The earliest manuscripts that we have are from the second quarter of the 13th century. Also, Rashi himself made changes in his commentary, so multiple versions already existed in his lifetime. Rashi rarely cited the Jerusalem Talmud. It seems that Rashi had only selections of the Jerusalem Talmud available to him. Rashi never cites R. Ibn Ezra is obviously exaggerating in his criticism. Eventually we are all taught that what motivated Rashi to make a comment in his biblical commentaries was that he saw a question.
I think I was first taught this late in elementary school. At the time, we all used those blue linear translations of Rashi into English. It just translated, giving us the misleading impression that Rashi was just writing without a question. Ok, I should not criticize them. It was probably hard enough to do an accurate linear translation into English, without getting into any analysis. That could be left to the next generation of works of Rashi in English, which has amply fulfilled this task.
Grossman points out that many times, Rashi saw a question where most would see no question. These include the belief that he was a descendant of King David, a claim that neither Rashi nor the earliest sources on his ancestry made. What is known is that he was an only child, and that his father, Yitzhak whom he mentions only once in his writings , was his first teacher.
Rashi studied at the yeshivot in Mainz and in Worms before returning to Troyes to become the head of the community there, and of his own yeshiva. When the First Crusade passed through his region in , the three sons of his teacher Isaac ben Eliezer Halevi, in Worms, were killed, but Rashi himself survived. He wrote several selihot penitential poems mourning the destruction caused by the campaign. It is also known that he owned a vineyard, though there is no historical support for the popular belief that he was a winemaker.
Rashi had three daughters — Miriam, Yocheved and Rachel -- each of whom married a Torah scholar. It is assumed in traditional circles that when you read the Tanakh, you also read Rashi. The Talmud was written in legalese: terse, unexplained language with no punctuation. Rashi provided a simple explanation of all Gemara discussions. He explained all the terse phrases; he explained the principles and concepts assumed by the sages who put together the Gemara.
His simple, brief explanations for practically every phrase of the Gemara made the Talmud understandable to the non-scholar. Their complicated and sometimes convoluted commentaries were called Tosafot Additions. The scholars who created these additions were called the Tosafists Those Who Added. Rashi had no sons, but his three daughters, Yocheved, Miriam and Rachel, all married Talmudic scholars. He died on July 13, Tammuz 29, at the age of 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 Sorbonne professor discovered an ancient map depicting the site of the cemetery, which now lay under an open square in the city of Troyes.
In , Yisroel Meir Gabbai erected an additional plaque at this site marking the square as a burial ground. Many Rishonim are buried here, among them Rabbi Shlomo, known as Rashi the holy, may his merit protect us. Download our mobile app for on-the-go access to the Jewish Virtual Library. His commentaries on the Bible have become a foundational element of Jewish education to this day; they are often taught side by side with the Torah when students begin learning in yeshivas and Jewish day schools.
In addition to his commentaries, Rashi also produced responsa on a range of Jewish legal questions as well as writing devotional poetry. He collects, distills and weaves in classical rabbinic interpretations, while adding his own perspectives.
Because his language is clear and concise, his work is often characterized as intended for the masses. However, his conciseness assumes that the reader has some foundational knowledge and that he therefore did not have to explain everything in detail.
Rashi is known for his clarity of style, his conciseness, and his ability to shed light on obscure ideas.
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