The Chizkuni — R. Chizkiya ben Manoach

The Chizkuni wrote a comprehensive commentary on the Torah, and his style is very clear and accessible.

It appears that the Chizkuni had three aims in composing his commentary on the Torah:

·       To collect all the explanations in keeping with the peshat from the works of the commentators who preceded him.

·       To explain Rashi’s’ commentary by adding or changing to Rashi's words, by resolving difficulties in Rashi, and by pointing out inconsistencies in Rashi’s commentary.

·       To write an independent commentary on the Torah. Despite the fact that the Chizkuni utilizes many commentaries for the purposes of writing his work, there are more than a few original commentaries to be found in its lines, characterized mainly by his attempt to understand reality and the psychological motivations of the characters in each narrative.