![]() His goal was to clarify the texts of the Torah, without scholastics, so that people would be able to study them properly. ![]() His books were not surrounded by controversy. ![]() The predominant theme of Rashi’s life and teachings was simplicity. So, after 900 years, the question has only become stronger: How did Rashi achieve such extraordinary success? And what can we learn from Rashi’s approach in our daily lives? On Rashi’s commentary to the Torah alone there are over 300 published works of “super-commentary” re-evaluating his words, again and again, and his Talmudic commentaries have prompted even more widespread analysis and debate. The Spanish exegetes, among them Avraham ibn Ezra and Nachmanides, and Talmudists such as Zerahiah Gerondi, recognized his authority (although they frequently disputed his opinions).Ī further testament to Rashi’s success is that his commentary on the Torah was the first printed Hebrew book (in Reggio, 1475), and since then, virtually all Hebrew Bibles have been printed with Rashi’s commentary.Īnd if the merit of a work is proportionate to the activity which it evokes and the literature to which it gives rise, few books can surpass those of Rashi. Shortly after his passing he was known not only in Provence, but in Spain and even in the East. 21:17).Įven in Rashi’s own lifetime, his fame spread beyond the boundaries of northern France and the German provinces of the Rhine. He has thus become the undisputed father of all commentators, as Nachmanides wrote, “He has the firstborn right” (after Deut. Rashi’s commentaries have gained such an authority that they have become inseparable from the text - one does not learn Torah, but Torah with Rashi. Yet 900 years after his passing, Jews of all ages and persuasions still seek their weekly guidance and inspiration from Rashi’s commentary to the Torah and Rashi remains the primary exponent of the Talmud, the core of Judaism’s vast intellectual heritage. Unlike Moses, Rashi did not receive the Torah from G‑d at Sinai, nor was Rashi revered as a prophet. While the Jewish people may be scattered over the globe, immersed in a variety of different modern cultures, one thing that has not changed is their unfaltering dedication to the teachings of Rashi - an acronym for Rabbi Shlomo Yitzchaki, French scholar of 11th century France. Plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose - The more things change, the more they stay the same.
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