Rashi << RAH shee >> (1040-1105), was a French Jewish scholar whose commentaries on the Bible and the Talmud are among the most influential in Judaism. The Talmud is a collection of Jewish religious and civil laws.
Rashi’s commentaries are recognized for their clarity and brevity. He had the ability to make the most complicated texts understandable to nonscholars. Rashi provided meanings for difficult words and phrases and also explored the inner meanings of the texts, such as their ethical and mystical elements.
Rashi’s commentaries remain a cornerstone of Jewish study. They have themselves been the subject of hundreds of commentaries, many of which were written by French and German scholars from the 1100’s through the 1300’s. These scholars were called tosafists, from the Hebrew word tosafot, meaning addition or supplement.
Rashi was born as Shlomo Yitzhaqi (Solomon, son of Isaac) in Troyes, France, in 1040. The name Rashi comes from the Hebrew acronym for Rabbi Shlomo Yitzhaqi. Little is known of his early years. After studying in Troyes, Rashi became a traveling scholar, studying and teaching in Worms, Germany, for several years. He eventually returned to Troyes, where he established a religious academy. Rashi also wrote hymns and responsa, which are responses to religious questions submitted to him by individuals or Jewish communities. In 1475, Rashi’s commentary on the Pentateuch (the first five books of the Bible) became the first Hebrew book to be printed. Rashi died on July 13, 1105.
