Cairo Genizah : Letter

Moses b. Elijah ha-Levi

Cairo Genizah

<p style='text-align: justify;'>Letter, c. late 12th century, from Moses b. Elijah ha-Levi, to Sar Šalom ha-Levi, the Gaʾon, Roš ha-Yešiva, regarding a dispute in the writer’s town over who is allowed to perform circumcisions. The writer had sided with a mohel called Yefet, against another mohel called Yefet b. Solomon the physician (who is called Abū l-Ṭafāl, i.e. ‘son of the fuller’), and the latter had consequently slandered the writer before the Gaʾon. The writer apologises for the poor quality of paper used for the letter, and also for the untidy handwriting—he is writing while lying down, due to a stomach illness, and his eyes are sore. With quotes from Psalms 119:165, Isaiah 57:19, Deuteronomy 33:8-11, Proverbs 3:26, 2, Psalms 29:11, 128:6, 1 Samuel 24:15 and Psalms 77:10. </p>

Letter (T-S 13J20.18)

Letter, c. late 12th century, from Moses b. Elijah ha-Levi, to Sar Šalom ha-Levi, the Gaʾon, Roš ha-Yešiva, regarding a dispute in the writer’s town over who is allowed to perform circumcisions. The writer had sided with a mohel called Yefet, against another mohel called Yefet b. Solomon the physician (who is called Abū l-Ṭafāl, i.e. ‘son of the fuller’), and the latter had consequently slandered the writer before the Gaʾon. The writer apologises for the poor quality of paper used for the letter, and also for the untidy handwriting—he is writing while lying down, due to a stomach illness, and his eyes are sore. With quotes from Psalms 119:165, Isaiah 57:19, Deuteronomy 33:8-11, Proverbs 3:26, 2, Psalms 29:11, 128:6, 1 Samuel 24:15 and Psalms 77:10.

Information about this document

Physical Location: Cambridge University Library
Classmark: T-S 13J20.18
Subject(s): Cairo Genizah
Author(s): Moses b. Elijah ha-Levi
Date of Creation: 12th century
Recipient(s): Sar Šalom ha-Levi (Gaʾon)
Language(s): Hebrew
Donor(s): Schechter, S. (Solomon), 1847-1915; Taylor, Charles, 1840-1908
Associated Name(s): Yefet the mohel; Yefet b. Solomon the physician (Abū l-Ṭafāl)
Extent: 1 leaf. Leaf height: 25.5 cm, width: 16.5 cm.
Material: Paper
Condition: holes
Layout: 36 lines (recto); 6 lines (verso)
Provenance: Donated by Dr Solomon Schechter and his patron Dr Charles Taylor in 1898 as part of the Taylor-Schechter Genizah Collection
Funding: The digitisation of the Taylor-Schechter Cairo Genizah Collection has been sponsored by the Jewish Manuscript Preservation Society, the Friedberg Genizah Project Inc., and the Arts and Humanities Research Council, UK.
Author(s) of the Record: CUL

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Information about this document

Physical Location: Cambridge University Library
Classmark: T-S 13J20.18
Subject(s): Cairo Genizah
Author(s): Moses b. Elijah ha-Levi
Date of Creation: 12th century
Recipient(s): Sar Šalom ha-Levi (Gaʾon)
Language(s): Hebrew
Donor(s): Schechter, S. (Solomon), 1847-1915; Taylor, Charles, 1840-1908
Associated Name(s): Yefet the mohel; Yefet b. Solomon the physician (Abū l-Ṭafāl)
Extent: 1 leaf. Leaf height: 25.5 cm, width: 16.5 cm.
Material: Paper
Condition: holes
Layout: 36 lines (recto); 6 lines (verso)
Provenance: Donated by Dr Solomon Schechter and his patron Dr Charles Taylor in 1898 as part of the Taylor-Schechter Genizah Collection
Funding: The digitisation of the Taylor-Schechter Cairo Genizah Collection has been sponsored by the Jewish Manuscript Preservation Society, the Friedberg Genizah Project Inc., and the Arts and Humanities Research Council, UK.
Author(s) of the Record: CUL