Explanation of the file structure:
The files are written in Excel. Each file contains dozens of sheets. The tab associated with each sheet displays the number of the section and the chapter and verse to which it belongs. Each sheet contains at least one additional section, plus sections of commentary before and after the additional section, including the context needed to understand the additional section and its meaning. Sometimes several additional sections were included in one sheet, all of which belong to a single discourse by Ramban and are also discussed together in our book. Here is an example of a section that presents several additional sections to the book of Exodus:
Each column in the table presents one version of the Ramban’s commentary. The right-hand column is the version of the ‘Keter’ edition (based on the CD ‘Mikraot Gedolot HaKeter’ edited by Prof. Menachem Cohen, Bar-Ilan University Press; second version, 2005). This version served as the base version of our edition.
We should also note that in the books of Exodus through Deuteronomy, the final version determined in the ‘HaKeter’ edition differs from the provisional version that appeared on the CD we used.
The additional columns present the text of the commentary in the manuscripts, and are divided into three groups: The first group of columns presents the text of three to five manuscripts belonging to the ‘early edition’. The second group of columns presents the text of three to five manuscripts belonging to the ‘late edition’. The third group presents the text of the sections of the appendix as given in the various lists of additions. Of course, this group of columns appears only in the documented additions, and it includes only the section of the appendix and the words adjacent to it, and not the full discussion context.
In a small number of additional sections, the number of attestations to the text of the early edition or the text of the later edition was less than three. In these cases, we have provided the text of additional manuscripts in separate columns.
At the top of each column is the abbreviated name of the manuscript (in letters or numbers) as well as the number of its photograph in the Jerusalem Library. A complete list of the manuscripts and their markings is included in a separate file.
Wherever the manuscript text that was examined differed from the base text (in the right column), the different word was given in a colored font to emphasize the change. The sections of the addition were marked at their beginning and end with angled parentheses, thus: <Begin of the addition. End of the addition>. Where words were written in the manuscript on the sheet or between the lines, they were marked at their beginning and end thus: %Additional addition&.
In the left columns of the issue , the basic text of our edition was presented, which was determined in light of a comparison of the basic text with the manuscript text. Here too, all the words that were decided to be changed from the basic text were listed in colored font. To the right of this text, the main textual changes were briefly listed, which it was decided to include in the textual changes section in the printed edition. Where the ‘Later Edition’ text differed from the ‘Early Edition’ text (that is, not only an addition but also the replacement of words with other words) each of the texts was presented in its own column, and the printed version also included a two-column table showing the texts in comparison with each other.
Sometimes the reviewers saw the need to make special verbal comments to describe the condition of the manuscript (such as there being doubt about the reading or a special phenomenon occurring in the manuscript). These comments were presented as Excel comments, marked with a small triangle in the corner of the cell.
For text comparison files, click here.
