Carmiel Cohen’s scientific contributions

In his commentary on the Torah, Rabbi Levi ben Gershom (Ralbag/ Gersonides, Provence 1288—1344) presents a logical system, which he created to substitute for traditional talmudic hermeneutics, and he uses his system to demonstrate the nexus between the oral and written Torah. The present article examines the presentation of his system in the introduction to his biblical commentary and its implementation in the first of the nine 'Topics' that he constructed. Interestingly, Gersonides devised a form of the kal vahomer hermeneutic in order to obtain results that the Talmud reaches by using a gezerah shava. His purpose was to substitute a method which was truly logical for one which he did not consider to be so. It is clear that he regarded Talmudic hermeneutics as a system constructed by the Sages and not of Sinaitic origin.

Rabbi Levi ben Gershom is recognised as both scientist and philosopher; research has been devoted primarily to his work in the fields of philosophy, astronomy, biology, logic, physics, etc. This article deals with a different side of this multi-faceted scholar: the talmudic and halakhic aspects of his commentary on the Torah. It discusses, as well, the work's great popularity reflected in the many surviving manuscript copies, as well as by fragments preserved in the Cairo Genizah and the early publication date of the first edition of his biblical commentary. It discusses his emphasis on the simple meaning of the text (peshat), as well as describing how the different manuscripts of the commentary demonstrate that it was written in several recensions.