A very large number of supercommentaries have been composed on Rashi’s commentary on the Torah. The author of the supercommnetaries include Gedolei Yisrael who felt impelled to explain and discuss Rashi’s commentary. Among these were Rabbi Israel Isserlein, author of Terumat HaDeshen, Rabbi Eliyahu Mizrachi, Rabbi Ovadiah di Bertinoro, Rabbi Mordechai Jaffe, author of the Levushim, the Maharal of Prague, his brother Rabbi Chaim ben R. Betzalel- whose super commentary B’er Mayim Chayim was printed only in our time and Rabbi David b.Shmuel HaLevi, author of Turei Zahav.
Rabbi Chaim Eliezer Reich, who some time ago embarked on publishing facsimile editions of old, out of print rabbinical books, has in recent months brought out reproductions of several very rare supercommentaries on Rashi: The supercommentaries of Rabbi Shmuel Almosnino, Moshe Albida, Aaron Abu Alderei and Yaakov Kenizel (all four were printed in one volume in Constantinople, circa 1525); Yosef Da’at by R. Yosef b. R. Yissachar of Prague (Prague1609) Tiferet Yosef by R. Yosef Yoel Segal (Prague, 1725) and Karnei Re’em on Rashi and on R. Eliyahu Mizrachi by R. Yitzhak Haddad (Livorno, 1765).
R. Yizhak Haddad, who was rabbi on the island of Djerba, off Tunisia published with his Karnei Re’em which was printed during his lifetime. Zera Yizhak novellae and comments, mainly on Midrash Rabbah. The new edition of Karnei Re’em includes Zera Yitzhak, as well as an essay by the publisher, Rabbi Chaim Elazar Reich, about Rabbi Yitzhak Haddad and Rabbi Haddad’s teachers and colleagues, who are quoted in his two books.
Sept. 20, 1991 Jewish Press