RaMBa”N). Commentary to the Pentateuch

MOSES BEN NACHMAN (NACHMANIDES).

Joseph ben Jacob Aschkenazi Gunzenhauser

Naples

1490

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.”

Vinograd, Naples 10; Goff 88, Goldstein 57; Offenberg 98; Steinschneider, p. 1961, no. 6532, 50; Thes. A65; Wineman Cat. 38

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)