Manuscripts from the Cairo Genizah as educative tools

Abstract

The study of manuscripts provides an excellent portal into the past. This is particularly evident through the window that the Cairo Genizah

provides into how knowledge and skills crucial to the survival of society were passed on. In this article, starting with the basic curriculum of reading and writing and moving to the more sophisticated learning of specific skills to serve the community or learn a trade, I examine the contribution of manuscripts to education in that period. Delving into many visual treasures infused with religious practice and meaning, one discovers that the more things change, the more they stay the same.