaiah xxvi, 12.

Plate

/W: M.

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2 7.

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Gtenizah Fragment 48

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XLVIII.

LETTER

XLVIII.

LETTER

237

Fustat

in

Kajljl,

have

Abraham
man named Solomon,

wheedling, reproachful, almost threatening letter from one,

Castro, in Jerusalem(?), to an eminent and powerful

(?),

asking him by employment or credit to aid a certain Isaac

who seems
upon

fallen

stock in Fustat(?)

salem

have become estranged from Solomon and then to

Merchandise given Isaac from the common
to be paid for later by gifts to the treasury in Jeru-

to

evil days.
is

(?).

The chronicler Sambari (ed. Neubauer, vol.

Abraham Castro in connection with a Benjamin

i,
p. 145) mentions an
(not Isaac) Kajljl
and
;

Solomon Hazzan ( Sefer ha-Mctaldth li-Shemoth page 12) as having in

his possession a document of A.D. 1606, signed by Abraham Castro, Ben,

jamin Kajljl and others.

1

[To] the Prince, Eminent in

Name

and Reputation, our Master,

his

Exalted Honor, Solomon May his light shine 1

From the Great God [cometh] all peace 2 The Lord of Peace grant peace
to you and to us 3
Amen.
!

Inasmuch as it is the custom of peaceful men to pursue peace The word

peace occurs twice in succession in the books of the Prophets 4 upon
,

whom
4

and [inasmuch

in
7

we

men] with boundless praise, and

all mankind,
how much more 7 do the quest and pursuit of it become the duty of such
as have received
at any time
or in any way a favor, great or small, such as we have observed to occur
if it is

be peace 5
as]

praise [peaceful

ones duty 6 to pursue peace with

the case of the intelligent

and eminent gentleman, [one] of the influential men of Palestine 2 the

the goodness
honorable Rabbi 8 Isaac Kajljl May he be acceptable
of whose heart
at all times and seasons is known, and also how he found himself
[involved] in troubles and in a period of difficulty. Now my Lord 9
!

has not requited

9

10

11

good in all matters: whether because [Rabbi Isaac] was hasty in demanding his money, which was in the hands of my Lord,
in order to make his return journey
Indeed, because he was delayed
[by you], he became involved in a great loss in connection with those
bad figs which my Lord (?) saw when he was here [or for some other
reason]. But in the second place, [Rabbi Isaac] made an appeal [to

you, both]
12

in direct

conversation and through the mediation of friends, to encourage

him not
8

[He asked you] by any

to waver.

i.e.

you.

sort of

employment

or

GENIZAH FRAGMENTS

238

'

!9

20

22

25

26

27

28

^
Margin

a)
!

10 Cf.

Leviticus xxv, 35

11

The second and

12

Arabic.

third persons are used interchangeably.

XL VI

LETTER

239

work to restore the support of his house,

and admirers. But my Lord (?)

literary

13

as one of

[my

Lords]

relatives

did not give ear to his words.

14

what he

Then

he,

[Rabbi

when he had

Isaac,]

lost

the small

of those evil times, and the expenses of the

profits

15

lost

daughters [being what they were]

collapsed, and

his

houses and the

hand wavered 10
,

23

and he chose to return to my Lord as originally planned, to be [his]

beloved and trusted [friend]. And he sought to employ
the conversations of friends, [that] they might address themselves to
you 11 Sir, concerning this matter, in order that he might approach
[you] and that [you] might aid him in every thing
which the eyes of [my Lords] 11 wisdom might indicate for there is no
lack [of ability] at all in him. Therefore I, as one of those
to [my Lords] subjects, make supplication and give counsel with a
perfect heart. May [my Lord] see some proper arrangement for helping
him
him in some sort of employby every sort of usefulness, whether
ment by which he may find rest for his soul,
or else giving him, by the hand of my Lord(?), from the common stock,
some sort of merchandise, in a kindly spirit, which he may sell here
and [thereby] gain a little of what he has lost. And even though [my
Lord] gives it to him on credit, the price must be low. And he
will deliver its equivalent here toward the needs of the treasury 12 And

24

[my Lord] not fear anything; for

money, and royal money too 13 But

16

17

18

19

20

22

let

25

his business at all times brings in

the thing that

Lord (?) is that he give in a kindly

spirit by his own hand, without [the mediation
[thus] be close to [both] capital and profits. In

26 short,

let

[my Lord] be everything

is

desired of

of] other hands,

my
and

possible [to him], for thus he will

gain him, by gentle speech,

27

and servant for ever and ever. And let not a thousand
nor let one
friends be many in your eyes
enemy be a small thing in your eyes. My Lord is wise, and knows the
purpose of things, and the manner of advantageous
approach, and how he may benefit [this man] in such a way that he will
as a friend

28

29

become

Margin
1

a bearer of the flag of his praise for

all

eternity.

a)

God forbid
for his soul
not seek to affront him
by reason of the smallness of [his] profit and the costliness
of food and maintenance; and no man is to be blamed for his suffering.
Now I have dilated upon this matter

And
is

13

let

[my Lord]

bitter

From

on, very uncertain.

GENIZAH FRAGMENTS

240

11

][
Margin

[
4

{b)

[]

[]

[]
^

---

14

Or son-in-law.

17

Psalm

18

The

15

Job

16

xxix, 22.

Psalm

xxiii, 2.

xxiii, 3.

adjectives are uncertain,

and ought

in

any case

to

have the

article.

XL VI
1

my

because

LETTER

purpose to further

his welfare at all

[God] Blessed be He
be] hidden from his eyes, then, I pray,

well

known

light shine 1

to

241

the wise and peaceful,

But

if

let his

times

is

evident and

[my purpose seems

to

May

his

father-in-law 14

[Rabbi Isaac] in peace.

And furthermore, may these my words be acceptable, and may they
receive his attention
And my speech distilled upon them 15 . But
[as for] you, Master May you enjoy an abundance of peace. From [the
Lord] I ask it beside the still waters 16 .
!

visit

May He

guide him in the paths of righteousness 17

beautiful,

[Signed:]

Margin:

pure soul 18

The

the

of one

soul

faithful

Abraham

insignificant slave,

in

because of his
his

covenant 19

Castro.

b)

Who

that our wise Master from time out of

dares 20 to utter words [of reproach], seeing

mind has never neglected any

matter,
3

great or small.

And

his

That thou mayest walk

words are
in

the

just to those

way

whom

of good men, and keep the paths of

the righteous 21 .
5

And

may

the Lord answer thee

His help from the Sanctuary 23
thus

in the

day of trouble 22

Blessings by(?) the soul of the insignificant

Amen
19
22

Psalm
Psalm

Ixxviii, 37.

20

For

xx, 2.

23

Psalm

xx,

21

3.

Proverbs

ii,

20,

Send

GENIZAH FRAGMENTS

242

XLIX.
Paper

LETTER FROM A LADY

8x4! inches.

Hebrew

in semi-cursive

but badly faded.

The

Hebrew

and

beautiful,

text could be read, however, in an especially pre-

pared photograph, the work of

Photography

characters, very regular

at the University.

Mr George
It

R. Swain, Technical Expert in

was doubtless written by a professional

scribe.

Recto

1
3

!3

II

Samuel

3
5

I.e.

xxiii, 8.

you.

Aramaic forms.

For

LETTER FROM A LADY

XLIX.

LETTER FROM A LADY

XLIX.

243

Abraham SkandaranT, The

an unnamed lady who has fallen upon evil days

addressed to a certain Rabbi

letter

Alexandrian, by his aunt,

and desires his assistance.
Many Old Testament phrases are interwoven, in the manner of one who
reads the Scriptures much, and has no style of his own but, as this is unconscious, the references have not always been given in our notes.
;

Recto

Name

Blessed be the
1

[To him] who

TahkemonI 1 him, our Refuge, Mighty,

Head of the Academy, and Head of
Exalted Honor of the Rabbi Abraham SkandaranT,

the city(?) the

Light of
3

God]

the seat of

sits in

Wise, Perfect,
2

[of

Israel.

With the granting of preservation of life and peace let him be cared for,
and let him be remembered among the sons of life 2 and sustenance 2

together with
4

company

the people of his holy

to inform

him of the doings

and hasty man,

and of my cruel fate which, after I had descended into the lowest depths
of destruction [which assailed me] from every side and quarter, and
had imagined [that]
perhaps the days of evil had passed, and had said The Name [of God]
be praised 3 Enough of my sufferings I have betrothed my son to a
maiden of beauty
my dancing was changed to (my) lamentation. For thieves entered my
[house] by night and robbed me. But blessed [be] the Name [of God],
of that

all

evil, bitter

who decreed
8

for

me

also this, to taste the flavor of

my

sin.

and

my

son are naked,

and thirsty.

hungry9

And

instead of

[object of]
spite of
to

may

the

his

life.

to

all

my

the earth,

all

neighbors and those

who

now

see me.

[am] an

But

in

it all,

Holy Name

from their sword

11

being a delight unto

(?)

shame

And

[of

God] be

for all that a

as regards your

nition of healthy

women

blessed,

man

who

hath

delivered

son

he give for

will

grandmother

but her also did

me 4 and my

according to the defi-

my

misfortune strike.

For

they carried off

!2

her clothing.

At

present there

13

14

is

nothing new

[to ask],

except to pray

open upon me the eye of his 5 oversight.

5
Perhaps he will save for me something from his 5 brethren, Sir, for it is
to me an hour 2 of great need. And I have become
dust unto all my people. And as regards the pupil, Israel, he kisses the
his 5 presence that

he

will

hands of the Gentleman 5 and he

,

is still(?)

GENIZAH FRAGMENTS

244

9
*

Margin

Verso

..
?

contains the

modern
losing.
(

piastre.

Also, the

name

of

some

But 30 piastres
is supposed

word

coin.
is

to

thinks of

plural of u&jS, the

too small a sum (about $1.50) to complain of

have been borrowed from Germany or Austria

groschen ) in comparatively recent times.

8

One

LETTER FROM A LADY

XLIX.

245

15

studying with the learned Rabbi Isaac 6 Sabah, because with him there

16

the

are studying pupils of

Academy, and not with any

other.

And

have not experienced a

kindness from any one but him

17

although, to be sure, words of strife have passed between him and

18

19

20

me

my

husband
7
the betrothal after I had lost more than thirty
in the betrothal at the time when I sent [you word of it ?]. And I am
unable to finish putting up 8 the dowry of the maiden.
But this also [must be] for the best. Greetings from the bitter and
sighing, bereft and lonely woman, who is forced
to sign [this letter] with tears in large measure: the Lady 9 your Aunt.
concerning the daughters of

Margin
Tebheth.

15 th of

Verso

May

it

reach the hand of the Most Eminent 10

,

10
11

Vernacular Arabic,

These words
Hebrew.

si'it,

for classical

in Arabic.

12

13
.

These words

of the

Law

Exalted Honor of the Rabbi 9 Abraham

and the Rabbis 12 the Pious, the

Skandaran! 13

Oak 11 Crown

in

Aramaic.

GENIZAH FRAGMENTS

246

THREE LETTERS OF COMPLAINT

L.

Paper 45! x 6J inches.

Hebrew

in cursive

Hebrew

characters.

1 he three letters which the fragment contains are

all in the same hand,

and were doubtless written down by the same professional scribe. The
first fills one hundred lines, of which lines 1-34 and
41-53 are rimed, the
rimes being indicated by short diagonal strokes. The second letter occupies
twenty-five lines, and the third letter forty-four lines.
Many biblical phrases are introduced, paraphrased, or hinted at. Not
all have been indicated in the notes, for the reference is often remote.
I he paper bears
a watermark of the familiar hand-and-star variety,
employed by many manufacturers, in France, Switzerland, and Sicily,
between A.D. 1490 and 1590. See Briquet, Lcs Filigranes, 1907. If the
Moses mentioned is indeed Moses di Trani, our fragment may be accurately
dated toward the close of his incumbency at Safed, 1525-1535 (note 72),
and may even have had something to do with his apparent removal. He

did not die

1585, fifty years later.

till

"

"

"

"

'

"

"

"

"

11

"

"

"

"

"

"

"

"

"

1
4

For

For

Hosea

viii,

io.

Plate LI

v-ry px-uu

< <-

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04

Paiuj

4( 4

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0 (*50(?(

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r*po^r^1V4*rV

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valuo

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4
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<< JujJ

414

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4 (

jipJja
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&

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^--

<>

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<< ( 41

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pews

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440

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poiP ?5

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pp

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pr

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4
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)

pjy uoi

wp

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o. ang>;1 jb

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45

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r

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DW

Genizah Fragment 50

THREE LETTERS OF COMPLAINT

L.

247

THREE LETTERS OF COMPLAINT

L.

These three letters complain of the conduct of a certain Rabbi Moses,

dayyan of Safed in Galilee. If we are to believe the writers, he was a
rather unusually vainglorious, selfish and unscrupulous person, guilty of
many acts of tyranny, misappropriation and corruption, and responsible
for the perennial Safed Meat Scandal.
It is difficult to recognise in this Moses, the Moses di Trani who was
Rabbi of Safed from 1525 to 1535. But our Moses was the immediate
successor of a certain Joseph SarakossI (or Saragossl), as we learn from
line 157; and Moses di Trani was a successor, possibly an immediate
successor, of the Joseph Saragossl who organised the community of Safed
in 1492
and the identification is thus not unlikely.
The addressee of the letter is an unnamed Egyptian nagid, at Fustat(?).
The beginning of the fragment, which might have revealed his identity, is
unfortunately missing. The writers are all people at Safed, whose names
are duly signed. Many interesting names appear.
the

three days, and

over his sons.

And

the

Holy One

Blessed be the Name was inviting

1

them
4

while

bore

my

affliction,

and did not spare myself, cruel that

was,

and

while
5

men were hemming me

in

and surrounding me, the injury [which] they

[were doing] extended even to the scholars

who with me

[were] reading, without their being protected 2 from taxes 3 and other

those

things, as [are] the rest of

who study

the Law, with other [teachers],

if

only [to the extent of]

lightening their [obligations] and relieving them a

8

from the burden of the King of Princes 4.

gregation and said

9
10

11

12

13

14

Why

And

little
I

stood

in

the con-

do you not behave toward

my friends properly, as you behave towards the others? and they replied
Our Master, the Nagid, has exempted the pupils of Rabbi Moses; and
if we do not receive [taxes] from
his pupils nor [from] your pupils 5 we have no [people] from whom we
may receive [taxes]. We are [thus merely] placing upon [your friends]
the burden of others.
If this matter proceeds from our Master, to strengthen the fat and drive
out the lean, it is our duty
to applaud
and we shall accept your decision. God forbid that the
throne of your Honor should be outraged, and the sheep
of your pasture injured. And I shall recount something of the manner
of his Honor, the dayyan, [above] mentioned, [in dealing] with me.
:

For

pupils?

GENIZAH FRAGMENTS

48

"

"

"

"

"

"

"

"

"

"

"

"

"

"

"

"

"

"

"

"

22

"

"

23

"

"

"

"

24

"

25

"

"

"

"

"

"

26

27

"

28

"

"

"

"

"

"

"

"

3!

"

"

"

32

"

"

"

"

"

33

34

35

Isaiah xlvi,

scholar

who
io.

refuses to conform to the majority opinion.

9

For

L.
15

He

THREE LETTERS OF COMPLAINT

me in my downsitting and my uprising,
man opposed to him, having recourse to

has oppressed

nothing every

249

reckoning as

!6

the deed of Cain in order to be the only one in the world, as

17

were no one beside him 6 and everything [were] as nothing before him.
And before the common people he says shameful things about [everyone]
but himself, uttering slanders and speaking

18

in his pride,

if

there

and boasting with his tongue Who [is there that] teaches
like me ?
and He who rebels against the word of my mouth
shall be treated as a disobedient elder 7 . He voids water upon holy
things, pours contempt upon men,
outrages the honorable, brings weakness upon strong men, saying:
Whosoever shall exalt his horn before me,
him in anger shall I outlaw, and in my wrath overwhelm with the fire of
:

19

20

He

battle.
22

My

says

counsel shall stand, and

do

will

my

all

pleasure 8 , and

Who

is

my

24

presence? And against all

the leading men he raises his hand, that he may gain honor for himself
by the shame of [his] associates. And everyone who transgresses
and he does as he pleases, that he
his decisions he forthwith outlaws

25

may magnify and exalt himself.

And if people say to his companions and

he that

23

will

does he do
26

thus

He

for as
27

this ?

those that

has the power to do even what

and made Head

31

32

Why

is

contrary to legal custom

Head

[of the

of All.

And
;

sport

They let him [do] according to his custom, the custom of Jehu.
There is no blame for the madman,
even though he works with design and cunning. Truly, his report has
gone forth in the land, and his character
10
is recognised
for all time. This is what his friend says of him, about
of him.

the difficulty of his justifying himself: for [him] to turn humility

33 into folly.

And

How

has the folly of this [man] profited him

in this

world 11 ?

because of

Law has been desecrated, and its crown brought down to earth,
and its honor has ceased. Behold, the honorable Rabbi
Ishmael came from Damascus. He had been dayyan among them [there].
And he had published abroad

34 this

35

Academy], he exalted himself to [the dignity of

to him whom he desired, he gave to drink
the waters of new wine but to him against whom he was angry, [he
gave] wormwood and poison. Woe unto the generation which has
[A man] who casts
this for a leader
in
its
face.
And although sound men and there are many
his injustice
such defend his doings, [nevertheless] his companions and his flock

make
30

they reply

29

know him 9

soon as he was appointed

being]

28

dare open his mouth in

10

the

For

11

This sentence

is in

Aramaic.
32

GENIZAH FRAGMENTS

250

36

37

38

39

"

"

"

"

4
"

"

"

43

"

"

"

44

"

"

45

"

46

"

"

47

"

"

"

"

"

48
"

"

"

49

"

"

5*

"

54

55

56

57

58

12

Zechariah

14

Micah

16

13

ix, 16.

15

vii, 10.

xii, 3.
But here correct
Talmud, Shabbath 34a.

Zechariah

to

.
18

17

This clause

19

Talmud, Baba Bathra 16b, where however we have in the hour of

is

in Aramaic.

Cf.

Genesis

iii,

15.

his suffering

THREE LETTERS OF COMPLAINT

L.

251

words of the Law, and taken upon himself a vow to go and live
And he preached publicly
once or twice. And, because [Rabbi Moses] was jealous of him, he commanded that no man should preach publicly
until he had made peace with him, and he had given him permission
beforehand. And this was done in order that his name
only should be noised abroad. And he next outlawed every one who
listened to instruction from him
or from others and many things like these, [such as] were never heard
of [before] until the common people came to be

36 [certain]

in Palestine.

37

38

39

40

saints in their

41

own

eyes, without learning the

Law

being as stones of a crown

lifted

of the Jews

and,

instead of

Law

42

the Sons of the

43

are reckoned as burdensome

stones 13 and as mire of the streets 14
,

If harlots paint

44 faces,

shame and

derision.

each others

men [show] even more [mutual helpAnd after [all] this what is a poor man
do? And truly, even though 16 this man has deprived me of

me

to

good 17 (?),
have not wished

46

should not the pupils of wise

fulness 15 ]
45 like

only] for

[fit
,

on high 12 now they

[of myself] to bring gossip, nor to pursue [him] to

[the point of] accusation.

by the memory

Verily

was compelled

of the cause by which enmity was established 18

47

to [do] this

48

Because of much vexation

and sorrow I have spoken thus far in my strongest language and
anger. But if people despise a man [for]

49 his

[let
.

his people.
51

my

them remember that] no man is called to account for his

Even if there be no peace in his city, his suffering
the multitude he makes known even unto the prince and leader of
speech,

suffering 19
50 to

in

am

to search out his

not a persecutor of him,

doings and sayings.

Many

people come to

me

to

complain

me about his dealings with them and his judgments. But truly I
rebuke them and I do not
lend my ear to hearing one of them. Only two or three months [ago]
at the Feast of Tabernacles, I made an agreement with all those who

52 to

53

34

55

56

57

were studying under me, that not

one of them should say: The honorable Rabbi Moses 20 has done thus
and so, however good [his intentions].
And this occurred in an important week and [at a time] when the Law
commands [me] to put away from myself
and from my heart every blemish and sin. This [was] the rule which I
practised in my suffering. And for the most part

58 I

did not go to the synagogue except upon the Sabbath Day, by reason
of [my] ailments and disorders; nor

20

Evidently the

name

of the accused.

It is

written between lines.

Cf. line 64.

GENIZAH FRAGMENTS

252

"

59

60

6!

62

63

64

65

66

67

68

69

"

7*

73

74

75

76

77

78

79

21

Hebrew

for the ordinary Arabic,

22

For

23

For

frequent form.
24

Maghribi.

See other examples below.

Or Armenia?

Plate LI I

&y

<./,/*- *

J'VrF ^

j :yp

f r~

'' /
?

nW jiniaj'jr't-'ji

V -nnr

irOfcit

31

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^
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rpn

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pr

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yiirsiJpj-p(

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,- ^
\<^ ^/
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jua^!

f)cj)'ry1

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w?>ijJ4w

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cut

fc^DJ

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b?zlvW

jnLV&pj^ixz P'Lujp

<
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^-,"
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m&p

t4v r **

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if

:/,
r

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(?- ? 1

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Genizah Fragment 50 b

<,
,

/}

L.

THREE LETTERS OF COMPLAINT

go forth

on Sabbath Eve.

59

did

60

Only a few days ago the honorable Rabbi Samuel

Ben Yohai went to Aleppo and to all those surrounding

money

collect
61

to the market-place, except involuntarily,

And

the Law.

253

[places],

to

for the students of

it

happened

in

the case of Rabbi

Abraham Marabl 21 my
,

daughters betrothed, [that Rabbi Samuel] said to him

Stand with

me
62

63

and persuade them to give to me on account of your father-in-law,

IskandaranI, and on account of the other Sons of
the Law. And Rabbi Abraham told me 22 that he stood and solicited 23
as well as he was able and that, when the [above-]mentioned Rabbi
Samuel returned with the money which he had collected 22 from the
congregations, the honorable Rabbi Moses, the dayyan, took the whole
;

64

[of
65

And

it].

truly

not even a single penny reached me.

With

these sentiments the honor-

able Rabbi Samuel, [above] mentioned, went

66 to the

67

68

69

land of Turkey 24 and collected what he could 22

,

72

he

she
73

And when

had reached Aleppo, he sent to give

us greetings; but all that had come into his hands he turned over to the
honorable Rabbi Moses. I have never run after
these things, nor have I received what belonged to others save only
what my kinsmen sent me,
the honorable Rabbi Joseph IskandaranI and his brothers
May God
preserve him
for they have shown me many kindnesses. May God
reward
the good
Never has there come into my hands what belonged to others.
On one occasion a woman
was ill, and the physician was the honorable Rabbi Joseph, the Egyptian,
of blessed memory, who was called [in Arabic] Aflf Ibn Ezra.
He went in and out of her house, in the manner of physicians; and when
within herself that she

felt

home, she sent to have me summoned by

But I did not go to her [house]
because I knew that she wished to place in my hands the money of her
for she had no heir
estate
and I did not wish to go to her [house]. And the honorable Rabbi
Joseph, the physician, [above] mentioned, came to me, and said to me:

was departing

to her eternal

the [above-]mentioned physician.

74

75

76

Know

and that the gentiles will take all

and [yet] you have sworn
that nothing of this shall be gathered into your hand. Give us [therefore]
advice [as to] what we are to do. And he brought what
the woman had sent to me by his hand for she had said to him: I do
not wish this money,
which shall be left behind me in the way of an estate, to be in the hands
of any but Joseph IskandaranI, to do
that she

is

inclining toward death,

that she has in her possession

77

78

79

GENIZAH FRAGMENTS

254

80

82

83

86

"

87

88

89

9<

93

94

95

96

97

25

Supply

26

Arabic,

27

Psalm

29

Added above
Added above

30

meaning some

cxix, 126.

article of personal
28

This phrase

the line in the

is

same hand.

the line in a different hand.

adornment.
in Arabic.

THREE LETTERS OF COMPLAINT

L.

me

80 for

with

that which will help

it

not to accept them,

8

my

But, since

soul.

255
I

had sworn

went

with him to Rabbi Moses, the dayyan

and we sent

for the honorable,

perfect Rabbi Perez(?);

wise [and
|

82

and Rabbi Joseph

them of the matter, and

told

wish to accept [the money].

83

84

Since the

woman

Then

[also] that

did not

the honorable Rabbi Perez said

did not wish [anyone] but you [to have the money],

what do you wish to do with this money, after

you have sworn that you will not accept it ? I said to him My wish
is that it shall be upon deposit with the honorable Rabbi Moses,
[the] 25 dayyan
and whatever we shall perceive to bring profit to the soul of the poor
woman who is departed, we shall do [by using some] of it,
with the advice of us all. And we agreed upon this. And then the
honorable Rabbi Joseph, the physician, brought out the money; and
:

85

86

their
87

number

was found

and good,

[to be] thirty gold-pieces, fair

less one.

And

he

brought out three folded

88

woman had
good

89 in

And
90

And

discs 26 [of] refined silver.

that
I

sent by his

faith, for

after a

him

he swore that

this

was what the deceased

hand

to give me, to

expend

few days had passed, and

for the

sake of her

soul.

found

was a time of scarcity and [that] the poor [were] in distress,

said to the honorable Rabbi [Perez?] and to Rabbi Moses: Behold
it

the time
91

come

Lord to work 27 . But he kept saying: I have spent

it for other poor people
and it has been expended
in this place and that 28 in [different] undertakings 29 . And now I called
him to account, [saying]: What have you done with the money of
this poor woman ? But he
[merely] answered The congregation gave it to me, and they have
taken it from me. But the truth [is] that no man knew [anything]
has

for the

92

93

about
94

this,

beyond the honorable Rabbi Perez, and

Egyptian 30 And I have also made inquiry of the
important persons of the congregation
and they have sworn that
they never knew [anything] about this
matter. And had it not been that a divulgence of these matters would
have brought injury to many at the hands of the gentiles, I should
not have been
but I should have done this to release myself from the
silent about it
reproach of the poor woman, the owner of the money.
But his Eminence, my Lord, will forgive me that I have wearied you 31
and taxed 32 your Honor with [the burden of hearing] many words
about various matters

excepting those mentioned

Rabbi Joseph

[the]

95

96

97

31

I.e.

him

etc.

32

For

Ashkenazic pronunciation of n?

GENIZAH FRAGMENTS

256

"

98

99

"

<

33

Samuel

i,

'

16.

35
37

34
.

36

Numbers

Arabic for Baruch, Blessed.

38

x,

31

Hostility(?).

39

Brilliant.

41

42
Aramaized Hebrew, and confused.
The 2nd and 3rd persons are confused.
An Arabic word with a Hebrew plural ending.

43
44

Cf.

Glanz, Finkelstein,

etc.

40

Freedman.
?

THREE LETTERS OF COMPLAINT

L.

2 57

out of the abundance of my complaint and my provocation have

spoken
hitherto 33 . And [I beg] as a favor from your Eminence, my
I
Lord, that you will greet
my kinsman, the honorable Rabbi Joseph IskandaranI, and his brothers,
[and bless him] for every good thing which he has done for me. And
Farewell And the one who greets you 34 [is]
[to] you
[May] his memory [be] eternal life 35
Joseph, son of Rabbi Abraham
Written [upon] the sabbath of the [Scripture reading:] And thou
shalt be to us instead of eyes 36.

98 for

99

We, whose names

103

are signed below, the youngest of your students, the

your servants, kiss the dust of the ground
before the Dignity of your Honor. And we [beg to] inform your
Eminence how we are studying the Law, and of all
our activities in the Gemara, with our master whose name is signed

104

working, and [many] times doing nothing

10

least of

102

above.

We

exception
105

106

107

108

are not like the others

we

set apart

at

one time
;

but every day without

hours for [studying] the Law.

Nor does our master, mentioned above, have any leisure from teaching.
[He does] not [do] as the honorable Rabbi Moses does, [at one time]
going forth to the villages to bring in the honey of his bees, and [at
another] time going forth to bring in his new wine
and his oil and his grain, and by his decree relieving students under
his instruction from taxes 3
and from the burden of the royal levies. And [Rabbi Moses] has
selected people who belong to him
a parcel of men possessing no
:

intelligence or understanding,

example, Mubarak 37 Ibn Udwan 38 and Zahl 39 and Ma'tuk 40

and the like of these. And he lets them go free while laying burdens
no upon us. And let my Lord inquire concerning these [men] and the
like of them, from the wise, the honorable Rabbi Nisslm
and he will
tell what they
41
But oh that all [of us] were free, and that the oppressor were
11 know
over us
And when the honorable
placed
not
109 as, for

12

13

Rabbi Samuel Mas'ucl came to Safed, he said, in the name 42 of your

Excellency, that everyone who occupied himself with the Law
May his glory be
should receive assistance from our Lord the Nagld
But we have been told that he has given help to the Spanish
exalted
!

[Jews],
1

14

and has given no help

to his 43 servants the

Arabized [Jews] 44

And

we,

the undersigned,
1

in spite

of the fact that [some] of us stand before Royalty 45 and [some]

,

of us have dependent children,

1

16

never cease at

all

to study the

Talmud. But

it is

not possible for us to

be sitting
45

They were

in military service?

33

GENIZAH FRAGMENTS

258

<

23

5
26

11

^
!

30

!3 *

46

For
Jeremiah

47

Cf.

48

Cf.

translates badly
49

50

Aramaic

53
.

66

and

is

Samuel

xxii,

14,

which the Revised Version

taken into thy council.

very strange sign in the

51

55

xxxii, 19

the unintelligible passage in

text.

52

These were

Not an abbreviation,

still

as
.

we

living.

These were dead.

54

Successful.

see from the form of

THREE LETTERS OF COMPLAINT

L.
1

17

2 59

There are among us some who do not yet argue 46

[points] so [well]. But if [such a one] found help for himself
it would help others.
May the eyes of my Lord be open upon his 43
forever at the

Book

who turn when they hear him,43148

who pray to God 49 continually for his 43 peace
servants 47

19

of mind: May your days

and touch
the days of our Lord, the King, the Messiah, who [we pray] may be
revealed through your merit soon, in a time near at hand, and in haste 50

be long, and

120

may your

life

stretch out

[Signed:]
Amen! Forever! Selah
Hiyyah, son of Rabbi Samuel Kohen [May] his
Hiyya, son of the honorable Rabbi Moses Kohen
51

12

good 53

Eden 52

rest [be in]

[May]

his

end

[be]

[May]

Eden

122

Obadiah, son of Rabbi Samuel Kohen

123

Masllah 54 son of Rabbi Samuel Kohen [May] his rest [be in] Eden!
[May] his rest [be in] Eden
Joseph, son of Rabbi Abraham Kohen

his rest [be in]

Joseph, son of Rabbi Aaron

of Rabbi Jacob
12 4

[May] his

Eden

K 5 hen

the

!26

Behold

I,

German 57

who have

my

city of

Samuel, son

55

his soul rest in

Abraham

[May]

good, and

his rest [be] in

signed

my name
was

below, [a
in

did not find [opportunity] to write to the

be exalted, and his honor be

his glory

man]

by the

afflicted

haste to go to Damascus, the

nativity,

to propriety.

129

visitations of the times, because

!28

good

!25

127

[be]

son of Rabbi

Hillel,

Halfbn ha-Levi May

Samuel, son of Rabbi

be blessed 56

[May] his end

end [be] good

[Yet now] in truth

Eminence of our Lord

magnified a

shall tell of

my

letter

May

according

suffering

me

in connection with the honorable dayyan [above]

now] three times that I have come from Damascus
to dwell in the Holy Land,
and have left Safed because of trouble which overtook me through him.
How many troubles and afflictions have overtaken me at his hands
For
such is his manner of oppressing all the masters of the Law and of
tradition to the end that [no one] shall be called by the appellation

and of what
mentioned

befell

for

it [is

130

131

wise

except himself only.

his affair 58

in a great conspiracy.

others

May

his

And

behold, in the beginning of

he conspired against his rabbi, who had taught him the Law,

How much

more then did he conspire against

Abraham Pethllah 59
World to Come 60

For his rabbi was the honorable Rabbi

memory endure unto

the

life

of the

57
The modern Arabic word for German, with the Arabic article. He is not merely
an
but comes from Germany itself. He does not give his fathers name, and may
be a recent arrival.
58
59
incumbency.
Wick.
,

60

GENIZAH FRAGMENTS

260

33

! 3+

! 35

36

! 37

<

38

<

39

<

<

<

42

<

43

<

44

<

45

61

Mishnah

the spirit of
its rest, in

the

iii,

God

him

man who

is

was not one of

62

Word

io:

Every [man]

[finds] its rest.

the spirit of

God

And

in

these.

the spirit of

[finds] not its rest.

beloved on earth, for he

repeated.

whom

every [man] in

is

whom

men

[finds] its rest, in

the spirit of

men

In the present case

assuredly beloved in Heaven.

him

[finds] not

Blessed is
Rabbi Moses

THREE LETTERS OF COMPLAINT

L.
132

[Rabbi Abraham] departed

this [the

Mishna] says

And

[finds] its rest 61 .

133

this

his

world [much] grieved with him.

Blessed

Eminence,

asks [about] his dealings with men:

135

whom

he

in

my

Lord,

is

the spirit of

To
men

know not what

to do now; for I
had taken] upon
myself, to go to dwell in the Holy Land for thus [was] the custom
of my fathers who have gone to eternal life, that when they became
old they went 62
to the Land of Israel in order that it might receive us [under its protection] while still living 63 And this [man] wishes to drive me from
it.
For every time I return to Damascus
trouble and misfortune and sickness overtake me because of the sin of
the [unfulfilled] vow and oath. And yet I never did him any wrong;
but, on the contrary, I exerted myself 64
in his undertaking, when he sent to Damascus and to all the [neighI

came, under a vow and an oath [which

13+

261

136

137

boring] districts, to collect funds in the

that time
138

stood

name

of the

Academy. At

love and affection,

in

and I drew the congregation [after me] with the sweetness of love 65
and I preached in all the congregations of Damascus and they gave
alms in the cause of
;

Academy of the Law: twelve gold-pieces. And this is my manner

toward everyone transient and resident: to strengthen him who has

139

the

140

on each occasion when he sent [solicitors], I exerted myself to do his

will, for love of the Law and its teachers, and for love
of those who dwell in the [Holy] Land. But this man, instead of [requiting] my love, antagonised me; instead of [emulating] my pursuit
of good, desired to kill me. And although 66 men
come and cry aloud of his deeds before me, I rebuke them. And of all
[the complaints, I mention particularly] a woman, poor, destitute, and
widowed, a fugitive
from Damascus, on account of the debts which she owed. And she had
come to dwell in Safed and a certain man kissed her 67 and gave her

And

stumbled.

141

142

143

thus,

fifty
144

of the

pieces of silver

Damascus

mint.

But

their marriage did not turn out well,

Rabbi Moses took from her

he divorced her after a few days.

and

for the

marriage contract
145

and

for the letter of divorce thirty-six pieces of silver.

And

he took

the widows clothing as security 68 until he should receive the thirtysix. [Thus] she had left
,

63

Kethubhoth

He whom

1 1

cited

a,

by Levy,

op.

cit.

[Palestine] receives while living,

is

not to be compared to

him whom

receives after his death.

64
67

68

For

65

I.e.

married her

Cf.

Deuteronomy

was written, but deleted.

The word has been corrected by the

xxiv, 17.

66
.

scribe.

it

GENIZAH FRAGMENTS

262

46

47

48

49

....

'

53

54

55

56

57

58

59

69

71
See Baedeker, Palastina (1910), P 250.
See ibid. p. 242.
72
of Saragossa. A Rabbi Joseph Saragossi reorganised the Safed community in 1492
(see Jewish Encyclopedia s.v. Safed). Our Moses succeeded Joseph (line 157), and must
have been the elder Moses di Trani, Rabbi of Safed, 1525-1535, according to J. E., s.v.

70

Trani.

THREE LETTERS OF COMPLAINT

L.

fourteen pieces of silver as the former and latter [marriage

146 [only]

many

Behold, these are some of his ways; and [there are]

like

And

them.

in spite of all this

from Kafr Yaslf 70 and he

t48

gifts].

[others]

never

have I involved myself in any of his affairs, except

[above-]mentioned 69 Rabbi Moses had a student

147

263

one

[in

case].

The

Ain al-Zaitun 71 and he taught him

lives in

And

the laws of slaughtering [animals].

according to what

have

heard from Damascus,

from the honorable Rabbi Joseph SarakossT 72 and from Rabbi Samuel

149

Bahlul 73 and from others, about the [above-]mentioned butcher, there

went

him

forth against

many evil reports; and the wise Rabbi Joseph SarakossT [May] his
stood up and agreed [with those]
memory [be] for everlasting life

!50

against him, that he should not be 74 butcher and inspector and retailer

For the

for himself.

[were] his

151

demned
and

as

inspect,

the

153 this, all

spoke

cattle

own; and he sometimes allowed

if

and

men

to pass,

and sometimes con-

[indeed] he possessed sure testimony 75 to slaughter,

sell

until,

on account of

of Ain al-ZaitOn and the

evil against

men

of Blria(?) 76 and Safed

him, and said concerning him that only a few

And when

153

of his animals turned out [to be ritually] unclean.

154

Rabbi Joseph SarakossT, [above] mentioned, saw his doings, he decreed

that no man should eat of his slaughtered animals] until [the authorities]
appointed over him a trustworthy man for the slaughtering and for

155

And, although 66

the wise

the inspection.

156

77

one witness is trusted, this [man] was

suspected, for many reasons, even of being [such that],
when a loss accrued to him on the occasion of an animals turning out
[to be ritually] unclean, that he would 78 sell it for half the price of a
for prohibitions

[ritually] clean [one].

157

After the wise Rabbi Joseph SarakossT departed [this

memory

[be] for [everlasting]

life

Rabbi

life]
[May] his
Moses again made him

responsible for himself, without

158 his appointing

loss
159

would

anyone

[to serve] with him.

result to the souls of Israel

And when

it is

saw

that great

for all

three cities 79 eat of his slaughtered animals]

that

said to

Rabbi Moses

not proper that this [man] should be responsible for himself;

for

73

Laughing.

75

Cf.

76

Some

Psalm

For

unidentified village very near to Safed.

near Ramallah,
77

74

xix, 8.
It

could not, of course, be al-Blrah

in the south.

The community could

usually trust anyone to report uncleanliness in the

food supply, and one objection was sufficient to cause prohibition.

78

Literally

79

I.e.

was suspected

that he

would

Safed, Ain al-Zaitun, and Blria(?).

not.

common

GENIZAH FRAGMENTS

26 4
1

60

!6!

62

<

63

64

65

<

<

<

80

Cf. Ezekiel xxiv, 4

81

At the beginning of line 166 there is a

or an
The word was misspelled, deleted, and then written above the

82

line.

66

67

68

>

69

<

THREE LETTERS OF COMPLAINT

L.
160

!62

on account of this there is evil comment against your Honor and against
him, since he names every good piece, and every thigh and
shoulder 80 with your name.
And, if you do not appoint over him a trustworthy [person] there will
be criticism and desecration of the Law all the more, [indeed], since
an order from Rabbi Joseph
Sarakossi has already been [issued], which forbids [us] to eat of the
flesh which that [man] sells, until [the authorities] appoint over him

How

a trustworthy inspector.
163

[order]

the

we destroy

shall

[who is] departed

[May] his memory
But Rabbi Moses did not wish to restore
everlasting [life]
so, I went to Ain al-Zaitun, and I investigated
And Rabbi Moses sent out an opinion with [some] vehemence

what the wise [man] has

[be] for

!6+

26 5

built,

affair.

Anyone who knew,

[with reference] to the [above-]mentioned butcher,

any injuri[ous rumor] or

165

slander, respecting the matters of slaughter

to

me

And

[there are]

many

and inspection, and told

[other cases] like these.

[it]

Time may

But because 81
have not recounted one out of a

pass away, but they will not pass away.

166

am

go

in haste to

thousand.

And

if

to

this [conduct] is right in the

Master 82 then what

good [of my protest]

[is

167

Damascus,

eyes of

my

Lord and

the]

But God forbid

Because of

man] has prevented me 83 from [preaching

his jealousy of

me

words of [the]
Law me and others besides me. And now, if [it be] good
in the eyes of my Lord that [this man] keep me from [preaching the]
words of [the] Law me and others besides me it is for me to accept
your decision, and not to continue [this letter] except in [wishing]
[this

the]

!68

your prosperity.
169

That

it

may

increase forever, and languish never, as

the wish of [him

who

is]

is

your wish, and

the object of your affection, and

who prays

unceasingly for your prosperity,

170

and who awaits your answer, Ishmael, son of Rabbi J[udah?] 84

his

[be] for everlasting

life

[May]

83

84

memory

The

last

name

is

written as a

monogram, and

there

is

a break in the paper just

at this point.

34

INDEX OF SUBJECTS
Academy, 245

children, 153, 157

circumcision of illegitimate, 55
colors of dyes, 73

address, elaborate, 143

forms

62

of,

almonds, 231

commodities, 25, 73, 75, 99, 123, 153

confiscation of synagogue, 233

amulets, 125

confusion of construction, 36, 46, 119-126,

adultery, 53

ff.

animals, speaking, 125

anointing, 209

138,

f.,

158

coral, 75

-gatherer, 75

ff.

Arabic, bad or peculiar, 112, 151

corruption in

office,

classical, 133

credit, transfer of, 237,

Maghribi, VII

cryptic

script,

XVI,

II,

XXXV,

XIX,

XXVII,

XII,

XXVI,

IX,

XXVI I, XXVI

XXX, XXXI
XXXIV, XLV, XLVII
1

1,

arbitration,

ff.,

99,

95,

133,

151,

dancer, 179
dating,

Day

4, 35
of Atonement, 57, 209, 213

ff.,

documents,
dogs, 19

43

Arabic and Hebrew, 104

58

ff.,

261

ff.

dowry, 179 ff., 185

drinking, 213
dyeing business, XIV

banker, 25
betrothal, 179

Bible paraphrases,

books, borrowing

purchase

239

50,

ff.

divorce, 27

58
5

f.,

debt, 1-5, 25

arabised Jews, 257

Aramaic,

165

18

style,

16

vernacular,

article,

52

XL

aphrodisiac amulet, 23
apology, 165

Appointed, 26

controversy, theological, 125

Coptic numerals,

XXXVIII

of,

of,

earthquake, 31

125

elephant,
94

65

expenses,

used by children, 153

bribes, 149

XXXVI

fear of the supernatural, 106

bride, twelve year old, 187

fees,

business, methods, 16

festivals,

overhead, 75

f.

XXXVI
23

Fifth, 149

risks, 33, 51, 165

foreign influence

upon Arabic, XXXIII

fractions, Egyptian, 164

cabbalistic names, 107

canal, 54

gazelles blood, 181

captive, marriage of a, 183

ghosts, 106f.
Glorious Place, 26

captivity, 52

caravan route, Cairo-Damascus,

caravan station,

XLVII

39

ff.

ff.

gold -names, 70

grammar, Hebrew, 123

Cashmere shawls, 179

charm, XV,

XXIV

halachic fragment,

XLIV

Roman numerals refer to the documents, and Arabic numerals to the pages of this
volume. The Indices do not cover the Introduction.
1

267

34-2

INDEX OF SUBJECTS

268
handicrafts, 153, 161

princes, 76

handiwork,

prohibitions, 209

hebraisms

brides, 179

in Arabic, 162

Hebrew grammar,

ff.

pronunciation, 76 ff.
property settlement,

123

honey, 59

XL

proverbs, 127, 261

Hormuz! goods,

180, 185

quotations on money, 63
illegitimacy, 55
inheritance, laws of, 183

rajaz verses, 133

inspector, 165

ransom, 50

irab, 41

renting houses, 23, 121

revenue-tax, 165

Jewish Quarter, Jerusalem, 121

risks in business, 25

runners,
Karaite document, 179
Koranic expressions, 160, 163

ff.,

33

ff.

XLVII

saffron, 153

salting of sacrifices, 21
labor, requisitions

scrying,

231

of,

lion -names, 32, 66

memoranda(?), XLII

liturgical

XV

Second, 149

ff.

Seleucid Era,

178

4, 35,

shoe, of a cripple, 215

magic, 23, 107

mail, 45

silver -names, 71

106

circle,

skin diseases, 23

f.

slavery, 50, 159, 223

ff.

Market of Exchange, 49
marriage-broker,

XL, XLVII

-settlement,

maxims,

f.

soap, 231

XLV

speech mixture, 39, 76

spell, for finding gold,

succuba

127, 175, 261

meat-inspection, abuses in, 263

misappropriation of funds, 253, 255, 261

money-changer, 25
Monizah, swords of, 193
Moroccan money, 169
Muslims, relations with, 127

06

79

f.

sugar, 191
sugar -names 66
sultan, 41, 103

synagogue, destroyed by Muslims,

Talmud,

XLIV

tartar, 25

names of God

in

magic, 106

ff.

tax-list,

XIII

testament,

IX

obligation, 165

theft,

pamphlets, 123

trembler, 179

33
tower, 171

ff.

participle for imperfect, 51

partnership, 7
penitential

ff.,

ultima-accent, 82, 41, 69

33, 19

hymn, 84 ff.

uncircumcised

(Christian), 191

pepper, 87

vernacular forms of numerals, 138

persecution, 97, 171

petition,

XXXI, XXXII, XLVIII, XLIX

vow

to live in Palestine, 251, 261

phonetic spelling, 130

pirates, 50

pizmbnlm, XVII, XIX, XX,

plene writing of vowels,

washing, 209
watermarks, XXVII, L

weaving business,

women,

poll-tax, 23

pSseklm,

63

XXXVIII

XLIV
XLVI
XXVII

of,

39

clothing

of,

XL

prayer-book, X,
prepositions,

161

position

yeshlbhah, 26, 159

INDEX OF PROPER NAMES

Aaron al-Saflr, 131
Abd Allah al-Labban, 225
Abd al-AzIz, 133, 229, 231
Abel al-Karim, 133

Abd al-Rahman, 229

Abraham Barakat, 83
Abraham Castro, 237, 241
Abraham Ben Ezra, 90
Abraham the Hazzan, 27 ff
Abraham JabartI, 193
Abraham al-Kala1, 153, 157
Abraham Maimunf, 135
Abraham Ma'rabT, 253
Abraham Ben Obadiah, 219
Abraham Pethllah, 259
Abraham, Reader of the Law, 19 ff.
Abraham Ben Sedhakah, al-Af!f, 131
Abraham Ben Shemayah, 7

Abraham Ibn al-Shuwaikh, 133

Abraham SkandaranT, 243
Abu Abraham IsmaIl Kfwh (?), 63
Abu Abraham Ibn Shbt, 95
Abu al-Afrah al-Arjawanl, 1
Abu al-Afrah Arusah, Joseph, 165
Abu al-Ala, 127
Abu al-Ala Ibn al-Bahwarl, 67
Abu al-Ala Said, Ulah, ff.
Abu al-Ala Ibn Shaya, 67
Abu al-Baha of Damascus, 13, 17
Abu al-Etan, 127
Abu al-Fadl, 125
Abu al-Fadl al-Nur Ibn al-Nur, 15
Abu al-Fadl Ibn Umran, 97
Abu al-Faraj, 23, 25, 53, 147
Abu al-Faraj Nisslm, 69
Abu al-Faraj of Tyre, 127
Abu al-Habn(?), 153
Abu al-Hajjaj, 99
Abu al-Hasan, 53, 112ff, 155
Abu al-Hasan Isaac, 159
Abu al-Hasan Sadakah, 69
Abu al-Hasan Sadakah Ibn Simon,
Abu al-Hasan Salamah, 97
Abu al-Hasan Siba, 67

Abu
Abu
Abu
Abu
Abu
Abu
Abu
Abu
Abu
Abu
Abu
Abu
Abu
Abu
Abu
Abu
Abu
36

Isaac Ibn al-Assal, 71

BrhSn (?), 65
Isaac Ibn Hujaij, 71
Isaac

Isaac al-Iskandaranl, 73
Isaac Ibn Tayyiban, 155
I tr Ibn SufrawT, 65
Joseph Maliil Ibn Moses, 97
al-Khair, 69
al-Khair al-Bmarin (?), 67

Mansur, 69
Mansur, the Registrar, 67
Mansur Ibn Abu al-Faraj al-Kalyubl,
ff-

219

ff.

al-Fadl, Sahl

al-Tustarl, 143, 147

Abu

(Bu) Sad Ibn

Abu Salamah

Ibn All

Ibn al-Masri, 163

Abu
Abu
Abu
Abu
Abu
Abu
Abu
Abu

Sad Ibn al-Kabisi, 67

Sad Ibn al-Kataif, 69
Sad Ibn al-SukkarT, 67
SaId
SaId,

(?),

65

94

al-Sarur, 53, 87, 163

al-Sarur Ibn Ma'anI, 36

ff.

al-Sarur Sidr al-Maghribl, 71

AbusTr, 96
71

Abu Sudur (sic/)

Abu Thana, 37
Abu Ula, 23

Farah, 67

ff.

to the order of the Latin alphabet.

Jacob, have not been included.

ff.

al-Khair, the Proselyte, 69

Abu Muhammad, 166

Abu al-Munajjah, 15
Abu Nasr, 69
Abu Nasr Ibn Mukhtar, 69
Abu Sad, 1 57
Abu Sad Abraham Ibn Abu

Arranged according

al-Husain Ibn alAbid, 69

al-Husain al-Dhahabl, 70

Abu Mansur I bn Hayylm, 67

Abu Moses Aaron, the Money-Changer, 71
Abu al-Mufaddal, 159
Abu al-Mufaddal Abraham Ibn Obadiah,

ff.

al-Hayy, 23, 69, 155

al-Husain (?), 65

Names have
269

their English

Incomplete names, such as

forms whenever possible.

INDEX OF PROPER NAMES

270

Abu
32

al-Ula Bin

Bu

al-Faraj Bin Ayyarah,

Abu Umran, 23
Abu Umran, with the police, 69
Abu Umran Moses Ibn Abu al-Hayy, 5 ff.
Abu Umran Ibn Saghlr, 69
Abu Yahya Nahrai Ibn Nisslm, 116, 129
Abu Yahya(?) Nathaniel Ibn Nisslm Ibn
Mahabbah (?) Ibn Masruf(?) Ibn Moses,
Abu
Abu
Abu
Abu
1

of Galilee, 141

Abraham,

Ceylon, 45

237, 241

ff.

Colombo, 45

ff.

63

Cana

Castro,

ff.

Dabbah, 17
Damascus,

139ff., 231,

249

ff.

Damietta, 14

Duke

Bint Isaac Ibn Joseph,

Naaman, 179

ff.

Zachariah, 87

Edom,

Zekharai Ibn Manasseh, 69

Zekharai Sujmar, 69

Eleazar, 205

Sadakah

Zubair

84, 149

Judge

Elijah,

al-Maghribl,

116,

29

Elijah

in

Kalyub

(?),

VIII

ha-Kohen Ben Solomon, the Fifth,

199

Aden, 45
al-Af!f,

Esther Bint Moses Ben Jacob he-Hakham,

ff.

Abraham Ibn Sadakah,

131

Kuhli, 183

Aflf Ibn Ezra, 253

Ahmad Shuman, 233

Ahmad Ibn Sulaiman

Fadl Farlkah
Ibn Ibrahim, 83

Ain al-Zaitun, 263, 265

Aleppo, 26, 103, 229, 253
Alexandria, 14, 19, 33, 157

al-Fiddl,

189

Finkelstein, 71

France(?), 99

ff.

F ustat, passim

AlfasI,

203 ff.
All Ibn Salman(?), 155

(Mar)

(?),

Nahum, 71
Abu Isaac, 71

Faraj Bin

Futuh the Egyptian, 53

Allan, 9, 11, 19

Allan(?) Ibn Yahya, 151, 155

Gaon Yakob (Yeshlbhah), 26

al-AmirI, 229

Gaza, 139, 229

al-Ansarl,

German, Kohen

Arus,

259

ff.

Hakham Ben

Asher, 127, 205

Ashl, 207
Atallah, 53
al-Athlr, the Kadi, of Alexandria, 33
Attarl al-Yazurl, 97

ff.

onah, the Spaniard, 27

Hassun,
ff.

19,

Hassun Ibn
Hebron,

al-Ballutl,

Hananel, 203, 217

Hanes, 149

Hanun, Yahya Bar Nisslm, 187

al-Dln, 13

XLIV

Halfon ha-Levi, 95
Halfdn ha-Levi Ben Menasseh,

Azhar Bin Azhar, 71

al-Azhar Ibn

Isaac, 233

Halakhoth Gedholoth, VI,

Ata, Jacob, 97

Awwad

the,

Glanz, 71

Ariel, 137

23
Isaac, 97

ff.

18

Henasslyeh, 148

Banyas(?), 153
Barakat, 51

Herz, 32

Bayyan, the Hazzan, 53

Hilal al-AtrublusI, 155

Benari, 32

Hiyya (sic/) Ben Moses Kohen, 259

Hiyyah Ben Samuel Kohen, 259
Holy Sepulchre, Church of the(?), 121
Huna, 209
Hurmuz, 181, 185

Benha

al-Asal, 59

Berakhoth Ibn Abu al-Mansur, 39

Bilbais, 13 ff, 139
Blria, 263

Brhon

(?),

65, 99

Hibah,

27,

69

al-Husain, 21

Buk, 27
Buslr, 96

f.

Buzar, 68

Byzantine Jews, 55

Ibn Abfih, 67
Ibn Ain al-Daulah, 167
Ibn Ammo, 66

INDEX OF PROPER NAMES

Ibn (Bin) Asad Ibn Samuel Ibn Judah
32

Judah ha-Kohen Ben Eleazar, Dayyan

at

Josiah, Gaon, 26

Judah, Rabbi in Cairo, 38

Judah Ben Jacob Ben Aaron, 183

ff.

Ibn Azur(?), 95
Ibn al-Basrl, 161

Bilbais, 13

Ibn Bushair, 69
Ibn Elias, 53
Ibn Ghurab, 25
Ibn (Bin) al-Kali, 33
Ibn al-Kuzdlrl, Hajj All, 45
Ibn Mufarrij al-Ubzari, 69
Ibn Rahmah, 69

Judah Maghrib!, 183

Judah Bar Solomon Bar Meir, Ibn
ff

Kafr Kannah, 14
Kafr Yaslf, 263

Benjamin, 237

Ibn al-Rakkl, 97
Ibn al-Rifa, 67

Kajljl,

Ibn Sahl, 69
Ibn SandablsI, 41
Ibn al-Shuwaikh, Abraham, 133
Ibn al-Tirmidhl, 67

Kalaf, oil-dealer, 71

Kajljl, Isaac,

Kamar,

Sicilian, 185

Kamil, the Ayyubid, 38

Katyah, 139, XLVII
Khallj, Cairo, 54
al-Khankah, 139
Kibhre Abhoth (Hebron?), 119

Ibn al-Zaiyat, 47
India, 47

237

Kalyub, 37

Ibn Ulaik, 105

Ibn Umran, 67

Immanuel Ben

Yehlel, 61

Kifa, 37

ff.

ff.

Indian Ocean, 45
Isaac Ibn Abu Sad Ibn Muhasin, 83

Kuzdir (Kuzdar?), 44

Isaac Ibn Khalf (?), 97

Isaac Krshant (?), 95

Lakish, 21

Isaac Mayo, 191

Levi, 33 et
Lfyj (?), 63

Leben, 32

Isaac MhlnT, 193

Lmat

Ben Samuel ha-Sephardi,

Israel

Ben

Israel

al- Maghrib!, 15

233
163

Father of the

Law

al-Mahallah,

15,

Maimonides,

135, 177

Malij,

57

Malklel

Court, 26

Jacob Ben Joseph ha-Has!dh, Gaon, 26

ff

Janan, 219
Jehu, 249

Jerusalem, 26

67

Maadd, Sultan, 143

?),

Ben Daniel,

Jacob Ben Joseph,

(?),

Isaac the Spaniard, 127

IsmaIn Shawish (Shawish

passim

lion -names, 32, 66, 67

Isaac Ibn Obadiah, 95

Isaac Sabah, 245
Isaac

Jiwa,

179

Joseph Ben Aaron, 259

Joseph Halluf!(?), 195
Joseph Ibn al-Dhahabi, Abu Jacob, 219
Joseph Iskandarani, 253

235

Mansur Ibn al-Khablth, Byzantine Jew,

Mansur Ibn Khalaf, 53
Mansur Ibn Moses, Byzantine Jew, 55

Mayo,

Joseph al-Jad!d, 53
Joseph ha-Kohen ha-Shofet Ben Solomon

Joseph ha-Levi, 9
Joseph al-Maghribl, 53
Joseph Ibn Sadok, 55
Joseph Sarakoss! (SaragossI), L
Joshua Ben Shemaryah, 35

ff.

(?),

Manzalah, 231
Market of Exchange, Cairo, 49
Masllah Ben Samuel Kohen, 259
Ma'tuk, 257

ff.

Joseph, the Scribe, 189

Mebhorakh Ben Lwn Ben Moses,

Fourth, XLIII

231

the

Isaac, 191

Meborakh Ben Nathan, 11

Meir, Judah Bar Solomon Bar,
Memuhaman Ben Yapheth, 29
al-Mihdawi, 3

Minyat Ziftah,
Mishnah, 261

13

ff.

Mltatron, angel, 77

Monza, Monscia, 193

Morocco, 94, 1 16
Moses Ibn Abu Dirham,

17

179

55

INDEX OF PROPER NAMES

272

Moses Ibn al-Majanl, 69

Moses Nakub(?), 189
Moses Ibn Radi, 133
Moses di Trani(?), L

alSaId, 139
al-Sa1d al-Muwaffik, 15
Salah al-Dln, 13

Muayyad, Sultan, 192

al-Salihlyah, 139

Saflr, 13

Mubarak Ibn Udwan, 257

Muhammad

Ibn

Samuel, 133

Husain

Ibn

All

Ibn

Mansur, 83
Muhammad Ibn Lulu, 229
Muhammad Ibn Mustapha Ibn Abd Allah,
83
al-Muharrab, 25
Muristan, 12

Samuel
Samuel
Samuel
Samuel
Samuel
Samuel

Bahlul, 263

Ben Halfon ha-Levi, 259

Ben Jacob, 259
Karablls, 183

Masud, 257

Ben Yohai, 253

SandabTs, 41
Ibn Sanl'ah, 133
Saragossa, L

Musayyar Ibn Jarah, 47

Naaman, XXXVIII

Sarur Ben Sahlan, 127

Sayyid Bu Sad...Ibn

Abu Salamah Ibn

Ibn al-Masrl, 163
Shabbatai Ben Abraham, of Minyat Ziftah,

Nablus, 229

Nahrai Ben Nathan, 157 ff.

Nahrai Ben Nisslm, 157 ff.
Nahrai Ibn Nisslm, XXVII
Nathan-Hibah, 27, 69
Nathan, the other witness,

All

13 ff

al-Shafik, 139
183, 185, 189

Nathan Ben Abraham, Nathan Ben Solo-

Shapiro, 131
al-Sharabl, 121

mon, Father of the Law Court, Second,

Shbl al-Daulab,

199

Shelah Bar Amram, 61

Shelah Bar Yakln, 35

Nathan ha-Kohen Ben Joseph ha-Kohen,

Shemaya Gaon,

35

Nathan Ben Nahrai, 157ff.

Nathan Ben Samuel, Scribe of the Jewish
Court, 35

Shilya, 59

Shukrah Ibn Moses, 131

Sicily, 123

Slkat, 171

ff.

Nisslm Ben Banayah, 97

Nisslm al-Maghribl, 69

Sitt al-Ahl,
Sitt
Sitt

77 ff.
al-Dar Bint Isaac, 59
Nissan, 51

Solomon Ben Abraham Ben Ezra, 29

Solomon Ben David, 29
Solomon IskandaranI, 235
Solomon Ben Judah, Gaon, First, 199
Solomon Ben Khalaf al-Bukl, 27 ff.
Solomon ha-K 5 hen, 201
Solomon Ibn Yahya, 31
Song of Solomon, cure for boils, 19 ff.

Obadiah, His Excellency, 131

Obadiah Ben Samuel Kohen, 259

Perez, Rabbi, 255

Persia, 68

Abraham, 235

Rabba Bar Bar-Hanna,

ff.

Sicilians, 75

Nathan Ben Solomon, 196

Nathan Ben Zachariah, 27

Pinto,

ft.

205

Racll, 133

Academy at, 196 ff.

Raphael Isaac Ben Aaron Mayo, or Maggio,

al-Ramlah,
190

Spanish ship, 123

Stamboul, 181
al-Sukkar, Ibn Sanlah, 133
Sutait Bint Abraham, 37 ff.

Rosetta, 165

Tahchemonites, 137

RubaIyah, 121

Tamlm Bar
Sadakah al-Af1f, 13
Sadakah Bin Jacob Bin al-KalI, 32 ff.
Sadakah al-Safln, 71
Sadakah (Sedhakah) Ibn Sitt al-Ahl, 77

Joseph, 37

Taposiris Magna, 96

Sadakah, the Glazier, 71

Tayyiban, 71
al-Thikah, 13
Tiberias, 23
ft'.

Tirmidh, 67

ft'.

INDEX OF PROPER NAMES

Tobiah, 143

Yahya Bar Nisslm Bar Menahem, Hanun.

ff.

Tobiah Ben Daniel Gsbr, Third, 201

187

Tripoli, 155

Yehbshua, 204

Turkey, 253

Yehudah ha-Levi,

Tyre, 127

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Yohanan, 21

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Zahl, 257
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273

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IV.

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Economy and Society

337

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XVI.

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M.A., Fellow and Sub-Rector of Lincoln

College, Oxford.

This book covers in a concise form almost

Roman

state, as well as certain

all

phases of the public worship of the

ceremonies which,

strictly

speaking, lay outside that

be found very useful to students of Roman literature and

history as well as to students of anthropology and the history of religion.
public worship.

It

will

Cloth $2.50

On

sale

wherever books are sold

THE MACMILLAN COMPANY

Publishers

New

64-66 Fifth Avenue

66S5 4182
O^/OQ/qq
MOD

York