Rashi (1040?-1105) Rabbi Solomon Itzchaki by Werner S. Hirsch

Rashi received his early education from his father and later, it is thought, he attended the yeshiva in Worms where he studied under the pupils of the renowned rabbi, Gershom Ben-Judah (Rabbeinu Gershom). From there he went to the yeshiva in Mainz, and at about the age of twenty-five he returned to Troyes. Being in the Province of Champagne he was employed, like most people, in the manufacture and sale of wine, and at the same time, probably acted as rabbi in Troyes. Historically, some of his legal decisions are interesting because they throw light on the times in which he lived as well as giving us an insight into the character of this great scholar.

The Jews and Christians in Troyes seemed to have gotten along well with one another and apparently French was the daily spoken language. In his writings, Rashi often translates difficult Hebrew terms into French, which he refers to as "our language" or as the "language of these people." Since Hebrew grammar was not yet being taught in the Jewish schools, Rashi often explains the meanings of difficult passages in terms of their grammatical structure.

He founded the yeshiva in Troyes in the year 1070, and he remained there until his death. He had no sons, but his three daughters each married scholars and some of their children became famous in their own right. The printed text of the Talmud is generally surrounded by three sets of commentaries: Rashi, the Kuntres Mainz, attributed to Rabbi Gershom, and Tosafot, the scholastic school of Rashi’s sons-in-law, grandchildren, and students. Later, Rashi’s grandson, Jacob ben Meir (Rabeinu) Tam, the head of the French school of Tosafists, wrote, "I could have duplicated my grandfather’s commentary on the Talmud, but I could not duplicate his commentary on the Torah." Rashi’s Torah commentary was the world’s first dated book printed in Hebrew. The first letter of Rashi’s Torah commentary is alef, the last letter of his commentary is taf (the first and last letters of the Hebrew alphabet). It is all-inclusive.

Rashi witnessed the first of the Crusades (1095-6) during which many of his relatives and friends were killed. It was a grim turning point in the history of European Jewry and ended their peaceful relations with their neighbors. Godfrey of Bouillon, one of the leaders of the First Crusade, incited his followers by convincing them that they would get atonement for their sins if they would convert or kill the European non-believers before marching on the Moslems in Jerusalem. Rashi advised his fellow Jews to treat these unwilling converts with kindness and understanding. None of the horror of the Crusades is reflected in Rashi's works, and it is truly amazing that he was able to accomplish so much during this troubled period.

There is a legend that Godfrey received an audience with the saintly Rashi and asked whether he would be successful on his mission. Rashi replied that he would be initially victorious but his forces would eventually be decimated and he would return with only three horses. Reacting as though this was some type of hex, the furious Godfrey swore that if he returned with even four horses he would destroy the Jewish community of Troyes. Godfrey returned with four of his horses remaining, which he guarded with his life. As he passed through the city wall of Troyes, a stone dislodged from the wall and struck one of the horses dead. Rashi's words came true.

By the time that the massacres of the Crusades ended, twelve thousand Jews were either murdered or had committed suicide rather than converting to Christianity. Hundreds of scholars were martyred and their books destroyed. A generation of Jewish learning was lost. By this time, Rashi had completed the consolidation of interpretations and homilies from the Midrash and Talmud from rare manuscripts into a single accessible volume. Had Rashi’s consolidation of these source material into his writings not have been completed, hundreds of years of work by thousands of Jewish scholars would have been erased. Rashi’s life's work was not just important, it was crucial to the continuation of Jewish existence.
REFERENCES:
1. Comay, Joan, Who's Who in Jewish History, David McKay Co., Inc., New York, 1974, p. 328.

2. Marcus, Jacob R., The Jew in the Medieval World: A Sourcebook, 315-1791, (New York: JPS, 1938), 301-303, as quoted by the Internet Medieval Source Book, http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/source/1105rashi.html (6-23-98).

3. WWW, The Kabbalah Center, at http://www.kabbalah.com/Magazine/rabbi4.htm (6-23-98).

4. WWW, Tour Of Jewish And World History, at http://www.jewishamerica.com/TimeLine/rashi.htm (6-24-98).