A significant breakthrough has occurred in the study of Torah manuscripts: researcher Yisrael Dubitsky identified the long-lost manuscript of the Rashbam’s commentary on the Torah. Dubitsky was examining manuscripts of Rashi’s commentary in the Ginzburg Collection at the National Library of Russia.
Rabbi Yoel Katan told Arutz Sheva that during the examination, it became clear that the manuscript had arrived in the Soviet Union after the war. Due to physical deficiencies in the item - including the fact that it begins in the middle of the Book of Genesis and lacks a title - it was mistakenly cataloged as a commentary by Rashi.
The incorrect classification remained attached to the manuscript for generations and kept it hidden from researchers. Only during Dubitsky’s work was the item’s true identity revealed.
The rediscovery of the manuscript brings an end to many years in which it was considered lost. The revelation was made possible through Dubitsky’s identification work as part of his research into the Ginzburg Collection.