RaMBa”M). IBN SHEM TOV, SHEM TOV BEN YOSEF (15TH CENTURY). Peirush al Moreh Nevuchim

MOSHE BEN MAIMON (MAIMONIDES.

[SPAIN]

15TH CENTURY

A UNIQUE MANUSCRIPT OF THIS WORK. The author was a prominent Spanish rabbi, philosopher,and preacher. He is the author of Derashot Ha-Torah (Salonica,1525) and this classical commentary on Maimonides’ Moreh Nevuchim (Guide For The Perplexed), composed in 1488 and first published in Venice, 1551. According to Professor Warren Harvey, of the Hebrew University, Jerusalem, this commentary “is a clear and extensive work which for centuries has been helpful to students of the Guide.” According to Dr. Benjamin Richler of the Institute of Microfilmed Hebrew Manuscripts of The Jewish National Library at the Hebrew University, no other manuscript of this comentary is listed in the catalog of the Institute or extant in the collections of other major libraries. This important manuscript contains a number of variances and in many cases a fuller and more correct text than the published version. For example, see p.13b of this manuscript concerning Maimonides’ comments on the “wrestling” of Jacob witth the angel - the ms. correctly uses the term ”He’avkut” (wrestling) whereas the printed version (part 2, p. 87b) reads “zeh ha-hisdabkut (cleaving) hu bemareh ha-nevuah.” The ms correctly cites the Maimonidean view that this event actually occurred in a prophetic vision. P. 116b, lines 12-17 contain an entire paragraph explaining the significance of the four species (minim) used on Sukkot which does not appear in the standard publshed version (see part 3,p.55b of the Jerusalem,1960 edition )! A close comparison of this ms. with the published version will greatly enhance our understanding of Maimomides and result in a definitve scholarly text of this work.