Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Email
Answers.com

Rashi

 
Biography: Rashi
Home > Library > Miscellaneous > Biographies

The Medieval scholar and commentator Rashi (1040-1105) wrote the greatest commentaries in Jewish exegeses on the Old Testament and the Talmud. His commentaries are still important in Jewish life.

Rashi was born Shelomoh Yitzhaki in Troyes, France. The name he is known by is an abbreviation of Rabbi Solomon bar Isaac. Rashi's father died when the boy was young, and his family's circumstances did not allow him to pursue his ambition of spending his life studying at Talmudic schools in Germany. After studies at Mainz and Worms, he returned to Troyes in 1065, when he was 25 years old. Forced by economic circumstances to manage his father's vineyards, Rashi limited his scholarly activities to reading and writing. In the next years he created his famous commentaries on the Old Testament (except for a few books) and on the Talmud. These exegeses were received and read with great attention, and Rashi's reputation was established by them.

After 1096 Rashi's commentaries became even more popular because during the zeal that surrounded the First Crusade rabbinic centers of learning in the Rhineland were destroyed, their teachers killed, and their students dispersed. Students gradually were attracted to Troyes, and Rashi then opened his own academy. It rapidly became one of the most important and celebrated rabbinic centers in Europe; simultaneously it became a rallying point for Ashkenazic Jewry and a center of Jewish scholarship.

Rashi then entered the high period of his achievement. He altered several rabbinic traditions of learning; he induced his students to commit many oral traditions to writing; he developed a personal style of exegesis; and he fostered many Jewish scholars who later spread across Europe. Rashi had no sons, but his three daughters married outstanding scholars. His students of special note included two sons-in-law, Rabbi Judah ben Nathan, commentator of the Talmud, and Rabbi Meir ben Semuel; his grandson Rabbi Semuel ben Meir, known as Rasbam, also a commentator; Rabbi Shemaiah, compiler of the Sefer ha-Pardes (The Book of Paradise); and Rabbi Simcha, compiler of the Mahzor Vitry.

Rashi's commentaries and tractates spread throughout Europe and the Near East after his death at Troyes on July 13, 1105. His commentary on the Talmud has been in universal use among Talmudic students and scholars since then. The text of the Talmud is usually printed side by side with Rashi's commentary and with the tosaphist additions dating from the two subsequent centuries. Rashi's commentary on the Pentateuch (printed 1475) has enjoyed a similar popularity. It has been the subject of numerous commentaries by both Jewish and Christian scholars. Nicholas of Lyra, whose work was one of Martin Luther's main sources in composing his Bible translation, used Rashi's commentary extensively. Rashi's school at Troyes produced custumals (collections and digests of customs and habits) and rabbinic tractates that maintained a wide influence among Jews of later generations.

Because of the wide range of Rashi's commentaries and the unique and personal character of his exegeses, he more than any other Jewish scholar has molded modern rabbinic commentary and interpretation of the Bible. He ranks as high as any ancient scholar as theologian, Bible commentator, and Talmudist.

Further Reading

An older study of Rashi is Maurice Liber, Rashi (trans. 1906). More recent studies include Samuel M. Blumenfield, Master of Troyes: A Study of Rashi, the Educator (1946), and Herman Halperin, Rashi and the Christian Scholars (1963). Harold Louis Ginsberg, ed., Rashi Anniversary Volume (1941), contains biographical material and commentary on Rashi. See also Meyer Waxman, A History of Jewish Literature, vol. 1 (1930; rev. ed. 1943).

Additional Sources

Pearl, Chaim, Rashi, New York: Grove Press, 1988.

Shereshevsky, Esra, Rashi, the man and his world, Northvale, N.J.: J. Aronson, 1996.

Shulman, Yaacov Dovid, Rashi: the story of Rabbi Shlomo Yitzchaki, New York: CIS Publishers, 1993.

Search unanswered questions...

Enter a question here...
Search: All sources Community Q&A Reference topics

Britannica Concise Encyclopedia: Rashi
Top
Home > Library > Miscellaneous > Britannica Concise Encyclopedia

(born 1040, Troyes, Champagne — died July 13, 1105, Troyes) Medieval French commentator on the Bible and the Talmud. He studied in the schools of Worms and Mainz and became a local Jewish leader in the valley of the Seine c. 1065. His influential writings on the Bible examined the literal meaning of the text and used allegory, parable, and symbolism to analyze its nonliteral meaning. His landmark commentary on the Talmud is a classic introduction to biblical and postbiblical Judaism.

For more information on Rashi, visit Britannica.com.

Encyclopedia of Judaism: Rashi
Top
Home > Library > Religion & Spirituality > Encyclopedia of Judaism

(acronym of Rabbi Shelomo Yitsḥaki; 1040-1105). The outstanding Jewish biblical and talmudic commentator. Rashi was born in Troyes, northern France, where for the greater part of his life conditions for the Jews were generally favorable.

At an early age, Rashi went to study in Worms; he then went to Mainz, the center of learning in Lorraine. His principal teachers were Jacob ben Yakar and Isaac ben Judah, the outstanding students of Rabbenu Gershom, Me'or ha-Golah.

After some years as a student in Mainz, Rashi returned to Troyes where he established his own academy; he also served as Dayyan (rabbinic judge) of the community. He earned his livelihood as a vintner.

Rashi had two daughters, Miriam and Jochebed, who married students of their father. His grandchildren were counted among the outstanding scholars of the next generation, the most famous being Samuel Ben Meir (Rashbam) and his brother Jacob (Tam).

The last years of his life were saddened by the events of the First Crusade of 1096. In their inflamed state of mind the Crusaders devastated the defenseless Jewish communities of the Rhineland. Rashi was particularly sensitive to the disasters which had befallen his own colleagues as well as the great centers of learning and their scholars. Certain of his comments on the Psalms and other biblical books appear to reflect his anguish over the fate of his people (see Rashi on Ps. 38:1, 38:18, 39:2-5, Isa. 53:9).

These tragic events may well have affected Rashi's health and towards the end of his life he became too weak to write. He dictated some Responsa to his grandsons and friends. But by this time his massive works on the Bible and Talmud were almost completed. He finished his commentary on the entire Bible, with the exception of the Book of Chronicles. His commentaries on certain tractates of the Talmud were completed by others. Tractate Bava Batra, from page 29a on, was completed by his grandson Samuel ben Meir.

In addition to his monumental commentaries on the Bible and Talmud, Rashi wrote a few liturgical poems and some 350 responsa in answer to questions on Jewish law addressed to him by Jews from all over Europe. The responsa reveal a great deal about Rashi's personality, particularly his kindliness, gentleness, and humility, as well as his rather liberal approach to matters of ritual.

Rashi's great reputation rests on his commentaries on the Bible and Talmud. His commentary on the Pentateuch, which was to become the standard text for every student from childhood on, was the first Hebrew book to be printed---in 1475, in Reggio, Italy. In his work on the Bible, Rashi set himself a clear aim: to give the plain meaning---Peshat---of the text. His style is clear and concise and his Hebrew simple. His personal familiarity with many everyday occupations such as that of the farmer, the artisan, and the merchant enables him to enliven his explanations with striking remarks illustrating the meaning of the text for his disciples. He often relies on the Aramaic Bible translation of Onkelos in order to pinpoint the literal meaning of a word. In addition, wherever he finds it helpful, Rashi gives the Old French equivalent of a difficult Hebrew word, in Hebrew transliteration. There are about 1,300 such words in Rashi's Bible commentary and 3,500 in the Talmud commentary. Known as la'azim (sing. la'az) "in foreign language," they are extremely valuable to students of Old French. In his search for accurate meaning, it was only natural that Rashi should also have investigated the grammar of Hebrew words and phrases. As a result, his commentary contains numerous notes which provide a valuable early contribution to the grammar of the Hebrew language.

The central feature of Rashi's methodology is the use of the twin methods of peshat and Derash. The former is the plain meaning; the latter is the attempt to find a deeper meaning in the text which can be drawn upon to illustrate a law or an ethical position. While Rashi's declared aim at the outset was to provide the peshat (see Rashi on Gen. 3:8, 4:8, 33:20), his commentaries are in fact rich in derash and the midrashic folklore thus introduced adds a new dimension to the interpretation, frequently helping to achieve a clearer understanding of the text (see Rashi on Gen. 3:8, 24:67, 25:21-26, 49:22). Although Rashi himself claims to introduce derash only when the peshat is difficult, he occasionally turns to the derash when there is no apparent reason to do so (see Rashi on Gen. 1:1, 26; Deut. 27:15ff). He understood that for many people the folklore of the Aggadah was more attractive than the dry peshat. One very important result of Rashi's extensive use of derash is that througg the ages his countless readers have been introduced into the world of rabbinic folklore, an area of Jewish literature with which they might otherwise have remained unfamiliar.

Rashi's influence extended well beyond the Jewish community. The Franciscan monk Nicholas de Lyra (1270-1340) read Rashi in the original and in his own Bible commentary frequently cites Rashi and acknowledges his indebtedness to him. In turn, Martin Luther borrowed heavily from De Lyra for his own translation of the Bible. Thus Rashi influenced the Bible translations of Reformation scholars.

In his commentary on the Talmud Rashi's method is more consistent, as his sole aim was to elucidate for his students the meaning of the text before them. A series of problems made Talmud study difficult: the question of the authenticity of the text at a time when copyists had produced variant readings; the difficult Aramaic language; the often obscure nature of the talmudic arguments. Rashi proved himself a sure guide in all these areas. Making a few emendations to Rabbenu Gershom's text, he produced what he believed to be the true text. His emendations were subsequently incorporated into all printed editions of the Talmud. His true genius is evident in his skill as an expositor of the text; he provided Talmud students with the most comprehensive and yet clearest explanations. Without his commentary the Talmud would long have remained a closed book. Modern-day students of the Talmud continue to make extensive use of the commentary, which has become an indispensable tool for comprehension.

Rashi's work on the Talmud was continued by a school of commentators known as the Tosafists (see Tosafot). Founded by Rashi's own grandchildren and disciples, the school continued for about 200 years. They added commentaries to the text and frequently expanded points in Rashi's own explanation. In all standard editions of the Talmud the comments of the Tosafists appear on the outside column of each page, opposite Rashi's commentary printed on the inside column.

 
Columbia Encyclopedia: Rashi
Top
Home > Library > Miscellaneous > Columbia Encyclopedia - People
Rashi (rä'shē), 1040-1105, Jewish exegete, grammarian, and legal authority, b. Troyes, France. The name he is known by is an acronym of Rabbi Solomon bar Isaac. He studied in Worms and Mainz, returning to Troyes c.1065. He taught and wrote commentaries to most of the Bible and Talmud. These, distinguished by great clarity, are among the most inclusive and authoritative in Jewish exegesis and are still important in Jewish life. Rashi's commentary on the Pentateuch (printed 1475) was the first dated Hebrew book published. His commentary on the Talmud covers the Mishna with the Gemara. His work influenced some Christian thinkers as early as the 12th cent.

Bibliography

See H. Hailperin, Rashi and His World (1957); M. Liber, Rashi (1906, repr. 1970); J. Gelles, Peshat and Derash in the Exegesis of Rashi (1981); E. Shereshevsky, Rashi (1983).

Wikipedia: Rashi
Top
Home > Library > Miscellaneous > Wikipedia
Shlomo Yitzhaki

16th-century depiction of Rashi
Born February 22, 1040(1040-02-22)
Troyes, France
Died July 13, 1105 (aged 65)
Troyes, France
Resting place Troyes
Nationality French
Religious beliefs Orthodox Judaism
For the astrological concept, see Rāshi (Jyotiṣa).

Shlomo Yitzhaki, better known by the acronym Rashi (Rabbi Shlomo Yitzhaki), (February 22, 1040 – July 13, 1105), was a medieval French rabbi famed as the author of the first comprehensive commentary on the Talmud, as well as a comprehensive commentary on the Tanakh (Hebrew Bible).

Acclaimed for his ability to present the basic meaning of the text in a concise yet lucid fashion, Rashi appeals to both learned scholars and beginning students, and his works remain a centerpiece of contemporary Jewish study. His commentary on the Talmud, which covers nearly all of the Babylonian Talmud (a total of 30 tractates), has been included in every edition of the Talmud since its first printing by Daniel Bomberg in the 1520s. His commentary on Tanakh — especially his commentary on the Chumash ("Five Books of Moses") — is an indispensable aid to students both young and old.

Rashi's surname Yitzhaki derives from his father's name, Yitzhak. The acronym is sometimes also fancifully expanded as Rabban Shel Israel (Teacher of Israel), or as Rabbenu SheYichyeh (Our Rabbi, may he live).

Contents

Biography

Birth and early life

Rashi was an only child born at Troyes, Champagne, in northern France. His mother's brother was Simon the Elder, Rabbi of Mainz.[1] On his father's side, Rashi has been claimed to be a 33rd-generation descendant of Yochanan Hasandlar, who was a fourth-generation descendant of Gamaliel the Elder, who was reputedly descended from the royal house of King David. In his voluminous writings, Rashi himself made no such claim at all. The main early rabbinical source about his ancestry, Responsum No. 29 by Solomon Luria, makes no such claim either.[2][3]

Legends

His fame later made him the subject of many legends. One tradition contends that his parents were childless for many years. Rashi's father, Yitzhak, a poor vintner, once found a precious jewel and was approached by non-Jews who wished to buy it to adorn their idol. Yitzhak agreed to travel with them to their land, but en route, he cast the gem into the sea. Afterwards he was visited by either a Bath Kol (Heavenly voice) or the prophet Elijah, who told him that he would be rewarded with the birth of a noble son “who would illuminate the world with his Torah knowledge.”

Legend also states that the couple moved to Worms while Rashi's mother was expecting. As she walked down one of the narrow streets in the Jewish quarter, she was imperiled by two oncoming carriages. She turned and pressed herself against a wall, which opened to receive her. This miraculous niche is still visible in the wall of the Rashi Shul.[4]

Yeshiva studies

Rashi Synagogue, Worms

According to tradition, Rashi was first brought to learn Torah by his father on Shavuot day at the age of five. His father was his main Torah teacher until his death when Rashi was still a youth. At the age of 17 he married and soon after went to learn in the yeshiva of Rabbi Yaakov ben Yakar in Worms, returning to his wife three times yearly, for the Days of Awe, Passover and Shavuot. When Rabbi Yaakov died in 1064, Rashi continued learning in Worms for another year in the yeshiva of his relative, Rabbi Isaac ben Eliezer Halevi, who was also chief rabbi of Worms. Then he moved to Mainz, where he studied under another of his relatives, Rabbi Isaac ben Judah, the rabbinic head of Mainz and one of the leading sages of the Lorraine region straddling France and Germany.

Rashi's teachers were students of Rabbeinu Gershom and Rabbi Eliezer Hagadol, leading Talmudists of the previous generation. From his teachers, Rashi imbibed the oral traditions pertaining to the Talmud as they had been passed down for centuries, as well as an understanding of the Talmud's unique logic and form of argument. Rashi took concise, copious notes from what he learned in yeshiva, incorporating this material in his commentaries.

Rosh yeshiva

He returned to Troyes at the age of 25, after which time his mother died, and he was asked to join the Troyes Beth din (rabbinical court). He also began answering halakhic questions. Upon the death of the head of the Beth din, Rabbi Zerach ben Abraham, Rashi assumed the court's leadership and answered hundreds of halakhic queries.

Exterior of Rashi's Synagogue, Worms

In around 1070 he founded a yeshiva which attracted many disciples. It is thought by some that Rashi earned his living as a vintner since Rashi shows an extensive knowledge of its utensils and process, but there is no evidence for this.[5] Although there are many legends about his travels, Rashi likely never went further than from the Seine to the Rhine; the utmost limit of his travels were the yeshivas of Lorraine.

In 1096, the People's Crusade swept through the Lorraine, murdering 12,000 Jews and uprooting whole communities. Among those murdered in Worms were the three sons of Rabbi Isaac ben Eliezer Halevi, Rashi's teacher. Rashi wrote several Selichot (penitential poems) mourning the slaughter and the destruction of the region's great yeshivot. Seven of Rashi's Selichot still exist, including Adonai Elohei Hatz'vaot", which is recited on the eve of Rosh Hashanah, and Az Terem Nimtehu, which is recited on the Fast of Gedalia.

Death and burial site

Rashi died on July 13, 1105 (Tammuz 29, 4865) aged 65. He was buried in Troyes. The approximate location of the cemetery in which he was buried was recorded in Seder Hadoros, but over time the location of the cemetery was forgotten. A number of years ago, a Sorbonne professor discovered an ancient map depicting the site of the cemetery, which now lay under an open square in the city of Troyes. After this discovery, French Jews erected a large monument in the center of the square—a large, black and white globe featuring a prominent Hebrew letter, Shin (ש) (presumably for "Shlomo", Rashi's name). The granite base of the monument is engraved: Rabbi Shlomo Yitzchaki — Commentator and Guide.

In 2005, Yisroel Meir Gabbai erected an additional plaque at this site marking the square as a burial ground. The plaque reads: "The place you are standing on is the cemetery of the town of Troyes. Many Rishonim are buried here, among them Rabbi Shlomo, known as Rashi the holy, may his merit protect us".[6]

Descendants

Main article: Rashi's daughters

Rashi had no sons, but his three daughters, Yocheved, Miriam and Rachel, all married Talmudic scholars. Legends exist that Rashi's daughters put on tefillin. While some women in medieval Ashkenaz did wear tefillin, there is no evidence that Rashi's daughters did so.[7]

Yocheved married Meir ben Shmuel; their four sons were: Shmuel (Rashbam) (b. 1080), Yitzchak (Rivam) (b. 1090), Jacob (Rabbeinu Tam) (b. 1100), and Shlomo the Grammarian, who were among the most prolific of the Baalei Tosafos, leading rabbinic authorities who wrote critical and explanatory glosses on the Talmud which appear opposite Rashi's commentary on every page of the Talmud. Yocheved's daughter, Chanah, was a teacher of laws and customs relevant to women. Rashi's second daughter Miriam married Judah ben Nathan; their daughter, Alvina, was a learned woman whose customs served as the basis for later halakhic decisions. Their son Yom Tov later moved to Paris and headed a yeshiva there, along with his brothers Shimson and Eliezer. Rashi's youngest daughter, Rachel, married (and divorced) Eliezer ben Shemiah.

Works

Commentary on the Tanakh

A modern translation of Rashi's commentary on the Chumash, published by Artscroll

Rashi's commentary on the Tanakh — and especially his commentary on the Chumash — is the essential companion for any study at any level, beginning, intermediate and advanced. Drawing on the breadth of Midrashic, Talmudic and Aggadic literature (including literature that is no longer extant), as well as his knowledge of grammar, halakhah, and how things work, Rashi clarifies the "simple" meaning of the text so that a bright child of five could understand it.[8] At the same time, his commentary forms the foundation for some of the most profound legal analysis and mystical discourses that came after it. Scholars debate why Rashi chose a particular Midrash to illustrate a point, or why he used certain words and phrases and not others. Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi wrote that “Rashi’s commentary on Torah is the ‘wine of Torah’. It opens the heart and uncovers one’s essential love and fear of G-d."[9]

Scholars believe that Rashi's commentary on the Torah grew out of the lectures he gave to his students in his yeshiva, and evolved with the questions and answers they raised on it. Rashi only completed this commentary in the last years of his life. It was immediately accepted as authoritative by all Jewish communities, Ashkenazi and Sephardi alike.

The first dated Hebrew printed book was Rashi's commentary on the Chumash, printed by Abraham ben Garton in Reggio di Calabria, Italy, 18 February 1475. (This version did not include the text of the Chumash itself.)

Rashi wrote commentaries on all the books of Tanakh except Chronicles I & II. Scholars believe that the commentary which appears under Rashi's name in those books was compiled by the students of Rabbi Saadiah of the Rhine, who incorporated material from Rashi's yeshiva. Rashi's students, Rabbi Shemaya and Rabbi Yosef, edited the final commentary on the Torah; some of their own notes and additions also made their way into the version we have today.

Today, tens of thousands of men, women and children study "Chumash with Rashi" as they review the Torah portion to be read in synagogue on the upcoming Shabbat. According to halakha, a man may even study the Rashi on each Torah verse in fulfillment of the requirement to review the Parsha twice with Targum (which normally refers to Targum Onkelos) This practice is called in Hebrew: "Shnaim Mikrah V'echad Targum". Since its publication, Rashi's commentary on the Torah is standard in almost all Chumashim produced within the Orthodox Jewish community.

Commentary on the Talmud

An early printing of the Talmud (Ta'anit 9b); Rashi's commentary is at the bottom of the right column, continuing for a few lines into the left column.

Rashi wrote the first comprehensive commentary on the Talmud. Rashi's commentary, drawing on his knowledge of the entire contents of the Talmud, attempts to provide a full explanation of the words and of the logical structure of each Talmudic passage. Unlike other commentators, Rashi does not paraphrase or exclude any part of the text, but elucidates phrase by phrase. Often he provides punctuation in the unpunctuated text, explaining, for example, "This is a question"; "He says this in surprise," "He repeats this in agreement," etc.

As in his commentary on the Tanakh, Rashi frequently illustrates the meaning of the text using analogies to the professions, crafts, and sports of his day. He also translates difficult Hebrew or Aramaic words into the spoken French language of his day, giving latter-day scholars a window into the vocabulary and pronunciation of Old French.

Rashi exerted a decisive influence on establishing the correct text of the Talmud. Up to and including his age, texts of each Talmudic tractate were copied by hand and circulated in yeshivas. Errors often crept in: sometimes a copyist would switch words around, and other times incorporate a student's marginal notes into the main text. Because of the large number of merchant-scholars who came from throughout the Jewish world to attend the great fairs in Troyes, Rashi was able to compare different manuscripts and readings in Tosefta, Jerusalem Talmud, Midrash, Targum, and the writings of the Geonim, and determine which readings should be preferred. However, in his humility, he deferred to scholars who disagreed with him. For example, in Chulin 4a, he comments about a phrase, "We do not read this. But as for those who do, this is the explanation…"

Rashi's commentary, which covers nearly all of the Babylonian Talmud (a total of 30 tractates), has been included in every version of the Talmud since its first printing in the fifteenth century. It is always situated towards the middle of the opened book display; i.e., on the side of the page closest to the binding.

Some of the other printed commentaries which are attributed to Rashi were composed by others, primarily his students. In some commentaries, the text indicates that Rashi died before completing the tractate, and that it was completed by a student. This is true of the tractate Makkot, the concluding portions of which were composed by his son-in-law, Rabbi Judah ben Nathan, and of the tractate Bava Batra, finished (in a more detailed style) by his grandson, the Rashbam. There is a legend that the commentary on Nedarim, which is clearly not his, was actually composed by his daughters.

Responsa

About 300 of Rashi's responsa and halakhic decisions are extant. These responsa were copied and preserved by his students. Siddur Rashi, compiled by an unknown student, also contains Rashi's responsa on prayer. Other compilations include Sefer Hapardes, edited by Rabbi Shemayah, Rashi's student, and Sefer Haoraah, prepared by Rabbi Nathan Hamachiri.

Legacy

Raschihaus, Jewish Museum, Worms, Germany.

Rashi's commentary on the Talmud continues to be a key basis for contemporary rabbinic scholarship and interpretation. Without Rashi's commentary, the Talmud would have remained a closed book. With it, any student who has been introduced to its study by a teacher can continue learning on his own, deciphering its language and meaning with the aid of Rashi.

The Schottenstein Edition interlinear translation of the Talmud bases its English-language commentary primarily on Rashi, and describes his continuing importance as follows:

It has been our policy throughout the Schottenstein Edition of the Talmud to give Rashi's interpretation as the primary explanation of the Gemara. Since it is not possible in a work of this nature to do justice to all of the Rishonim, we have chosen to follow the commentary most learned by people, and the one studied first by virtually all Torah scholars. In this we have followed the ways of our teachers and the Torah masters of the last nine hundred years, who have assigned a pride of place to Rashi's commentary and made it a point of departure for all other commentaries.[10]

In 2006, the Jewish National and University Library at Hebrew University put on an exhibit commemorating the 900th anniversary of Rashi's death (2005), showcasing rare items from the library collection written by Rashi, as well as various works by others concerning Rashi.

Supercommentaries

Voluminous supercommentaries have been published on Rashi's commentaries on the Bible and Talmud, including Gur Aryeh by Rabbi Judah Loew (the Maharal), Sefer ha-Mizrachi by Rabbi Elijah Mizrachi (the Re'em), and Yeri'ot Shlomo by Rabbi Solomon Luria (the Maharshal). Almost all rabbinic literature published since the Middle Ages discusses Rashi, either using his view as supporting evidence or debating against it.

Rashi's explanations of the Chumash were also cited extensively in Postillae Perpetuae by Nicholas de Lyra (1292-1340), a French Franciscan, earning that author the name Simius Solomonis ("the ape of Solomon (Shlomo)"). De Lyra's book was consulted in preparing the important early (1611) English translation of the Bible (the King James version).[citation needed]

Of note in recent times is Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson's "novel interpretation" of Rashi's commentary, which was delivered in a series of public talks that began in 1964 and continued for over 25 years.[11] These talks are printed mostly in Likkutei Sichos, and compiled in Hebrew in the 5 volume set of Biurim LePirush Rashi. Schneerson formulated many basic principles for use in interpretation of Rashi's commentary.[12]

"Rashi script"

The complete Hebrew alphabet in Rashi script [right to left].
Main article: Rashi script

The semi-cursive typeface in which Rashi's commentaries are printed both in the Talmud and Tanakh is often referred to as "Rashi script." This does not mean that Rashi himself used such a script: the typeface is based on a 15th century Sephardic semi-cursive hand. What would be called "Rashi script" was employed by early Hebrew typographers such as the Soncino family and Daniel Bomberg, a Christian printer in Venice, in their editions of commented texts (such as the Mikraot Gedolot and the Talmud, in which Rashi's commentaries prominently figure) to distinguish the rabbinic commentary from the primary text proper, for which a square typeface was used.

References

  1. ^ "Index to Articles on Rabbinic Genealogy in Avotaynu: The International Review of Jewish Genealogy". Avotaynu: The International Review of Jewish Genealogy. http://www.jewishgen.org/rabbinic/infofiles/avotaynu.htm. Retrieved 2008-06-11. 
  2. ^ Hurwitz, Simon (1938). The Responsa of Solomon Luria. New York, New York. pp. 146–151. 
  3. ^ Einsiedler, David (1992). "Can We Prove Descent from King David?". Avotaynu: The International Review of Jewish Genealogy VIII (3(Fall)): 29. http://www.jewishgen.org/Rabbinic/journal/descent.htm. Retrieved 2008-06-11. 
  4. ^ Liber, Maurice. Rashi, Kessinger Publishing, 2004. pg. 18-19. ISBN 1419143964
  5. ^ Mayer I. Gruber. How Did Rashi Make a Living?. http://seforim.blogspot.com/2007/08/mayer-i-gruber-how-did-rashi-make.html. 
  6. ^ Y. Friedman (2005-07-25). "The Discovery of the Resting Places of Rashi and the Baalei Hatosfos". Dei'ah Vedibur. http://chareidi.shemayisrael.com/archives5765/mattos/MTS65features.htm. 
  7. ^ Grossman, Avraham. Pious and Rebellious: Jewish Women in Medieval Europe. Brandeis University Press, 2004.)
  8. ^ Mordechai Menashe Laufer. "רבן של ישראל (Hebrew)". http://www.chabad.org.il/Magazines/Article.asp?ArticleID=3822&CategoryID=957. 
  9. ^ Rashi's Method of Biblical Commentary
  10. ^ The Schottenstein Edition of the Talmud:Talmud Bavli:Tractate Nedarim. Mesorah Publications Limited, 2000 (General Introduction, unpaginated). (Note: The Schottenstein Edition editors explained further that they chose Ran's commentary for Tractate Nedarim as an exception, based on a belief that the commentary attributed to Rashi for this tractate was not written by Rashi)
  11. ^ Chaim Miller, Rashi's Method of Biblical Commentary, Chabad.org
  12. ^ Klalei Rashi - The Principles of Rashi

External links

Search Wikiquote Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Rashi

References

Resources


This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)

 
 

 

Copyrights:

Biography. © 2006 through a partnership of Answers Corporation. All rights reserved.  Read more
Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. © 2006 Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. All rights reserved.  Read more
Encyclopedia of Judaism. The New Encyclopedia of Judaism. Copyright © 1989, 2002 by G.G. The Jerusalem Publishing House, Ltd. All rights reserved.  Read more
Columbia Encyclopedia. The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition Copyright © 2003, Columbia University Press. Licensed from Columbia University Press. All rights reserved. www.cc.columbia.edu/cu/cup/.  Read more
Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Rashi".  Read more