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<font size="+1">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.<br>
<br>
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.
<br>
<br>
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.<br>
<br>
As someone might have guessed from the above, as a Jew I have
accepted ben Asher and the Keter as the authoritative texts.<br>
<br>
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. <br>
<br>
BTW, Leningrad has 70 lines.<br>
<br>
<br>
David<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
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