Bidspirit auction | Commentary of Ralbag on the

Commentary of Ralbag on the Torah. Venice, 1547. A fine copy with wide margins - Commentary on the Torah – by Rabbi Levi ben Gershon (Gersonides, “Ralbag”). Venice, Printed by Daniel Bomberg, 1547 [Shin-Zayin]. A Landmark Edition by One of the Greatest Rationalist Commentators. Large Copy with Wide Margins. Very Good Condition. A fine Venetian printing of the Torah commentary of Rabbi Levi ben Gershon (Ralbag) – one of the foremost Jewish philosophers, exegetes, and scientists of the Middle Ages. Printed by the legendary Daniel Bomberg in Venice in 1547, within his celebrated Hebrew press that produced the great editions of the Bible, Talmud, and rabbinic classics during the sixteenth century. The title page reads: “Commentary on the Torah, following the explanation of the words, and the benefits (to’elot) derived therefrom.” Ralbag’s commentary combines philological precision with philosophical and ethical reflection. Each Torah portion concludes with a series of “to’elot” – moral and intellectual lessons extracted from the text. This structure reflects his distinctive interpretive method: a synthesis of rational analysis and spiritual purpose. Rabbi Levi ben Gershon (1288–1344) was born in Nîmes (Provence) to Rabbi Gershon ben Shlomo of Catalonia, author of Sha’ar HaShamayim. He is considered a central figure in Jewish intellectual history – a mathematician, astronomer, and philosopher whose works bridge the legacies of Maimonides and Aristotelian philosophy. Tradition associates his lineage with the Ramban (Nachmanides), and his writings display both reverence for earlier sages and striking intellectual independence. His major philosophical treatise, Milḥamot HaShem (“The Wars of the Lord”), is regarded as one of the cornerstones of medieval Jewish rationalism. The Vilna Gaon (Rabbi Eliyahu of Vilna) held Ralbag in exceptional esteem. Rabbi Tzvi Hirsch Katzenellenbogen relates (in Kiryah Ne’emanah, p. 160): “I heard from my teacher Rabbi Shaul, of blessed memory, who heard from the holy mouth of the Gaon of Vilna, that he said: ‘If only I might merit in the World of Souls to be placed near Maimonides, or at least near Ralbag.’” This Bomberg edition is among the earliest and most authoritative printings of the complete commentary on the Torah and is cited in the principal bibliographies: Habermann, The Printer Daniel Bomberg, p. 196; Stefansky, Sifrei Yesod, no. 8. [6], 9–248 leaves. 30 cm. Condition: very good. Clean, thick, high-quality paper; wide margins; light age stains only. Handsome half-leather binding, well preserved. A splendid Venetian printing of a foundational classic of Jewish philosophical exegesis – a work that profoundly influenced both rabbinic commentary and medieval thought.