The starting point for any study of the Bible is the text of the Masora as designed by the
Masoretes. The ancient manuscripts of the Hebrew Bible contain thousands of Masora comments of
two types: Masora Magna and Masora Prava. How does this complex defense mechanism which
contains counting of words and combinations from the Bible work? Yosef Ofer of Bar-Ilan
University and the Academy of the Hebrew Language presents the way in which the Masoretic
comments preserve the Masoretic Text of the Bible throughout generations and all over the world
providing comprehensive information in a short and efficient manner. The book describes the
important manuscripts of the Hebrew Bible and the methods of the Masora in determining the
biblical spelling and designing the forms of the parshiot and the biblical Songs. The
effectiveness of Masoretic mechanisms and their degree of success in preserving the text is
examined. A special explanation is offered for the phenomenon of qere and ketiv. The book
discusses the place of the Masoretic text in the history of the Bible the differences between
the Babylonian Masora and that of Tiberias the special status of the Aleppo Codex and the
mystery surrounding it. Special attention is given to the comparison between the Aleppo Codex
and the Leningrad Codex (B 19a). In addition the book discusses the relationship between the
Masora and other tangential domains: the grammar of the Hebrew language the interpretation of
the Bible and the Halakha. The book is a necessary tool for anyone interested in the text of
the Bible and its crystallization.
