Rashi, Ibn Ezra and the Ramban are the great early commentators of the Pentateuch. Unlike the two others, the commentary of the Ramban is multi-dimension. It offers the student simple exegesis, penetrating interpretation in the light of Halacha and Agada, philosophical thought and views of the mystic in Israel.
Rashi has been studied and beloved by all classes of the people. Ibn Ezra is the predilection of those with a more rational bend of mind, who search for the Peshat, and the Peshat only. The study of the Ramban has been the chosen field of Talmide Hachamim, who live in all areas of Jewish learning and thought.
It is not an easy commentary. Even the learned student would do well to let himself be introduced into the world of the Ramban by one who had mastered it through years of study. In addition to the “Vehamaskil Yavin’s”-reserved for the few—there are many other difficult passages in the commentary, and it has always been a source of pride to great scholars to shed some light on an obscure note of the Ramban.
In Israel I had the privilege of having been much in the company of Rabbi Meshullam Rath, formerly of Czernowitz. He is one of the great as well as one of the oldest rabbis of our time. Because of his precarious state of health he is not permitted to talk much, but whenever he does speak choice pearls drop from his lips. He enlightened me on many subjects, however, the commentary of the Ramban was always paramount in his conversation.
In addition to the obscure passages, the study of the commentary of the Ramban has also become difficult because of the many errors and distortions which have crept into the text during its repeated printings. Anyone who has ever seen a copy of the Ramban used by an old and serious student of this commentary, must have noticed its rims studded not only with stenciled notes and explanations, but also with suggested emendations of the text.
The publication of a new edition of the text based on manuscripts and early printings was therefore long overdue. Rabbi C. B. Chavel took upon himself in two volumes before us represent years of diligent study and work. The new edition contains in addition to the text also text variants, source references and concise explanatory notes. In the compilation of the source references and the explanatory notes, the author was, of course, greatly assisted by earlier commentaries on the Ramban, however his work contains also very much that is original.
In a short introduction the author discusses the probable time of the composition of the commentary. Here he should perhaps have also quoted a passage of the Ramban’s Haggadah on Maimonides “Book of Commandments”. In this passage—to which attention has been drawn to Joseph Perles (Monatsschrift vol. 7)—the Ramban says the following: “If G-d will grant us long days, will make pleading our old age and easy the hardships of our times, we will continue and explain that from which we refrained from beginning to explain.” In this passage the Ramban seems to refer to his commentary of the Pentateuch, and we can deduce therefrom that it was not only written the Ramban in his old age but also begun by him at that time.
In his preface, Chavel also deals with the manuscripts he had made use of and with the commentaries which had been influenced by the Ramban. Here he writes among other things that Menahem Recanti wrote his commentary in the wake of the commentaries of Bahya and Abu Sahula. This does not seem to be quite correct. Recanti had most probably not seen the commentaries by Bahya and Abu Shula and had composed his work before theirs.
In our next article we will continue with our review of the new edition of the commentary of the Ramban.
By Tovia Preschel Jewish PressDecember 22, 1961