[Mesorah] A Critique of R Mordechai Breuer's Works

[David and Esther Bannett via Mesorah]

Nobody would claim that there are not many mesorot. Looking at the old 
manuscripts shows that there are many mesorot. R' Mordekhai Breuer's 
comparisons between them shows which follow the majority.

But for us what is important is that, beginning with the Rambam, all 
Jewish authorities agree that we follow the Mesorah of Aharon ben Asher 
as recorded in the codex known today as the Keter Aram Tzova.  It has 
been accepted by most authorities that that the Keter is the text that 
the Rambam knows as the one in Alexandria.

When the bikoret hamikra started in Germany, the antisemites who leaded 
it where thrilled to be able to show that the Jewish accepted text is 
all wrong because they uncovered the Leningrad manuscript which, as it 
is ancient and different, must be the accurate text.  R' Breuer shows 
that, in the chumash, for example, Leningrad has 120 differences in 
spelling when compared with the Keter.  While it is one of the best 
texts in nikkud and t'amim, Leningrad is the worst of all the 
manuscripts in spelling (the nakdan and the sofer are two different 
people).  The only Jewish expert who says today that Leningrad is the 
more accurate text  is Prof. Aharon Dotan of the Hebrew University.  In 
many shuls and home one can find the Leningrad text.  I have, at home a 
Leningrad Tanakh put out by the Israeli army. *In my shtender in shul, I 
have a Leningrad chumash with a shabbat siddur in the back. It is for 
comparison only. I also have a Breuer and often bring a Bar ILan Keter, 
a 1817 me'iti Heidenheim with Ein Hakorei, or even a 1803 Mendelsohn 
with tikun sofrim with me.

As someone might have guessed from the above, as a Jew I have accepted 
ben Asher and the Keter as the authoritative texts.

One proof of the Keter's identity I love to tell about: When Prof. 
Cassuto visited Allepo and examined the Keter, he decided that is was 
not sefer of the Rambam.  He found that shirat Ha'azinu was written in 
67 lines. The Mishneh Torah of the Rambam says that there are 70 lines 
as in our sifrei Torah.  Years later, a manuscript of Mishne Torah with 
comments and correction in the handwriting of the Rambam himself was 
found in England. It says that there are 67 lines!  The Temanim, who 
received the text from the Rambam, also has 67 lines.  Mishneh Torah 
also notes the first word of the lines of the shirah, one of them being 
"gam".  The Teimanin, therefore, begin a line with "gam bachur".  The 
Keter starts the line with "gam betula" after ending the previous line 
with gam bachur.

BTW, Leningrad has 70 lines.


David



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