This introduction to Hebrew manuscripts, the first ever to be published in English, initiates the reader into the intriguing world of Hebrew manuscripts, it explains how manuscripts were written in the Middle Ages and shows why they are important for Torah and Jewish scholarship today. The profuse illustrations, many in full color, and specimens of Hebrew writings testify to the great variety of Hebrew scripts throughout the world and to the splendid beauty of Jewish illuminated manuscripts.
Part of the book describes the search for ancient Hebrew books throughout the centuries and relates some of the stories behind the major collections of the world. A special chapter explores the treasures of the Cairo Genizah. The author, Binyamin Richler, assistant director of the Institute of Microfilmed Hebrew Manuscripts in the Jewish National and University Library of Jerusalem, has been engaged in tracking down, deciphering and cataloguing Hebrew manuscripts for more than twenty-five years. The author of the chapter on the Genizah, Dr. Robert Brody, is a researcher of Geonic literature and is presently engaged in cataloguing the Rabbinic fragments of the Genizah. The editor, Rabbi Avraham Shoshana, director and founder of Ofeq Institute, is a renowned scholar specializing in bringing to light Rabbinic texts from unknown manuscripts in critically annotated editions.
This book was originally published in 1990.