HEZEKIAH BEN MANOAH

HEZEKIAH BEN MANOAH (mid-13th century), biblical commentator of the school of rashi , apparently from France. Some are of the opinion that his father was Manoah of Béziers and, on the basis of a section in the rhymed introduction to Hezekiah's work, conjecture that Manoah was tortured at a time of religious persecution. Hezekiah wrote a commentary on the Pentateuch and on Rashi's commentary under the title Ḥizzekuni (or Ḥazzekuni, either in allusion to his name or as an appeal to his readers to encourage and "support" him). It was first published in the Venice edition of the Pentateuch in 1524, and separately in Cremona in 1559. In his commentary he chiefly bases himself on the halakhic and aggadic Midrashim and on the comments of Rashi, citing also various comments from another "20 books," including the commentaries of samuel b. meir (Rashbam) and joseph b. isaac bekhor shor . In his comments he quotes many Midrashim no longer extant, for which he is the only source. The work contains a number of French la'azim . -BIBLIOGRAPHY: Michael, Or, no. 836; J. Guttmann, in: Ner David – Festskrift… D. Simonsens (1923), 44–48; Waxman, Literature, 2 (19602), 44.