Rabbenu Hananel ben R. Hushiel was active in Kairouan in North Africa in the 11th century. His writings were the main channel through which the traditions and the teachings of the Geonim reached Torah scholars in various countries. His commentaries on the Talmud are widely quoted in the works of the early authorities, but the publication of the commentaries proper was begun only in the last century.
In 1869, in Paris, Y. Stern published Rabbenu Hananel’s commentary on tractate Pesahim from a manuscript preserved in Munich. Several years later Dr. Abraham Berliner printed the commentary on Makkot (Migdal Hananel, Berlin 1876)
In the margins of the great Vilna Shas, printed by the Widow and the Brothers Romm, between 1880 and 1886, were printed Rabbenu Hannael’s commentaries on all the tractates of the Order Mo’ed and on most of the tractates of the Order Nezikin.
In the epilogue to this Talmud edition (printed in the last volume) Rabbi Shemuel Shraga Feiginsohn, the director of the Vilna printing plant, enumerates the different manuscripts of Rabbi Hananel’s commentaries which were used by the publishers.
In our time, the late Dr. B. Menashe Lewin, compiler of Otzar HaGeonim, published Rabbi Hananel’s commentaries on additional tractates, based on manuscripts as well as on quotations from them preserved in the works of early authorities.
Several years ago, the Jerusalem publisher Rabbi Hanokh Eliezer Vagashal established the Lev Sameah Research Institute, whose tasks include the publication of new, corrected and annotated editions of Rabbenu Hananel’s commentaries, based on manuscripts, fragments from the Genizah (of Cairo), comments on parallel passages in the Talmud, and on quotations found in the writings of the Rishonim. In recent years many works by early authorities were printed from manuscript, bringing to light additional quotations from Rabbenu Hananel’s commentaries.
The editor-in-chief of the new Lev Sameach editions is Rabbi David Metzger, a Jerusalem scholar who has devoted himself to the study of Rabbenu Hananel’s commentaries and who suggested to Rabbi E.H. Vagshal to undertake the publications of new, improved editions. Rabbi D. Metzger’s various Torah publications include the edition of the Ritva’s novellae on tractate Niddah, put out by Mossad HaRav Kook.
During the last four years, the Lev Sameah Institute brought out three volumes of Rabbenu Hananel’s commentaries on the Talmud: Berakhot (edited by Rabbi David Metzger and R. Moshe Notovitz and R. Yaakov David Ilan) Pesahim (edited by R. David Metzger, R. Moshe Notovitz and R. Yaakov David Ilan) and Eruvin (edited by R. David Metzger and R. Eliyahu Eliezer Dickman).
A fourth volume, Rabbenu Hananel’s commentaries on Yoma (edited by R. David Metzger and R. Ya’akov David Ilan) and on Mo’ed Katan (edited by R. David Metzger and R. Eliyahu Soloveitchik) came off the press a short time ago.
Like its three predecessors, the new volume features prefaces and introductions by Rabbi E. H. Vagshal and the editors, respectively. Included in the new volume are also relevant selections from Rabbi Nissim Gaon’s Sefer HaMafteach and Megillat Setarim. Rabbi Nissim Gaon was a contemporary of Rabbenu Hananel and like him, resided in Kairouan. The selections in the new volume are based, substantially on Prof. Shraga Abramson’s work on Rabbi Nissim Gaon.
Rabbi D. Metzger in his introduction to Rabbenu Hananel’s commentary on tractate Yoma, points out that the commentary printed in the Talmud editions suffered from omissions and misreadings of the manuscripts. These defects, as well as others were corrected in the new edition. Maimonides is known to have followed the explanations and views of Rabbi Hananel in many of his decisions. In a separate chapter in his introduction, Rabbi Metzger cites a number of Pesukim of the Rambam which shows the influence of Rabbenu Hananel’s commentary on Yoma.
Rabbi Eliyahu Soloveitchik, in his introduction to Rabbenu Hananel’s commentary on tractate Mo’ed Katan, discusses inter alia- Rabbenu Hanael’s frequent citations from the Jerusalem Talmud. “The many quotes from the Jerusalem Talmud — at times without indicating their sources- as well as his use of expressions of the Jerusalem Talmud, testify that this Talmud was regularly studied in his Beth HaMidrash.”
Lev Sameah’s editions of Rabbenu Hananel’s commentaries have been very well received by Torah students. The new, beautifully printed volume, certainly will be accorded a similar reception.
P.S. When speaking of the Vilna Talmud edition in which many of Rabbenu Hananel’s commentaries were first published, the editor mentions 5641 as the year of printing. This is not quite correct. The edition was printed as mentioned earlier, in 5640-5646 (1880-1886).
The Jewish Press, Friday August 13, 1993