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<page type="Introduction">
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<page type="Basic">
<h1>MS. Leipzig 1 – Rashi's Torah Commentary</h1>
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<h1>MS Leipzig 1 (Universitätsbibliothek Leipzig, B.H.1) – Rashi's Torah Commentary<fn>This online annotated edition of MS Leipzig 1 is being compiled under the editorship of Aviva Novetsky.  All feedback can be sent to <a href="mailto:support@alhatorah.org" class="mail">support@alhatorah.org</a>.</fn></h1>
  
<p>The popularity of Rashi's commentary on the Torah<fn>Over 200 manuscripts of Rashi's Torah commentary are extant.</fn> and the tendency of medieval scholars and copyists to add marginal glosses combined to create enormous variation between different manuscripts and editions of the commentary.  As a result, it is often difficult to determine how Rashi's original text read, and whether words, sentences, and even entire passages from the commentary, were written by Rashi himself or are merely later accretions.  These textual issues are significant both for understanding specific interpretations of Rashi,<fn>For a few examples where readings from the Leipzig 1 manuscript are important for clarifying Rashi's positions, see <aht page="Who Sold Yosef/2">Who Sold Yosef</aht>, <aht page="Miracles and Mitzvot at Marah/2">Miracles and Mitzvot at Marah</aht>, and <aht page="Hagar_–_How_Many_Pregnancies/2">Hagar's Pregnancies</aht>.</fn> and for their cumulative impact on an evaluation of the character of his commentary.</p>
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<div style="text-align:center; font-weight:bold" class="header"><aht page="Commentators:Rashi Leipzig 1/Shemot 1" class="btn" style="color:#832525">Open Leipzig 1 Text</aht><br/></div>
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<div style="text-align:center; font-weight:bold" class="header"><a href="//rashi.alhatorah.org" class="btn" style="color:#832525">More Updated Version on Rashi Site</a><br/></div>
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<p>On this backdrop, the importance of the Leipzig 1 manuscript of Rashi can hardly be overstated.  This manuscript was written in the 13th century by R. Makhir b. Karshavya, who states that he produced it from a copy of the commentary transcribed and annotated by Rashi's own secretary, R. Shemayah.<fn>For the importance of this fact for reconstructing the original text of Rashi, see Prof. Avraham Grossman's extensive discussions in: "הגהות ר' שמעיה ונוסח פירוש רש"י לתורה", Tarbiz 60 (1991): 67-98, "&#8207;כתב-יד לייפציג 1 ופירושו של רש"י לתורה (תגובה למאמרו של אלעזר טויטו)&#8207;", Tarbiz 61 (1992): 305-315, "&#8207;עוד לטיבו של כתב-יד לייפציג 1 (תגובה למאמרו של אלעזר טויטו)&#8207;", Tarbiz 62 (1993): 621-624 , and חכמי צרפת הראשונים (Jerusalem, 1995): 187-193, 359-366.</fn> R. Makhir not only copied Rashi's base commentary from R. Shemayah's manuscript, but he also reproduced many of the marginal glosses contained in R. Shemayah's text, a good number of which R. Shemayah explicitly attributes to Rashi himself.<fn>Most of the glosses attributed to Rashi were collected and analyzed by Prof. Jordan Penkower, <a href="http://www.biu.ac.il/JS/JSIJ/6-2007/Penkower.pdf">"הגהות רש"י לפירושו לתורה"</a>, JSIJ 6 (2007): 1-48.  A comprehensive database of all of the various additions to Rashi's commentary is currently being assembled on <aht page="Commentators:Rashi's Additions">this site</aht>.</fn></p>
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<h2>Background</h2>
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<p>The popularity of Rashi's Torah commentary<fn>At least 240 manuscripts of Rashi's Torah commentary are extant.  See the list compiled by D. Blondheim, "Liste des Manuscrits des Commentaires bibliques de Raschi", REJ 91 (1931): 71-101, 155-174.</fn> and the tendency of medieval scholars and copyists to add to it their marginal glosses combined to create enormous variation between different manuscripts and editions of the commentary. As a result, it is often difficult to determine how Rashi's original text read, and whether words, sentences, and even entire passages from the commentary, were written by Rashi himself or are merely later accretions. These textual issues are significant both for understanding specific interpretations of Rashi,<fn>For a few examples where readings from the Leipzig 1 manuscript are important for clarifying Rashi's positions, see <aht page="Who Sold Yosef/2">Who Sold Yosef</aht>, <aht page="Miracles and Mitzvot at Marah/2">Miracles and Mitzvot at Marah</aht>, and <aht page="Hagar_–_How_Many_Pregnancies/2">Hagar's Pregnancies</aht>.</fn> and for their cumulative impact on an evaluation of the character of his commentary.</p>
  
<p>MS Leipzig 1 is, thus, an extremely valuable textual witness which comes tantalizingly close to the original sourceIn addition, its glosses shed significant light on Rashi's thought processes and the development of his commentary. As such, ready access to the text of this manuscript and a comparative analysis of its readings to other manuscripts is a desideratum.</p>
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<p>On this backdrop, the importance of the Leipzig 1 (Universitätsbibliothek Leipzig, B.H.1) manuscript of Rashi can hardly be overstated.  This manuscript was written in the 13th century by R. Makhir b. Karshavyah, who states that he produced it from a copy of the commentary transcribed and annotated by Rashi's own secretary, R. Shemayah.<fn>For the importance of this fact for reconstructing the original text of Rashi, see Prof. Avraham Grossman's extensive discussions in: "הגהות ר' שמעיה ונוסח פירוש רש"י לתורה", Tarbiz 60 (1991): 67-98, "&#8207;כתב-יד לייפציג 1 ופירושו של רש"י לתורה (תגובה למאמרו של אלעזר טויטו)&#8207;", Tarbiz 61 (1992): 305-315, "&#8207;עוד לטיבו של כתב-יד לייפציג 1 (תגובה למאמרו של אלעזר טויטו)&#8207;", Tarbiz 62 (1993): 621-624, and חכמי צרפת הראשונים (Jerusalem, 1995): 187-193, 359-366.</fn> R. Makhir not only copied Rashi's base commentary from R. Shemayah's manuscript, but he also reproduced many of the marginal glosses contained in R. Shemayah's text, a good number of which R. Shemayah explicitly attributes to Rashi himself.<fn>Most of the glosses attributed to Rashi were collected and analyzed by Prof. Jordan Penkower, <a href="http://www.biu.ac.il/JS/JSIJ/6-2007/Penkower.pdf">"הגהות רש"י לפירושו לתורה"</a>, JSIJ 6 (2007): 1-48.  See also his second article, "הגהות נוספות של רש"י לפירושו על התורה", in אור למאיר (Beer Sheva, 2010): 363-409.  A comprehensive database of all of the various additions to Rashi's commentary is currently being assembled at <aht page="Commentators:Rashi's Additions">AlHaTorah.org</aht>.</fn></p>
  
<p>To proceed to a very preliminary edition of a few chapters from the Leipzig 1 manuscript, <aht page="Commentators:Rashi Leipzig 1/Vayikra 9">click here</aht>.</p></page>
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<p>MS Leipzig 1 is, thus, an extremely valuable textual witness which comes tantalizingly close to the original source.  In addition, its glosses shed significant light on Rashi's thought processes and the development of his commentary.  As such, ready access to the text of this manuscript and a comparative analysis of its readings to other manuscripts is a desideratum.  We are therefore grateful for the very gracious permission granted by the <a href="http://www.ub.uni-leipzig.de/ubl/bestaende-der-ub-leipzig/sondersammlungen/handschriftenzentrum.html">Leipzig – Universitaetsbibliothek</a> to present here the text and images from this manuscript.</p>
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<h2>Edition Key</h2>
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<ul>
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<li>(...) = originally written text which was subsequently corrected in the manuscript</li>
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<li>[...] = corrected version of the text found in the manuscript</li>
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<li>{...} = content added in this edition, such as sources, numbering, and reconstructed text</li>
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</ul>
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<br/>
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<p>To proceed to the electronic edition of the Leipzig 1 manuscript, <aht page="Commentators:Rashi Leipzig 1/Shemot 1">click here</aht>.  To participate in this project, please contact us at: <a href="mailto:resources@alhatorah.org" class="mail">resources@alhatorah.org</a>.</p></page>
 
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Version as of 14:03, 2 December 2020

MS Leipzig 1 (Universitätsbibliothek Leipzig, B.H.1) – Rashi's Torah Commentary1


Background

The popularity of Rashi's Torah commentary2 and the tendency of medieval scholars and copyists to add to it their marginal glosses combined to create enormous variation between different manuscripts and editions of the commentary. As a result, it is often difficult to determine how Rashi's original text read, and whether words, sentences, and even entire passages from the commentary, were written by Rashi himself or are merely later accretions. These textual issues are significant both for understanding specific interpretations of Rashi,3 and for their cumulative impact on an evaluation of the character of his commentary.

On this backdrop, the importance of the Leipzig 1 (Universitätsbibliothek Leipzig, B.H.1) manuscript of Rashi can hardly be overstated. This manuscript was written in the 13th century by R. Makhir b. Karshavyah, who states that he produced it from a copy of the commentary transcribed and annotated by Rashi's own secretary, R. Shemayah.4 R. Makhir not only copied Rashi's base commentary from R. Shemayah's manuscript, but he also reproduced many of the marginal glosses contained in R. Shemayah's text, a good number of which R. Shemayah explicitly attributes to Rashi himself.5

MS Leipzig 1 is, thus, an extremely valuable textual witness which comes tantalizingly close to the original source. In addition, its glosses shed significant light on Rashi's thought processes and the development of his commentary. As such, ready access to the text of this manuscript and a comparative analysis of its readings to other manuscripts is a desideratum. We are therefore grateful for the very gracious permission granted by the Leipzig – Universitaetsbibliothek to present here the text and images from this manuscript.

Edition Key

  • (...) = originally written text which was subsequently corrected in the manuscript
  • [...] = corrected version of the text found in the manuscript
  • {...} = content added in this edition, such as sources, numbering, and reconstructed text


To proceed to the electronic edition of the Leipzig 1 manuscript, click here. To participate in this project, please contact us at: resources@alhatorah.org.