Sholom Eisenstat

Rabbinic Texts about the History of the Text of the Torah

Sanhedrin 90a, 99a
Baba Batra 15a
Kiddushin 30
Rambam's Commentary on the Mishnah
Sofrim 6
Radak's Intro to Joshua
Rambam: Hilchot Sefer Torah
Ibn Ezra on Gen 12:10

About the Dotted Texts in the Hebrew Bible

Tikkunei Soferim / Emmendations of the Scribes
Verses of the Torah which were modified by the rabbis

Our rabbinic tradition tells us of modifications made to the text of the Torah by rabbis known as the Sofrim. These texts about the 'tikkunei sofrim' are some of our earliest evidence depicting the history of the text of the Torah.

Nedarim 37b - 38a

אמר רבי יצחק: מקרא סופרים, ועיטור סופרים, וקריין ולא כתיבן, וכתיבן ולא קריין - הלכה למשה מסיני.

- the reading of the text, according to the scribes, 'ommissions' of the scribal tradition, (words) which are read but not written, (words) which are written but not read are 'halacha l'moshe m'sinai'

This text tells us about traditions of the sages which specified certain aspects of the reading and the writing of the torah scroll.

The 'mikra sofrim' category surely refers to the traditions about the pronunciation of a biblical text. Sometimes this discussion uses the language 'em lamasoret' for a text vocalized according to the written scroll's rendition or 'em lamikra' a text which is to be vocalized according to the tradition of synagogue use.

Itturei Sofrim are 'ommissions' of letters, usually a 'vav'

There are many traditions, contradictory and variant visible in the Talmudic manuscript and medieval commentaries. These are closely detailed in B. Barry Levy's 'Fixing God's Torah: The Accuracy of the Hebrew Bible Text in Jewish Law".

And there also the difference of opinion is in the interpretation of Scriptural texts. For Rab Judah reported in the name of Samuel, and so did Resh Lakish say, and likewise R. Nahman reported in the name of Rabbah b. Abbuha: [Scripture says]: And I, behold. I have given thee the charge of My heave-offerings. R. Eliezer holds that Scripture refers to two kinds of terumah, one clean terumah and the other terumah held in suspense,4 and the Divine Law says: ‘keep charge of it’ [not to make it unnecessarily unclean]. And [how does] R. Joshua [explain this]? — The written text is ‘My offering’. Does this mean to say that R. Eliezer holds that the traditional reading [vowels] must guide us? (Soncino)