RaMBa”N). Commentary to the Pentateuch

AUCTION 26 | Monday, November 22nd, 2004 at 1:00

Exceptional Printed Books, Sixty-Five Hebrew Incunabula: The Elkan Nathan Adler-Wineman Family Collection

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Lot 38

MOSES BEN NACHMAN (NACHMANIDES).

RaMBa”N). Commentary to the Pentateuch

Title within decorative border containing three cherubs and a lion. First words (“Seder Bereishith”) within foliated background. Letters in Rashi script. Owner's signature. Numerous marginalia and corrigenda. On f.9v. of our copy the first word in the last line, “she’ha-gaon” has been reduced to “ha-gaon.” This is a deliberate correction. Interesting variant: On f. 118v of our version, “la-hem ve-kulan shesh ka-ketoneth ve-ta'am SPACE ve-ya'asu.” In the JTSA copy there is a different version of this line: “lachem (!) ve-kulan shesh ka-ketoneth SPACE ve-ta'am ve-ya'asu.” On final page, censor's signature, “Camillo Jaghel, 1619.” ff. (241). Opening leaf laid down and with some marginal loss provided in facsimile, f.2 and elsewhere remargined, f.234r tear resulting in loss of word, “hakodesh.” f.234v same tear results in partial loss of 2 words: “go[ral ha-tzadi]kim.” Minimal staining, trace wormed in places, few leaves provided from another copy. 19th-century morocco, marbled end-papers. Folio Vinograd, Naples 10; Goff 88, Goldstein 57; Offenberg 98; Steinschneider, p. 1961, no. 6532, 50; Thes. A65; Wineman Cat. 38

Naples: Joseph ben Jacob Aschkenazi Gunzenhauser 1490

Est: $80,000 - $100,000

A GOOD WIDE-MARGINED COPY After Rashi, the most popular commentary to the Pentateuch is undoubtedly that of Nachmanides, born in Gerona, Catalonia in 1194, and deceased in Eretz Israel in 1270. If Rashi is the companion of the schoolchild, Nachmanides is friend to the budding scholar. In fact, oftimes Nachmanides will cite Rashi's commentary as a springboard to further discussion. Where Rashi's style is laconic and prismatic, Nachmanides' writing is explicit and prosaic. Though it has attracted nowhere near the number of supercommentaries that Rashi merited, nonetheless, in recent years there has been renewed interest in Nachmanides' commentary. Of these supercommentaries to Ramban, we should mention those of R. Mordecai Gimpel Jaffe (“Techeleth Mordecai”), R. Menachem Eisenstadt, R. Simcha Zisel Broida of Hebron Yeshivah (“Sam Derech”), R. Moshe Greenes (“Koran P'nei Moshe”), as well as the immensely popular footnotes of Charles B. Chavel to the Mosad Harav Kook edition. The Wineman Collection contains the first three editions of Nachmanides’ Commentary (see also Lots 4 and 56)