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12/7/20161
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Menachem Katz
‫דיגיטלי‬ ‫סינופטי‬ ‫במאגר‬ ‫נוסח‬ ‫חילופי‬ ‫של‬ ‫סיווגם‬
‫בו‬ ‫הגלומות‬ ‫והאפשרויות‬
Categorization of Textual Variants in Digital
Synopses and its Research Potential
Menachem Katz Hillel Gershuni
Academic Director
The Friedberg Jewish Manuscript Society
‫יד‬ ‫כתבי‬ ‫חקר‬ ‫לקידום‬ ‫העמותה‬
EVA / Minerva 2016 XIIth Conference, July 10th, Jerusalem

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Menachem Katz
Classical critical editions
Sifre Bemidbar, Kahana (2011-
2015)
Sifre Dvrarim, Finkelstein (1940)

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Menachem Katz
Various types of printed Talmudic variations
Dikduke Sofrim HashalemGemara Shlema, Nae Dikduke Sofrim, Rabinovich
Steinsaltz edition

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Menachem Katz
Synopses
Lines synopsis – Bava Metzia, S.Y. FriedmanColumns synopsis – Yerushalmi,
Tubingen

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Menachem Katz
Diplomatic and Photo editions
Bavli A.z. – Ms. JTS Rab. 15, photo
edition
Yerushalmi ms. Leiden, Hebrew Academy

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Menachem Katz
Digitized editions – A new era
Friedberg’s “Hachi Garsinan” project fully uses the advantages of the
digitized edition:
 For the first time, we can offer various sorts of editions
 No lack of space
 Maximum flexibility

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Menachem Katz
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High-
Resolution
image & Visual
transcription –
Photo edition
AND
diplomatic
edition in one
place

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Menachem Katz
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The site can
present 2 types
of diplomatic
edition:
Visual
Transcript &
Classical
Transcript
Classical TranscriptVisual Transcript

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Menachem Katz
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Columns
Synopsis

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Menachem Katz
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Lines
Synopsis

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Menachem Katz
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Textual
variations
on Vilna
page

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Menachem Katz
How can we display only “major” variations?
 If we present all of the variations, the significant data will be hard to
notice within the noise.
 If we present only what we think is “major”, we could miss variations
that the user think is indeed major.
 The difference between the types of users make the mission even
harder.

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Menachem Katz
How detailed should it be? Two different approaches
Sifre Bemidbar, KahanaMishna Ketubbot, Brody

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Menachem Katz
The mission: Teaching the computer to single out the
“major” variations
Bavli Ta’anit,
30a

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Menachem Katz
Taking the opposite direction: singling out the “minor”
variations instead
 The computer cannot know which of the variations is major.
 We can teach it what variation is probably minor.

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Menachem Katz
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Textual
equivalencies

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Menachem Katz
Categories of Equivalency – Group A
 Abbreviations and their full versions [‫אמ‬'–‫אמר‬]
 Acronyms and their full versions [‫אע‬"‫פ‬–‫פי‬ ‫על‬ ‫אף‬]
 Variations in the way numbers are written [‫ג‬'–‫שלוש‬]
 Vocalizing vowels and their omission [‫קבל‬–‫קיבל‬]
 The way of writing G-d's name [‫ה‬'–‫ייי‬]
 Partial textual fault (tear or blurring) [‫בר‬...‫ת‬–‫בראשית‬]
 Words joined together [‫עולם‬ ‫של‬–‫שלעולם‬]
 Graphic variants [‫כעכין‬–‫כעבין‬]
 Phonetic variants [‫כעור‬–‫כאור‬]

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Menachem Katz
Categories of Equivalency – Group B
 Linguistic variants [‫עומדין‬–‫עומדים‬]
 Letters that signify prepositions and their omission [‫לשם‬–‫שם‬]
 Semantic variants [‫גוי‬–‫נכרי‬]
 Variations in personal names [‫לקיש‬ ‫ריש‬–‫ר‬'‫לקיש‬ ‫בן‬ ‫שמעון‬]
 Variations in place names [ ‫אלכסנדריה‬-‫אלסכנדריה‬ ]
 Shortening or lengthening of Verses (Psukim)

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Menachem Katz
Now we can emphasize the major changes

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Menachem Katz
…And also emphasize what other people would think
is minor, but we think is the real deal

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Menachem Katz
What’s next?
 Searching not only for words, but also for variations?
 Searching for frequent non-equivalent variations?
12Count
‫רבינא‬‫רבא‬790
‫שמואל‬‫רב‬661
‫אסי‬‫אמי‬657
‫יוסי‬‫יהודה‬534
12Count
‫מותרין‬‫מותר‬792
‫כיצד‬‫צד‬ ‫זה‬ ‫כאי‬787
‫שמעת‬‫שמע‬680
‫חכמ‬'‫חכם‬679
12Count
‫כוכבים‬ ‫עובד‬‫נכרי‬748
‫נכרים‬‫גוים‬686

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22
Menachem Katz
Lines synopsis combined with categorization – a new
powerful tool

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31
12/7/201631
31
Menachem Katz
‫דיגיטלי‬ ‫סינופטי‬ ‫במאגר‬ ‫נוסח‬ ‫חילופי‬ ‫של‬ ‫סיווגם‬
‫בו‬ ‫הגלומות‬ ‫והאפשרויות‬
Categorization of Textual Variants in Digital
Synopses and its Research Potential
Menachem Katz Hillel Gershuni
Academic Director
The Friedberg Jewish Manuscript Society
‫יד‬ ‫כתבי‬ ‫חקר‬ ‫לקידום‬ ‫העמותה‬
EVA / Minerva 2016 XIIth Conference, July 10th, Jerusalem