We can see Jewish history on every page of the Chumash Mikra’os Gedolos, the Hebrew text of the Torah with its classical commentaries. The Torah was written down by Moshe Rabbeinu in the Sinai wilderness. The Targum was compiled by Onkelos in Eretz Yisrael shortly after the destruction of the Second Temple. In the Middle Ages, Rashi and Rashbam wrote Torah commentaries in France, while Ibn Ezra, Ramban, and the Ba’al HaTurim wrote in Spain. Later, the Sforno wrote in Italy, the Kli Yakar in Prague, and the Ohr HaChaim in Morocco and Yerushalayim.

What is the purpose of the blank margin around the text? That is for later generations to fill in – to add their own insights based on the foundation provided by Chazal and the Commentaries. Patterns in Genesis and Beyond, recently written and published by Baltimore native Rabbi David Sykes makes a significant contribution towards filling in those margins.