Lisa Fredman – Rashi’s Commentary on the Book of Proverbs

Rashi was the first Biblical Commentator in Northern France (Ashkenaz) to compose a comprehensive commentary to the Book of Proverbs, and this commentary has survived in 55 manuscripts scattered in libraries throughout the world. For the first time we present a critical edition of this commentary to Proverbs. This critical edition is based on MS New York JTS Lutzki 778. Variant readings from six other accurate manuscripts, the two earliest printed editions, and three later printed editions appear in the apparatus of variants. The edition also contains a “super-commentary” in which difficult words & sections in need of clarification are explained. The editor searched for Rashi’s sources – both those explicitly stated and those not. Preceding the critical edition is an introduction which analyzes important topics such as: interpolations to the commentary, Rashi’s exegetical approach, language & syntax and the Jewish-Christian debate.