Tosaphoth. Commentary to Tractate Chullin f.11b-67b, 89b-102b (chapters arranged differently than in printed editions)

(TALMUD)

Aschkenaz

14th-15th Centuries

Brown ink on vellum. At end Perek ha-Shohet (f.31r.) exquisite calligraphic artwork

UNRECORDED MANUSCRIPT OF TOSAPHOTH COMMENTARY “Tosaphoth” is a sort of generic name for the medieval commentaries to the Talmud penned by the French rabbis who were Rashi’s spiritual heirs. Their method was to enrich the Talmudic discussion by referencing parallel debates in other tractates and occasionally in sources outside of the “canon” of the Babylonian Talmud, whether it be Talmud Yerushalmi, Midrashim, etc. The greatest of the Ba’alei ha-Tosaphoth were Rabbi Isaac (R”i) of Dampierre and Rabbi Jacob (Rabbenu Tam) of Ramrupt. Less famous figures numbered literally in the hundreds and extended from England in the West to Russia in the East. Manuscripts of Tosaphoth are extremely rare and manuscripts containing a large portion of the text are even rarer; for some tractates there are no extant manuscripts altogether. There is only one complete manuscript on Chullin (Parma). Aside from our codex, there are only four other manuscripts containing substantial parts of the text. There are also two manuscripts each containing just one chapter. This particular manuscript is unrecorded and the scribe, “Yedidyah,” unknown. There are glosses in several later hands; also an inscription by Asher ben Shimon of Frankfurt who studied this manuscript, one presumes, in the mid-sixteenth century. With thanks to Dr. Binyamin Richler of the Hebrew University, Jerusalem, for his assistance in researching this manuscript