The Commentary of Rabbi Samuel Ben Meir, (Rashbam) on The Song of Songs

This commentary was first published in 1855 in the Aharon Yelink Edition of the 32 Hamburg manuscripts and was welcomed happily by the Jewish Sages of that generation, however it was quickly forgotten and its relation to RASHBAM was distrusted. The damaged edition, in which it was published, did not benefit it either, and it hardly left any impression on the Biblical research of the new age. The current essay is a revised scientific edition of the commentary, based on all the known wording testimonies known today: 3 complete manuscripts, 2 segments of other manuscripts and another written testimony of another manuscript which we do not hold.

This edition is preceded by a comprehensive preface which deals with a wide range of subjects: identifying the commentary's author, its affinity to other essays by Rashbam, the sources of the commentary, the literary aspects of the commentary, allegoric commentary of Song of Songs and his message according to his time and era, verbal issues in the commentary and an introduction to this edition.

Rashbam's commentary on Song of Songs is an important text which contributes to a variety of fields: the exegesis of the biblical text; the knowledge of Rashbam's figure and actions as one of the greatest bible commentators of all time; an understanding of the history of Jewish commentaries on the bible, especially literal-oriented (pshat) commentaries; and knowledge of the history of French and Ashkenaz Jewry of the 12th and 13th centuries.