The Denver Jewish news., 1923-06-28
Rashi {,v,)
Continued from last week.
By LEO R. COIN

for Jewish unity, and was bitter IN
his denounciation of those who TO
mented trouble and sowed the seed
Of discord, especially In home life
Rashi was very modest indeed. A
Jewish community somewhere In Bur
gundy was divided on u certain ques-
tion, and they invited him to straighten
matters out for them. In his reply he
starts out by saying, what am / that
l should consider myself an authority
and intervene in the internal affairs of
a distant and strange communityy'
He was profund scholar with a
penetrating mind, and was gifted with
a power of concentration and won
derful memory. He constantly drew
on the great store of knowledge which
he acquired of the Bible and the Tai
mud, memorizing it to the minutest
detail, and in all his citations scarce
ly making a mistake. His zeal for
study and learning was almost super
human. He went thru much suffering
and privations, as he writes of
himself, that at times he went without
nourishment and without proper rain
ment.
As dutiful son, he took every oc-
casion to pay homage to his father by
quoting him in his commentary even
in the very opening paragraph Of the
Book OF Genesis.
hAyr DnS 81, "a q
the pre-eminent authority on matters
pertaining to Rabbinic tradition and
love. The value Of Rashi's com
mentaries can be well illustrated by
century, not understanding the Talmud,
because of n lack of proper explana-
ton. rejected it entirely and the result
was that the then sO-called Jewish re-
formers passed out of existence. BY n
mastery stroke Rashl combined all
the conglomeration of shades and an
giles of thought and produced beau
tiful, harmonious picture. There are
today over fifty sub-commentaries ON
the Commentary of Rashi. Dorm
steter wrote, suppress the commen-
tary of -Rashi. that master work of
precision and ciearness, and even for
n trained Talmudist the Talmud be-
comes almost eniginatical."
Rashi. the commentator, is n Web
ster and Blackstone combined. Like
webster's Dictionary, the school hoy
as well as the greatest of statesmen,
must come to him to find definition Of
words. So is Rashi's commentary.
The small boy who begins the study
Of the Bible. as well us the most learn
ed Rabbi, are obliged to turn to Rashi
to find the definition and meaning Of
the Bible and Talmud. To write like
Rashi has become n proverbial express
sion to write clearly and concisely. He
had the marvellous capacity Of unravel-
ing difficulties and illuminating OBJ
scurities, and his purpose was, to de-
fine, explain, and comment, to make
clear and reconcile contradictions, to
throw light on subjects which appeared
dim and dark. le-
Like Blackstone the great expositor
of English law. Rashi's definitions on
Talmudic law are accepted as authori-
tative.
Rashi and Blackstone divided the
rules of conduct or action. in two
branches. The law of God and the
law of man, and that no law of mn
is valid unless 1t conforms to the law
Of God.
As an Illustration of Rashi's broad
views in his explanation and interpre-
tation of the Bible we can take as an
example the very first paragraph of
the first book Of the Bible, the Book
Of Genesis, the English translation
reads as follows SIN the beginning God
created the heavens and the earth"
The literal Hebrew translation for the
English phrase, .in the beginning" Is.
n,vN7, meaning, "at the first"
Says Rashi, the first paragraph of
Genesis. is not intended as descrip-
tion of creation in chronological or
der. for says he, the second paragraph
icllS US iiiht NatCi cAlSiti anu
that it seemingly preceded the Creation
of the heavens and earth, and so in his
commentary he tells us to read it thus,
AT first when God created the heavens
and the earth, the earth was without
form and void, and darkness was on
the face of the deep" with this inter
probation he tries to convey the idea
that the first chapter of Genesis does
not so much concern itself with the or
der of creation. but to emphasize that
the earth was for time in chaotic
or formless state.
To sum up the value of Rashi's com
mentary l can find no word more fit
ting than "A paragraph in the book of
Jeremiah
,sp v1> N5 7vN ~ c,nn ,no n,