Eran Viezel

In 1874, Raphael Kirchheim published an anonymous commentary on Chronicles, and in his preface he suggested that the commentator is a student of R. Sa'adiah Gaon (RaSaG). This study deals with a unique hermeneutical technique which has served this anonymous commentator dozens of times in his commentary. Verses in the genealogical chapters of Chronicles have parallels elsewhere in the Bible, frequently in different versions. In addition, there are duplications and diverse versions in the genealogical chapters themselves. According to the commentator, careful reading demonstrates that in most of these cases the differences are not substantive, but consist mainly in references to characters by more than one name. In his opinion, there are hidden links (qesharim daqim) between those names: graphical, associational, and even homiletic links, which may be revealed through careful reading. The article examines the principles of this methodology and its sources.