Karaite Bill of Divorce (Fustāt, Egypt)

This formulary for a Karaite bill of divorce from Fustāt (Old Cairo) differs considerably from its Rabbanite counterparts. Most strikingly, this document is written in Hebrew, while the Rabbanite tradition has such texts in Aramaic. The translation indicates where the names and dates would be inserted. In Hebrew, the space for one’s name is denoted as ploni or plonit, usually translated “So-and-so” but rendered here as N. M. This text also has prewritten options to indicate (possibly by circling, as in a modern form), for example, if the woman was his betrothed or his wife. Many formularies for procedural documents survive in the Cairo Geniza and were intended to aid courts in their work.