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Сила Теилим

29 Tammuz · Yahrzeit

Yahrzeit/Hillula of Rabbi Shlomo Yitzchaki - Rashi

Rashi - Rabbi Shlomo Yitzchaki was born in 4800 (1040) in the city of Troyes in northern France. The first letters of his name form the acronym Rashi, known to Jews the world over.
Yahrzeit - 29 Tammuz
Resting place - Troyes (exact location unknown)
Rashi was a descendant of Rabbi Yochanan HaSandlar (they share the same yahrzeit - 29 Tammuz) in the 33rd generation.
There are many legends about Rashi's parents and early years. According to one of them, Rabbi Shlomo's father preferred to throw a precious gem he owned into the sea rather than give it to Christians who wanted to adorn an icon with it. As a reward for this, a heavenly voice promised him the birth of a son who would become renowned throughout the world for his wisdom. A year later, when Rashi's mother felt labor approaching while walking in the street, she leaned against a wall; the wall parted and formed a niche that sheltered her. However, the actual facts about Rashi's parents are scarce. Rashi began studying in his native city, and later went to study in the yeshivot of Worms and Mainz.
After some time, Rashi began to teach while continuing to intensively study Torah. Teaching was not a source of livelihood for Rashi: he earned his living through winemaking. Around 1070, Rabbi Shlomo founded a yeshiva in Troyes, which soon became the most popular in northern France and Germany. Students from many European countries flocked to the yeshiva Rashi established.
Rashi's family had three daughters, all of whom later married their father's best students. In the family of his son-in-law Rabbi Meir, four of the greatest sages were born: Rabbi Shmuel ben Meir (Rashbam), Rabbi Yaakov ben Meir (Rabbeinu Tam), Rabbi Shlomo ben Meir, and Rabbi Yitzchak ben Meir. Rashi lived to see the First Crusade, when persecutions of Jews began throughout Germany and France. Loving his people with all his heart, Rashi suffered greatly from the calamity that had befallen the Jews. At that time he wrote: "My strength leaves me, and my tongue grows numb (as I try) to tell of the wave of disasters that has struck my people, and so my hand has grown weak." When many of his relatives and friends perished, Rashi composed a piyyut in the style of selichot, in which he expressed condolences to the widows of those killed and sympathy for those who were forced to convert under threat of death.
A legend that arose later tells that Rashi correctly predicted to Duke Godfrey of Bouillon, who was setting out on a crusade, that he would suffer defeat and return from the Holy Land with only three horses. According to another legend, Rashi moved his yeshiva to Worms during this period. The building adjoining the synagogue is still called the Rashi Beit Midrash, although it was actually built much later.
About nine years after the persecutions of Jews began in Europe, Rashi opened, for the last time, the notebook in which he recorded his commentary on the Babylonian Talmud. The commentary breaks off on page 19 of Tractate Makkot, on the word "tahor" (pure).
Rashi passed away in 4865 (1105). The work of commenting on the Talmud was continued by his student and son-in-law Rabbi Yehuda ben Natan (Rivan). Rashi left behind an invaluable legacy of commentaries on the Torah, other books of Tanach, and the Talmud. His commentary on the Torah became the most popular among the Jewish people. It is based on the traditions of many generations of Jewish sages and is written in clear, understandable language accessible even to a beginning reader. At the same time, Rashi's commentary is the subject of extensive and serious study by later generations of Jewish sages. Every word of the commentary carries significant meaning, and careful study reveals new facets of the Torah text that are not apparent on first reading. In his commentary, Rashi cites numerous grammatical studies based on the traditions of Jewish sages. One of the grammar books that Rashi frequently used in his work was that of the Spanish Jewish sage Menachem ben Saruk.
Rashi explained most of the tractates of the Babylonian Talmud. Before his commentary appeared, anyone studying the Talmud needed the constant help of a teacher. Rashi's explanations, however, made independent study possible. A student who had studied several tractates of the Talmud under a teacher's guidance could study subsequent tractates on his own, using Rashi's commentary. Rashi explains each tractate from beginning to end, without omitting a single important topic. He addresses every unclear passage in the Talmud and, with striking brevity and precision, clarifies its meaning. There is nothing superfluous or missing in his commentary; every word is in its proper place. Sometimes, upon a superficial study of the Talmud, it is unclear why Rashi adds this or that word (and sometimes even a letter) to his explanation. However, upon deeper study, it suddenly becomes apparent that this small detail significantly changes the understanding of the meaning of the Talmudic text. Sages of later generations used Rashi's explanations as a starting point for studying the Talmud, gaining ever deeper insight into the depth of Rashi's thought.
The spread of Rashi's commentaries among the sages of later generations brought him recognition throughout the world. His authority was undisputed among both Ashkenazic and Sephardic Torah sages. From that time on, for almost a thousand years now, all Jewish sages, their students, and all of us — simple Jews — have been students of the great sage Rabbi Shlomo ben Yitzchak, may his memory be blessed.
(Toldot.ru)
Segula to study the Chumash with Rashi's commentary
Reb Sholom of Belz says that whoever studies and completes the Parashat Shavua (weekly Torah portion) with Rashi's commentary every week will merit to sit in Rashi's mesivta in the World to Come. The Rebbe of Pinsk-Karlin told the following story: Once a group of students was traveling to Meron, and the car overturned along the way, resulting in the deaths of three young men. The chavruta of one of these students was deeply grieved by the death of his close friend. One night, his deceased friend came to him in a dream and said: "Do not grieve. Remember how we studied the Chumash with Rashi's commentary every week with great diligence. Now that I have come to the Upper World, they have determined that I should be admitted to Rashi's chamber in Gan Eden, so do not grieve for me." (Segulat HaBesht ve-Talmidav)