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Cataloguing the Cairo Genizah Robert Brody Hebrew University of Jerusalem, [email protected]

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Cataloguing the Cairo Genizah Robert Brody Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Robert.Brody@Mail.Huji.Ac.Il Judaica Librarianship Volume 10 Number 1–2 29-30 5-1-2000 Cataloguing the Cairo Genizah Robert Brody Hebrew university of Jerusalem, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: http://ajlpublishing.org/jl Part of the Bilingual, Multilingual, and Multicultural Education Commons, Cataloging and Metadata Commons, Information Literacy Commons, Jewish Studies Commons, and the Reading and Language Commons 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 Talmud 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 - r exam 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 r the sim - Danzig, N. A Catalogue of Fragments ofס 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. Hebrew Bible 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 ס ס 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.
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