Judaica Librarianship

Volume 10 Number 1–2 29-30

5-1-2000 Cataloguing the Cairo Genizah Robert Brody Hebrew university of , [email protected]

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Recommended Citation Brody, Robert. 2000. "Cataloguing the Cairo Genizah." Judaica Librarianship 10: 29-30. doi:10.14263/2330-2976.1149. ר

Cataloguing the Cairo Genizah

Robert Brody f Jerusalemס Hebrew University

f Jewish life and culture during the East: Hebrew, Aramaic and Arabic. Whenס Abstract: The Cairo Genizah collections ter , n between Jewsס mmunicatiס r cס are an extraordinarily important Middle Ages, and the Egyptian climate , used f wn asס rm knס k the fסס rganic materials Arabic usually tס resource for many fields of Jewish which preserved fragile - Arabic: written in Hebrew charac -ס Studies. Some of the difficulties con­ virtually unharmed for many centuries. As a Jude f Hebrew andס rs, the Genizah collec-- ters, with an admixtureס f these factס fronted by scholars in exploiting these result ns. The ס rds and expressi ס f Aramaic wס nס ss-sectiס vide us with a cr סns prס materials are described, and the impor­ ti - ntains substanס c ס wever, als סand shed a Genizah, h ,ס Cair ו tance of producing a series of reliable Jewish life in medieva f fragments written in Arabicס Jewish life and cultur- tial numbers חס f lightס catalogues of the various collections is great deal cuments issuedס fficial dס emphasized. al activity elsewhere as well . script, especially - vernס f the Muslim gס us branchesס by vari - unters fragס ne encס nallyס r the ment. Occasiס f great interest fס ס Significance of the Cairo Genizah This material is als , ther languagesס ntaining texts inס f the Middle ments cס ryס mic hist סnס cial and ecס s , generally written in Hebrew characters סsito - East in the medieval period, as there is nס n, a genizah is a repס ln Jewish traditi rס , Greek -ס Persian, Jude -ס m such as Judeס r sacred materials-primarily sacred archive of comparable scope deriving frס ry f . f the time . even Yiddishס minant lslamic societyס r the d ס writings-which are unsuited for ritual re, the Genizah fragments are ס ng wear Furtherm סf lס similar use, whether because ntent, the Genizah materials ס f cס r the study of the peri - ln terms ס nly fס rtant not ס ther disqualifying circumstances, but impס or ng the literaryס ver a very wide range. Amס f in a od in which they were written, but-in many cס sedס must nonetheless be disp - mprise perhaps threeס ds as well, because fragments, which cס r earlier peri סt simply discard - cases-fס respectful fashion and n - pular cateס st pס tal, the mס f the tס f such Jewish classics as quartersס piesס f Genizah cס ed. This article deals with the vast body ries are liturgical texts (including vast ס ften earlier and more accu - gס material (mostly manuscript but also print - the are etry), Biblical andס f liturgical pס se preserved elsewhere . quantitiesס llectively as the Cairo rate than th ס wn c ס ed) kn ns and ס use the term "Genizah" with - related texts (including translati ו Genizah, and (, f languagesס mmentaries in a numberס this mate - Characteristics of Genizah Fragments c ס ut further qualification to refer tס - mi סther, less prס ; bscure, the and Rabbinic literatureס r reasons which are סrial. F - phical, sciס sס ries include philס sacred materi - Because written materials were discarded nent, categ ס nly tס tס me n סGenizah is h . f use, and entific, mystical, and linguistic writingsס nger סl סf secular writing as only when they were nס a great deal ס als, but t n-literary items, probably theס ng the nס ducing man - Amס f prס f the high costס ve, which has had an because סwell. This treasure-tr cumentsס us types are legal d סst numerס und their m ס rks generally fס f uscripts, literary wס st branchesס m חס rdinary impact ס extra exam -r ס find, f ס the Genizah in badly damaged and private letters; we als ס ncerned with the pre - way tס Jewish studies c 'l exercises and merchantsסס t a ple, sch סf copies. The typical Genizah item is nס riginates in a number ס , dס dern periס m mmunal ס ks, as well as c סס unt b ס ne accס fס mplete manuscript, but a fragmentס ns in the vicinity of Fustat (Old cס cati סl . rtsס us sס f variס rdsס r two leaves, and in many cases these are rec ס ס(.Cair re, the pagesס damaged as well. Furtherm und in the Genizahס f the fragments fס st סf a single manuscript frequently became Mס fס rtantס st impס wn and mס The best kn f theס the early centuries ס find the may be dated t ס mmon t ס sitories was the so-called Ben separated; it is very cס these rep nd millennium CE, but there are a fairס gue, built in the early eleventh leaves of a single manuscript scattered secס Ezra synag - f earlier items, as well as a subס ur different libraries. On numberס r fס day in threeס ut the tס ugh סcentury and still standing; thr nes, including aס f laterס ften stantial quantityס n-literary writingsס ther hand, nס Middle Ages it served as the central syna- the f nineteenth-century pieces. Theס f time , numberס st their value with the passage סf Cairo's Jewish pop - lס nס rti ס f that pס gueס g vered andס ries were discס sitס sited in the Genizah while Genizah repס wed Palestinian Rabbinic and were depס llס n which fס ulati n by aס ited in rather haphazard fashiס re or less intact . expl ס urces include Karaite still mס tradition. (Other s f nineteenth-century travelers andס gues and Jewish cemeteries.) The numberס synag f their activities, theseס f the Genizah writ - dealers; as a resultס l- The primary languagesס r these cס ,nס llectiס f this cס significance ver theס day scatteredס ver the last millenni-- manuscripts are tס se usedס ings are th סf twס nס mbinatiס m a c סns, derives frס lecti mplicateס further c סrthern hemisphere. T ס f the Middle nס f Cairo as a cen - um and more by the Jewsס rs: the prominence סfact

Judaica Librarianship Vol. 10 No. 1-2 Spring 1999-Winter 2000 29 , f Cleveland and Jerusalem: Ofek lnstituteס wn, large partsס therwise knס llec - text isס rtant Genizah cס matters, several imp .t (yet?) be accessed 1990, pp . 112-137ס n and Jewish literature cann ס viet Uni סcated in the S סns, lס ti Jack Mosseri ח Catalogue de la Collectio and searched systematically. Finally, there (Hebrew). Jerusalem: Jewish National and ס Hungary, were virtually inaccessible t .' s University Library, 1990- ס n are quite a few fragments which it is imp סf the lrס lars until the fallס Western sch the sim -r Danzig, N. A Catalogue of Fragments of ס cally, fס classify unequiv סf the Genizah sible tס st allס day, alm סCurtain. T re Halakhah and Midrash from the Cairo סr mס ס ntain twס n that they cס st ple reas סns may be visited freely, and mס llecti סc ח Adler Collectio ח Natha ח the Elka ח izah iח Ge f theס nsulted in the different texts: Apparently because סbe c ס f the material may alsס of the Library of the Jewish Theological f writing materials, the Seminary of America. New York: Jewishס st סf scarcity and c ס films at the lnstituteס f micrס rm ס f . e text were Theological Seminary, 1997 חס filmed Hebrew Manuscripts, Jewish blank spaces left in writing סMicr the חe . Davis, M. C. Manuscripts i חס tally unrelated סr a tס ften used later fס . nal and University Library, Jerusalemס Nati /-//. ,sח izah Collectioח Cambridge Ge Cambridge: Cambridge University Library, .f identifying individual frag - 1978-1980ס r The difficulties סgive an exact figure f ס ssible tס lt is imp f the Goitein, S. D. A Mediterranean Society: Theס f Genizah material, but a ments, and the limited usefulnessס tal quantity סthe t ities of the Arab World asח rganize their Jewish Commu סס us libraries' attempts tס uld vari סf 500,000 leaves wס ugh estimate סr the Documents of the Cairo חduc - Portrayed iס ldings systematically, make the pr סre h סff the mark. Mס far סס t be t סbably nס pr iza, 1-V. Berkeley and London: Universityח Ge gues exceedingly ס f reliable catalס n ס f the extant Genizah fragments tiס than half of California Press , 1967-1988 . - larס f schס gressס r the future pr ס rtant f ס imp ס izotח izah veha-Geח are l cated in the Cambridge University Haberman, A. M. Ha-Ge ns include ship in the many disciplines which depend ( Hebrew). Jerusalem: R. Mass , 1971 .2 ס llecti סrtant cס ther impס ; Library : iza. 2nd ed. Oxfordח f the Kahle, P.E. The Cairo Geס urcesס the res חס a large extent סv-Schedrin Public t סf the Saltykס se ס th . f such cata - Blackwell , 1959ס n ס ductiס Library in St. Petersburg, the Jewish Genizah. The pr ftenס wever, a daunting and סgues is, h סf America in New lס gical Seminary סlס The rd, and thankless task, and ideally requires the Hebrew Bibliographic Dataס dleian Library in Oxf סrk, the B סY larsס f schס f a large numberס nס peratiסס n. c ס nd סthe British Library in L us disciplines, a thingס specializing in vari . t easily achieved סClassification of Genizah Material n 1. קטלוג של אוסף ז'אק מוצרי. ירושלים: בית הספרים ימואלה והאוניברסיטאי, . dest סdate has been rather m ס gress t ס me attempt Pr סns, sס llectiס f these cס st סln m .1990 guesס mprehensive, if rudimentary, catalס rganize the material the - Cס ס has been made t the small -f ס eוrזס r sס f these attempts at clas - have been prepared fס ne סmatically, but n 2. הברמן, א. מ. הגניזה והגניזות: ,ןתוהמ עניינן והתפתחותן. ירושלים: ר. מס, fס ns. The Genizah Unit ס llecti ס f er cס r a number ס n are very reliable, fס sificati f identifying frag - Cambridge University Library has made a .1971ס ns. The difficultiesס reas usס rmס assess its en סrt tס ncerted effס nsiderable - c סmentary materials are very c fס f a seriesס ceeding by wayס ldings, pr סf the frag - hס beginning with the physical state , f materialס f particular typesס guesס f a catalס the decipherment סceeding tס ments, pr r rabbinic texts. The ס st such as Biblical סugh mס f handwritings (althס wide variety f America Dr. Robert Brody is Associate Professor ofס gical Seminary סl ס und in the Genizah are quite leg - Jewish Theס se fס f thס ducing Talmud, the Hebrew University ofס f prס vative stepס understand at least three has taken the inn ס ible ), the need t - ldings , Jerusalem. During the 1997-1998 acade סf its Genizah hס gueס ugh catalס a r סf all, tס st demanding סlanguages, and, m f rabbinic mic year he was Visiting Professor in theס the fragments חס ut the with emphasisס identify limited textual passages with rm. A great Department of Near Eastern Languages ס mputerized fס ntext . literature, in c סf cס benefit ,and Civilizations, Harvard University סwever. lt is t סne, h סbe d ס deal remains t - ns and individ - Cambridge, MA. He spent an earlier sabס th instituti סped that b סr be h ס unters a passage, fס ne encס Frequently r batical at Cambridge University in- ס realize the crucial imp ס me tס f the legal implica - uals will cס nס example, a discussi . its Genizah collection חס per- England, working ססf such an undertaking, and cס f a Biblical verse, which might equal - tanceס nsס ti fס n . Dr. Brody is the compiler of A Hand-Listס fruiti סmmentary, a rab - ate in bringing it tס a Bible c סng t ס ly well bel mmen - Rabbinic Manuscripts in the Cambridgeס ther (cס r an ס rtס ne sס fס rk סbinic w -ns. Vol. 1: Taylor ס f Genizah Collectiס rk סr even a w ס (, nsumס de, respס tary, c r ethics. These diffi - Bibliography Schechter new series. Cambridge; Newס phyס sס us philס religi . unded when York: Cambridge University Press , 1998ס mpס urse, cס f cס , culties are m any Brody, R. "The Cairo Genizah." ln: Richler, B., ( Cambridge University Library. Genizahס wn frס t kn סn is nס the text in questi Hebrew Manuscripts: A Treasured Legacy. (.utside the Genizah; but even if the series , 5ס urce סs

30 Judaica Librarianship Vol. 10 No. 1-2 Spring 1999-Winter 2000