Commentators:R. Nachum Rabinovitch/0

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R. Nachum Rabinovitch – Intellectual Profile

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R. Nachum Rabinovitch
Name
Rabbi Dr. Nachum Eliezer Rabinovitch
הרב נחום אליעזר רבינוביץ
Dates1928 – 2020
LocationMaaleh Adumim, London, Toronto, South Carolina
WorksYad Peshutah, Siach Nachum, Mesillot bi-Levavam
Exegetical Characteristics
Influenced byMaimonides, Rabbi Pinchas Hirschsprung, Yosef Eliyahu Henkin
Impacted on

Edition

Edition in ALHATORAH Mishneh Torah

Background

Life

  • Name – Rabbi Nachum Eliezer Rabinovitch
    • Hebrew name – הרב נחום אליעזר רבינוביץ
  • Dates – 1928 – 2020
  • Location – Maaleh Adumim, London, Toronto, South Carolina
  • Education – Yeshivas Merkaz HaTorah (Montreal), Yeshivas Ner Israel (Baltimore), University of Toronto (Ph.D.)
  • Occupation – Rosh Yeshiva, communal rabbi
  • Family – 
  • Teachers – Rabbi Pinchas Hirschsprung, Rabbi Yaakov Yitzchok Ruderman
  • Contemporaries – Rabbi Avraham Shapiro, Rabbi Aharon Lichtenstein
  • Students – Rabbi Jonathan Sacks
  • Time period – Modern Era 
  • World outlook – Religious Zionism, Classical Liberalism

Major Works

  • Biblical commentaries – Ner le-Netivati: Derashot on the Weekly Parasha (Maale Adumim: 2022) (posthumous) 
  • Rabbinics – 
    • Talmudic novellae – Hadar Itamar (Jerusalem: 1972)
    • Commentaries – Mishneh Torah with Commentary Yad Peshutah (Maaleh Adumim: 1984-2019), Iyunim be-Mishnato shel ha-Rambam (Maaleh Adumim: 2010)
    • Responsa – Melumadei Milchama (Maaleh Adumim: 1993), Siach Nachum (Maaleh Adumim: 2008)
  • Jewish thought – Mesillot bi-Levavam (Maaleh Adumim: 2015), 
    Pathways to Their Hearts: Torah Perspectives on the Individual (trans. Elli Fischer) (Jerusalem: 2023)

Commentary on Mishneh Torah

Rav Rabinovitch's work Yad Peshutah is a multivolume commentary on Rambam's Mishneh Torah. 21 volumes were published during Rav Rabinovitch's lifetime covering eight of the 14 books of the Mishneh Torah.

Characteristics

  • Text of the Mishneh Torah 
    Yad Peshutah makes use of manuscripts of the Mishneh Torah in order to determine the most accurate version of the text (as opposed to the version of the text used in standard print editions of the Mishneh Torah). In addition to presenting a text which aims to be as close as possible to the original version as written by Rambam himself, at times it can be shown that apparent difficulties in the text are in fact the result of inaccuracies in the standard editions. Likewise, Yad Peshutah includes Raavad's commentary on the Mishneh Torah (Hasagot HaRaavad) as taken from manuscripts and not the standard print editions.

    See "Manuscripts Used" below for a list of the manuscripts used for each volume of the Yad Peshutah.
  • Structure of the Mishneh Torah
    Yad Peshuta pays particular attention to the internal structure of the Mishneh Torah-- the order of the books and the chapters and halakhot within them. In his introduction to each book, Rav Rabinovitch presents an overview of its structure as well as its placement in relation to the other books of the Mishneh Torah. Likewise, Rav Rabinovitch includes shorter introductions to each individual chapter and, when relevant, sets of halakhot which can be grouped together into one unit.
  • Reading Rambam According to Rambam
    The fundamental approach taken in the Yad Peshuta is that the Mishneh Torah must be read according to Rambam himself. The concepts and language that Rambam uses in the work must be understood in light of the manner in which Rambam makes use of them throughout the Mishneh Torah itself, as well as in his other works such as Commentary on the Mishnah, Guide of the Perplexed, epistles and responsa. Often Rav Rabinovtich will quote from these works in which Rambam himself addresses, directly or indirectly,  the reasoning behind rulings which also appear in the Mishneh Torah. In addition, Rav Rabinovitch makes use of the works of other rabbinic authors who influenced or were influenced by Rambam in order shed light on Rambam's reasoning or the manner in which he understood a particular source text. Such authors include: Rabbeinu Chananel, R' Joseph ibn Migash, R' Isaac Alfasi, R' Avraham ben HaRambam, Meiri, and R' Levi ben Gershom.       
  • Rambam's Sources
    Much of Yad Peshuta is dedicated to uncovering the textual sources for Rambam's rulings in the Mishneh Torah (as Rambam did not cite his sources) and reconstructing the manner in which Rambam interpreted these sources in order to better understand the halakhot he derived from them. Beyond the Babylonian Talmud, the primary source for Rambam's rulings, Rav Rabinovitch also makes use of a wide array of halakhic texts which informed Rambam, such as the Jerusalem Talmud, Tosefta, Midrashei Halakha, Gaonic works and the works of R' Joseph ibn Migash, R' Isaac Alfasi and others. Frequently, Rav Rabinovitch reveals Rambam's sources by analyzing the particular language (individual words and phrases) used by Rambam and highlighting where that same language can be found in the talmudic corpus-- thus revealing Rambam's source. Likewise, as noted above, Rav Rabinovitch makes frequent use of Rambam's other writings as Rambam often does refers to his sources in these works. At times, Rav Rabinovitch also demonstrates instances where Rambam makes an innovative ruling or statement and therefore no talmudic source should be expected.   

Methods

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Themes

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Manuscripts Used

Sources

Significant Influences

  • Earlier Sources – Rambam, Ralbag, Maggid Mishneh
  • Teachers – 
  • Foils – 

Occasional Usage

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Possible Relationship

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Impact

Later exegetes

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Supercommentaries

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Further Reading

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