Rachi

Solomon Ben Isaac ( Rabbi Chlomo Ben Yts' hak ) more known by its Acrostiche Rachi (Troyes approx. 1040 - approx. 1105) is so much a commentator Jewish crowned texts of the written tradition (Bible i.e.: Pentateuque, Prophètes, Hagiographes) that oral tradition (Talmud).

Its life

One knows few things as for the biography of Rachi, and the sure and proven elements from a historical point of view are rare. Rachi could result from a famous rabbinical line considered to go up to the king David.

Indeed, it could be downward by his mother of the Rav Elyakim, itself killing to the 31e generation from Rabbi Yohanan the sandal maker, a Tanna often quoted in the Talmud, which is itself back-back-small-wire of Rabban Gamliel Old the (wire of Rabbi Shimon, wire of Hillel the Old one), famous of davidic line.

His/her father died in " saint" (i.e. while refusing to abjure its faith). Rachi quotes it some times like " my Master " , and it could have studied a few years with him.

The first comment of Rachi on the Pentateuque opens on the words " Amar Rabbi Itzhak" (Rabbi Itzhak said). However, it is not a question of a teaching of the father of Rachi but of a Midrash resulting from the collection Tanhouma Yashan.

His/her maternal uncle, Rav Shimon the Old one, studied a long time near Rabbenou Guershom of Mainz, called meor Hagola (light of the exile).

Child, Rachi is surely characterized by his extraordinary memory, and passes for a Master achieved to 20 years. He leaves to study in the talmudic schools Rhenish near the Rav Yaakov Ben R' Yakar (" my old Master ") with Mainz then, died of this one, near the Rav Yts' hak Ben Eléazar Halévi with Worms.

Returned with Troyes, it founds in its turn a talmudic school which quickly attracts pupils of all Europe. In spite of its fame, he refuses to benefit from his load of Rabbin and earns his living like Vigneron, as he shows through in one of his Responsa, where he excuses his brevity, being taken by the Vendange S.

Having lived one century before " the autre" giant, Maïmonide, its fame was at least also large. Rachi exceeded it even in popularity: indeed, beside trusting Andalusian being expressed with the elite, Rachi was simple and very modest, refusing to arbitrate the cases which did not concern its community, admitting its ignorance, as well in its Responsa as in its comments (cf will infra). In addition, and it is rare, Rachi is with the range of the beginner like scholar. Rachi having had only girls, it taught her knowledge to them, which indicated of an exceptional open-minded to the Moyen-âge. It them Maria with her best pupils, who took again, with their children, the torch of the transmission and the comment.

Miriam, his/her oldest daughter, married R' Yehoudah Ben Nathan (Rivan), which had the honor to complete the comment of the treated talmudic “Makkot” on which Rachi with its death worked.

Yocheved married Meir Ben Samuel, and gave rise to many children, including three famous commentators who left their trace in the history: the Rachbam, Rabbénou Tam and the Rivam. Their Hanna daughter wrote a responsa on the laws of the lighting of the candles with Shabbat.

Rachel (Belleassez) married and divorced R' Eliezer Ben Shemiah.

The end of its life was poisoned by the Croisades and the massacres of the Jewish communities which accompanied them. Rachi, protected from the count de Champagne, was with the shelter, but not a day did not occur without he hearing a bad news emanating of his dear Rhenish communities.

The comment of Rachi

The little story wants that Rachi had the idea of its comment by intending in a Synagog a father to be mistaken by giving to his/her son the explanation in the simple direction in a Verset (pshat).

Rachi thus had the idea to join together in a comment all the answers to the questions which a five year old child could put while remaining as concise as possible (" a drop of ink is worth gold "). He wants, by respecting grammar, turning of sentence and syntax, to find the explanation simplest of the verse.

Indeed, if the Torah were always commented on, one concentrated up to that point that on the drash of the verses: when a difficulty arises, that it is in the textual or contextual comprehension of the section read, the Masters tend to give indirect answers. That they are allegorical, poetic, political, philosophical, even mystical, they often extract a verse from its context and denature somewhat it. Thus, it is famous " lily not banaïkh (your sons) but " bonaïkh" (your builders) " . Very exact that are these remarks, it is not there the intention of the verse.

By commenting on the Tanakh and the Talmud, Rachi wishes neither to launch out in erudite discussions, neither to discuss philosophical or theological questions difficult, but to only return, with the direction to restore, its people the means of including/understanding these texts written in a too ancient language, speaking about too high things, basing too old concepts, and on which they must however base in an essential way to continue to perpetuate the traditions of people which, if it cannot in no case to add nor to cut off anything with the letter, must conform to it in a world in perpetual change.

With this intention, it has retransmis the opinions of Old, the Masters of the prophetic tradition, then rabbinical, by selecting in the immense compilation of Midrash im that which seems to correspond best to the simple Sens of the text. He seeks before all the clearness of thought, and the clearness of style, not hesitating to resort to the language of oil, the vernacular language of France of the North of the 11th century (announced by " bela' az "), or to seek the comparison with a lived anecdote with Troyes ((which is a commercial town, international exhibitions are held to with it several times per annum) in order to simplify even more the explanation suggested.

It is important to note that this research of the concision, as well in the form as in the content of the formulation, is a typically French value, which will not fail to point out Emmanuel Levinas or Leon Ashkénasi.

Endowed with an encyclopedic memory and a knowledge, he manages to reconstitute by his only intuition the provision of the Gate vault. He underlines the known but erroneous explanations; he illustrates sometimes by midrashim. Exceptionally, it tackles questions of grammar, orthography or Cantilation when that makes it possible to light the simple Sens verses.

Rachi seldom discusses items of Théologie. Nevertheless, let us quote its comment on the Psalms 49:11 (“ They however notice that the wise ones die (yamoutou), just like perish (yovedou) the insane one and the stupid one, by leaving their goods to others. ”), where Rachi explains the difference in term between these two concepts, however similar at first sight, of the kind: “mita” applies to the wise one, whose only body dies, while “aveda” is for the insane one or the stupid one, of which the not only body, but also the heart disappears.

One can as note as Rachi does not hesitate to say " I do not know pas" and that at the time of a doubt, it pays the various possible explanations is by stressing that the opinions are shared or that they correspond to several reading levels.

Although its work was colossal (it is told that he wrote also 7 books of medicine, which unfortunately did not arrive to us), he revised it with three recoveries, and according to its grandson, Rachbam, was on the point of remaking it.

Rashi frequently employed in its comments the four directions: Pshat , remez , Drash , sod (see judaïque Origine of the four directions of the Writing and Hebrew Calendrier).

Its success

Rachi was not the first commentator, but it was all the same the Parshandata , the father of the comment.

Its comments are regarded as having been written under the influence of a divine inspiration and it is said that the Talmud without the comment would be as a sealed book. One can also stress his importance by the fact that it was the first Jewish book with being printed in Hebrew (Calabria 1475). Its comment published in margin of the text was printed with cursive an italic which would not be long in being known under the name of writing Rachi , although itself probably never used it.

Not less than 134 comments on his were listed, without exhausting the subject! " What says Rachi? " " Which is the question which Rachi raised? " " Why Rachi did it choose this midrash? " " What obstructs it? " are as many manners of renewing the range of it.

It was even read by Chrétiens theologists, of which Nicolas of the Quadrant which would inspire Martin Luther later.

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