Today is the Rambam’s Yomtov!
Rabbi Azariah de Rossi copies what he saw in an ancient Chumash manuscript belonging to Shlomo Sassoon of Ferrara. “I, Moshe, son of Maimon, I was moved by zeal for Hashem, the G-d of Israel, when I saw the sifrei Torah, in Egypt in which their parashiyos were open and closed, contrary to the law. I requested from myself, It is a time to act for Hashem, to derelict the study of Torah, to write our G-d’s Torah, the five fifths, bound together in a booklet, so I should be able to edit and copy from them other sifrei [Torah]. The sefer I copied from is the famous one in Egypt, which includes all 24 books, which was in Jerusalem, since the times of the Tannaim and the Amoraim. When Jerusalem was captured by King Charles, the sefer was taken from there, to Egypt.
“When I finished my book, thanks to my G-d’s benevolent care for me, my heart carried me to go from Egypt to France, to the Kingdom of Burgundy. Since I have properly enquired and found out that they have there a sefer Torah, from Ezra haSofer, the Kohen Gadol. I brought with me a Tikun Sofrim, which has been edited according to the Jerusalem “24” which was brought from Jerusalem, and I found them to match.
Upon this, I rejoiced, and took upon myself, rejoice on this day every year, that is 28 Ziv [=Iyar].”
Source: Meor Einayim, Imrei Binah, chapter 9; see Chida, Shem HaGedolim, letter Ayin, §2.
𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐀𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝐨𝐫 𝐁𝐢𝐫𝐭𝐡𝐝𝐚𝐲?
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