Commentary on Midrash rabba in the sixteenth century : the Or ha-sekhel of Abraham Ben Asher

238 Pages·2016·5.58 MB·English

by  Benjamin Williams

COMMENTARY ON MIDRASH RABBA
IN THE SIXTEENTH CENTURY
OXFORD ORIENTAL MONOGRAPHS
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Commentary on
Midrash Rabba in the
Sixteenth Century
The Or ha-Sekhel of Abraham ben Asher
BENJAMIN WILLIAMS
1
3
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Acknowledgements
ItisapleasuretobeabletoexpressmygratitudetoProfessorJoanna
Weinbergforherguidance,patience,andencouragementintheyears
I spent under her supervision. I cannot thank her enough for intro-
ducingmetoMidrashRabbawhenIbeganmyundergraduatestudies
and,intime,forencouragingmetolookalsotothecommentariesat
thebottomofthepage.
In writing the present volume, it was also my privilege to learn
fromthescholarsparticipatinginawealthofprojectsassociatedwith
the Oxford Centre for Hebrew and Jewish Studies and the Hebrew
and the Jewish Studies Unit. The Jews and Judaism in the Early
Modern Period seminar series and the European Seminar on
AdvancedJewishStudieswereparticularlyvaluablesourcesofinspir-
ation. Poring over Hebrew manuscripts in Professor Malachi Beit-
Arié’s Codicology and Palaeography Master Classes is among my
fondestmemoriesofgraduatestudy.
Thisresearchisfoundedontheassistanceandkindnessofthestaff
oftheOrientalReadingRoom,recentlytheSpecialCollectionsRead-
ing Room and now the David Reading Room, for whom no com-
mentaryhasbeentoovoluminousandnotometooweighty.Icannot
sufficientlyexpressmygratitudefortheirreliabilityandhelp.
I am indebted to my colleagues and friends at King’s College
London, the John Rylands Research Institute, Wadham College, and
theParishofCowleyStJohnfortheirsupport.Iwouldparticularlylike
tothankKatharinaKeim,ClaireMalone-Lee,andSisterEdmée,S.L.G.,
fortheirvaluablecommentsondraftsofthisbook,andMartinConway
forhelpingmetoaccesstheGermanscholarshiponPseudo-Rashi.
This study has grown with the support of my family who have
always inspired me with a love of learning and a fascination with
Scripture.NooneismorefortunatethanItohaveamotherwhohas
helped me so much to pursue my studies. The unfailing support of
Johnis,morethananythingelse,thereasonIhavebeenabletocarry
outthisproject;withouthisencouragement,itwouldneverhavebeen
finished.

OUPCORRECTEDPROOF–FINAL,11/8/2016,SPi
Contents
ListofFigures ix
IntroductiontoMidrashRabbaanditsReaders 1
1. MidrashintheSixteenth-CenturyOttomanEmpire 9
2. MidrashRabbaandItsCommentaries 21
3. FromSafedtoVenice—AbrahambenAsherand
thePublicationoftheʾOrha-Sekhel 46
4. AbrahambenAsher’sCommentary—AnExamination
ofSelectedTexts 64
5. Pseudo-Rashi’sCommentaryonGenesisRabba 139
6. Conclusion:TheʾOrha-SekhelandItsReception 164
Appendices
Appendix1. GenesisRabba39:1(ʾOrha-Sekhel,f.81a–b) 179
Appendix2. GenesisRabba18:4(ʾOrha-Sekhel,f.47a) 182
Appendix3. GenesisRabba60:13(ʾOrha-Sekhel,
ff.122b–123a) 183
Appendix4. GenesisRabba1:1(ʾOrha-Sekhel,f.2a–b) 184
Appendix5. GenesisRabba69:1(ʾOrha-Sekhel,f.141a–b) 187
Appendix6. Solomonle-Vetha-LevionGenesisRabba69:1
(ff.74b–75b) 189
Appendix7. SamuelYafehonGenesisRabba69:1(vol.1,
ff.401b–402a) 191
Bibliography 193
Figures 211
Index 221

List of Figures
Figure1. Map. 212
Figure2. ThetitlepageoftheʾOrha-Sekhel(Venice,1567).
CourtesyofTheBodleianLibraries,TheUniversityof
Oxford.Shelfmark:Opp.Fol.152,f.1a. 213
Figure3. ʾOrha-Sekhel(Venice,1567),ff.107b–108a.Courtesy
ofTheNationalLibraryofIsrael,Jerusalem.Shelfmark:
(cid:1)
R2 65A4288. 214
Figure4. DanielBomberg’seditioprincepsofthecomplete
BabylonianTalmud(Venice,1519/20–23),tractateKetubot,
ff.33b–34a.CourtesyofTheNationalLibraryofIsrael,
Jerusalem.Shelfmark:R2(cid:1) 35V4087. 216
Figure5. TheeditioprincepsofJacobibnḤabib’sʿEinYaʿakovvol.1
(Salonica,1516),ff.45b–46a.CourtesyofTheNational
(cid:1)
LibraryofIsrael,Jerusalem.Shelfmark:R2 75A870. 218