Oxford, Bodleian MS. Heb. a. 3.8

Bodleian Library (Oxford, United Kingdom)

One leaf document

Paper

Black (carbon based)

Calamus

No ruling can be seen

59

1134

Monday, 15 Kislev 1446 Seleucid (3 December 1134 CE)

Egypt, Fusṭāṭ

(Other)

Legal document

Court record. In the hand of Ḥalfon b. Menashshe. Location: Fustat. Dated: 1134. Abū Sa‘d and Abū Sahl form a partnership lasting 6.5 months to manufacture and sell glass. Half the capital (20 dinars in total) invested by Abū Sa‘d is considered a loan to Abū Sahl, who pledges title to his home as a security. This may suggest diversion from the commenda model, where the active partner is not liable for loss. But the partnership also diverges from the ‘eseq model, wherein only the active partner transacts. Both the profit/loss characteristics and the working arrangement between the partners suggests a craft partnership.

Abū Sa‘d is likely the senior partner: he is identified as al-Zajjāj, “the glazier” (i.e., a known personage in the field), while Abū Sahl is given no professional designation; as well, Abū Sa‘d invests all of the capital, suggesting that he may be short of liquid assets). Finally, the partnership stipulates that Abū Sa‘d need only work two shifts a week (suggesting he may have other business elsewhere), while Abū Sahl will work the rest of the week.

Maṣliaḥ ha-Kohen, mentioned in line 54, functioned as leader of the Jewish community of Fusṭāṭ from 1127 to 1139.

The signatories to the document, Natan b. Shelomo ha-Kohen and Natan b. Avraham ha-Levi, signed 5 months after the agreement was initiated, for unknown reasons.

No vowels or accents

From the Genizah, 1896.

990053386210205171

https://www.nli.org.il/en/discover/manuscripts/hebrew-manuscripts/itempage?vid=KTIV&scope=KTIV&docId=PNX_MANUSCRIPTS990053386210205171&SearchTxt=Heb.%20a.%203.8,AND (Date accessed: 2026-01-13)

https://genizah.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/catalog/volume_5 (Date accessed: 2026-01-13)

P. Ackerman-Lieberman, "A Partnership Culture" (PhD diss., n.p., 2007).

Available online through the Princeton Geniza Project at https://geniza.princeton.edu/documents/2513/ (accessed January 13, 2026).