Category Archives: Leningrad Codex

Chronicling an ‘Error’ in the Karaite Siddur

Let’s look at this highlighted line.

I recently discovered something beautiful. There is an error in the traditional Karaite siddur. It may sound strange to call an error beautiful, but I really mean it. The Karaite community has gone to great lengths to preserve – what is in my opinion – the wrong side of a mostly obscure debate over a single letter in a word in the Book of Chronicles.

I only first understood that this debate even exists two months ago, as I was working on a learner’s edition of the erev shabbat prayer book for the American Karaite community.

You can also give me your opinion on what I should print in this new edition of the siddur, by voting in the reader poll.

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Filed under Abu al-Faraj Harun, Aleppo Codex, Leningrad Codex, Prayer

The First Chabad Rebbe was Right: Just ask the Medieval Karaites and Rabbanites

The Leningrad Codex

My Chabad envy is well chronicled by now. Today I am taking this envy to new heights by taking the bold steps of proving that the first Chabad Rebbe, Shneur Zalman (1745-1812), was almost certainly right about the spelling of a particular word in the Tanakh. And I relied on some old sources, with a little help from my friends, to do it.

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Filed under Aleppo Codex, Chabad, Leningrad Codex, Moshe Firrouz, Nehemia Gordon

Karaite Learns “Sad” Truth About Cairo Codex; Still Rejoices

Jacob Moussa holding the Cairo Codex, surrounded by Egyptian Karaites (still living in Cairo at the time).

Jacob Moussa holding an ancient manuscript in 1977, surrounded by Egyptian Karaites (still living in Cairo at the time).

The three most well-known codices in the Jewish biblical tradition are the Cairo Codex, the Aleppo Codex, and the Leningrad Codex. At one time or another, each was in possession of the Karaite Jewish community.

The Cairo Codex is an ancient vocalized manuscript of the Nevi’im, i.e., all of books of the prophets in the Tanakh. It is commonly believed that the Cairo Codex of the Prophets was written by the Karaite Moshe ben Asher in the year 895/896. [1.]

But it turns out that this common belief is almost certainly wrong.

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Filed under Aleppo Codex, Cairo Codex, Leningrad Codex, Moshe al D'ari Synagogue