Cambridge, CUL MS. T-S 24.6

Cambridge University Library (Cambridge, United Kingdom)

One leaf document

Paper

Brown (iron-gall)

Calamus

There is ruling

Pencil

Grid of single vertical and horizontal lines

71

71

579

365

11th Century CE

ca. 1030 CE

Italy, Palermo

Hebrew

During this period (early 11th century, Italy), there is a revival of Hebrew, driven by renewed interest in biblical texts and traditional Mishnaic Hebrew. This resurgence may reflect a cultural and religious desire to reaffirm Jewish identity and scholarship in the context of broader Mediterranean influences, including Arabic language, particularly under the shadow of Fatimid power in Sicily. The Hebrew of this period shows probable Arabic influence, leading to the emergence of new vocabulary, and there is heightened attention to the composition and refinement of liturgical poetry, demonstrating both linguistic innovation and devotional engagement.

Letter

Letter from the Jewish community of Palermo to the Jewish communities of Qayrawān and al-Mahdiyya, specifically addressing Elḥanan b. Ḥushiel and the Nagid Yaʿaqov b. ʿAmram as heads of the community in Qayrawān. Dating: ca. 1030 CE. The writers praise the good deeds of Abū Saʿīd Khalaf/Ḥayyim b. Yaʿaqov ha-Sefaradi and his son Nissim. Thanks to their connections with the authorities, they saved many Jews from punishment after they did not pay taxes. They also saved merchants’ possessions after several ships sank in the water. In addition, they influenced the authorities to cancel a decision to expropriate part of the Jewish cemetery area. The letter mentions other individuals including a certain Natan, Avraham b. David b. Labrāṭ, Shemuʾel b. Moshe, Abū l-Faraj, who is on his way to Egypt, Moshe b. Yaḥyā the Perfumer, and ʿAmmar b. Yehoshuaʿ al-Ḥalabī. Signed by Shemuʾel b. moshe, David b. Levi, Shemuʾel b. [...], Sahlān b. Yehoshuaʿ, Yose[f] b. [...], [...] b. [...]el, Avraham b. Ḥayyim, Yehuda b. Eliyyahu, Eliyyahu b. Yona, Eliyyahu b. Avraham, [...] b. Yaʿaqov, Nissim b. Avraham, Mattityahu b. Yon[ah], [...] b. Yaʿaqov, Pappos (!) b. Shabbetay, Shabbetay b. [...], [...] b. Yehuda, Yiṣḥaq b. Yiṣḥaq the Cantor, Yiṣḥaq b. [...].

No vowels or accents

Donated by Dr Solomon Schechter and his patron Dr Charles Taylor in 1898 as part of the Taylor-Schechter Genizah Collection.

990051346490205171

https://www.nli.org.il/en/discover/manuscripts/hebrew-manuscripts/itempage?vid=KTIV&scope=KTIV&docId=PNX_MANUSCRIPTS990051346490205171&SearchTxt=T-S%2024.6 (Date accessed: 2026-03-31)

https://cudl.lib.cam.ac.uk/view/MS-TS-00024-00006/1 (Date accessed: 2026-03-31)

Moshe Gil, In the Kingdom of Ishmael‎ (in Hebrew) (Tel Aviv University, 1997), vol. 2.

Available online through the Princeton Geniza Project at https://geniza.princeton.edu/documents/5934/ (accessed March 31, 2026).