Magazine 2023-08 web

AVI KUMAR  History was made this past May when the Codex Sassoon was sold for over $38 million, making it the most valuable manuscript ever sold at auction. The record-breaking transaction begs the question, what would be the value of the, even older, Aleppo Codex? Syrian Jewry’s Sacred Treasure Visitors to the “Shrine of the Book” section of the Israel Museum in Jerusalem are treated to a display of several rare, precious manuscripts, including the Dead Sea Scrolls, which were discovered in the Judean Desert in the middle of the 20 th century. They will see also a manuscript which has long been regarded as the most authentic copy of the Tanach (Bible) in existence. Commonly referred to as the “ Keter Aram Tzova ” (literally, “Crown of Aleppo”), or Aleppo Codex, this special bookwas held for centuries in the Central Synagogue of Aleppo, Syria, where the community protected it with extreme care. The Aleppo Codex remained completely intact until just 75 years ago, making it the best existing source for historians, religious scholars, linguistics, and others delving into the world of Jewish lore. And although a significant portion was, sadly, destroyed, the majority of the sacred text is proudly displayed, serving as a living testament to our authentic tradition, and our unwavering commitment to preserving it. The Rambam’s Bible What makes this ancient copy so valuable is its representing the most authentic available text of the Bible, a source for determining the precise spelling, punctuation, and melody of each word. Extraordinarily, the Aleppo Codex contains nikkud (vowel signs) as well as te’amim (cantillation notes), thus clarifying for us the authentic pronunciation and chant for the reading of the sacred verses of the Tanach . Community Magazine reached out to Rabbi Yechiel Goldhaber, a talmid hacham and renowned historian and researcher, for more information about this precious text. A leading expert in the field of Jewish customs and traditions, Rabbi Goldhaber has the distinction of being a former havruta (study partner) of Rav Chaim Kanievsky zt”l , with whom he learned privately for a period as a young man during the 1980s. Rabbi Goldhaber explains that the Keter Aram Tzova is, in all likelihood, the source that the Rambam (Maimonides) used in the 12th century to determine the correct text of the Bible. In the eighth chapter of his Hilchot Sefer Torah (4), the Rambam speaks of the widespread confusion that existed regarding certain aspects of the writing of the Torah scroll. In order to establish the correct layout of the text, the Rambam writes, he used “the book that is known in Egypt…which was in Jerusalem…and upon which everyone relied.” He adds that the famous scholar Aharon Ben-Asher carefully reviewed and corrected this text, making it the most authentic available source. Many scholars understood that the Rambam refers here to the Aleppo Codex. Among the proofs drawn to substantiate this theory is the Rambam’s ruling that the poem of Ha’azinu , which appears toward the end of the Humash (Devarim 32:1-43), should be written on 67 lines – precisely as the poem is written in the Aleppo Codex. Rabbi Goldhaber says that Inside the Shrine of the Book A Recent Record-Breaking Auction Suggests the Crown of Aleppo is the Most Valuable Document in the World The Most Coveted Document? 18 COMMUNITY MAGAZINE