for nearly 300 years the printed ver- fusion between Solomon bar Isaac (Rashi) article cited below. sion of the Tanchuma did not do so.14 and Solomon de Lunel. Because of this, 7. Rashi preceded the Yalkut Shimoni, Legal-Ease Lunel was mistakenly ascribed as Rashi’s which was compiled by Rav Shimon Notwithstanding the important th authorities who exposed this misconcep- birthplace (instead of Troyes), and it was Hadarshan in 13 century Frankfurt. But it is mostly a compilation of much earlier tion, the error is still prevalent. In late then “translated” (Lunel=moon=yarchi) to become Rav Shlomo Yarchi. In the 18th works, and in this case the Yalkut is citing 2001, I heard a well-known American century Giovanni Bernardo De Rossi the earlier Midrash Tanchuma. pulpit rabbi state it at a Bat Mitzvah. (1742-1831; See EJ 5:1557-1558; Annales 8. See R.H. Albek, Mavo LaTalmudim 15 Similarly, Richard Elliot Friedman Hebreaeo-Typographici: Seculi XV and ab (Tel Aviv, 5729 [1969]), 252-253 for the explains that “A commentary is a very anno 1501 ad 1540, p. 51 and p. 52 in the identification of Rabbi Yitzchak. Some of What s the Truth about Rashi s Father? personal work.… Rashi conveys this 1969 Philo Press ed.) identified two works these sources are found in the Bar-Ilan with his very first words (Genesis of Rashi as being by “Rav Salomonis weekly English parashah sheet to Bereishit By Ari Z. Zivotofsky 1:1)...and traditionally Rashi has been Jarchi.” Although no longer popular, (1996) by Bo’az Spiegel, available at understood to be referring to his father.” Yarchi seems to have been a well-recog- www.biu.ac.il/JH/Eparasha/bereshit/spg Justin Lewis, in an on-line course,16 nized name for Rashi in the 19th century. 2.html. wrote: “Rebbi Yitzchak is probably It is discussed in the 1905 Jewish 9. In a sharp conclusion, he retorts that Rashi’s father. This shows the sweetness Encyclopedia whereas it is not even men- the anonymous author of the manuscript tioned in the 1973 EJ. In the Occident cited by the Divrei David should have and humility of Rashi...he does begin by (II:2 [May, 1844]), it states: “The age of begun his commentary from Exodus 12:2 Misconception: Rebbi following: The question asked in the the Amora Rav Yitzchak Nafcha.8 He giving honor to his father.” Rashi, or more properly Rabbi Solomon rather than Genesis 1:1 and he would then Yitzchak, whom Rashi—the commen- name of Rebbi Yitzchak is not found strongly rejects the notion that Rashi It may be possible to justify this mis- ben Isaac, also known as Yarchi...” and in not have made this error. was citing his father.9 tator par excellence—cites in his com- in any collection of midrashim; the conception somewhat. It is possible that (II:5 [August, 1844]) it lists great teachers 10. Entry 52 to Genesis 1:1, 13. mentary on the first verse of the Bible, only source is the commentary of Rav Menachem Kasher in Torah Rashi specifically chose a midrash that such as “Rab Ashi, Saadiah Gaon, Yarchi 11. d. 1806; in Shem HaGedolim, entry 10 is Rashi’s father. Rashi. So where did it come from? Sheleimah cites the Tanchuma as well opens with a citation of Rebbi Yitzchak [Rashi], Aben Ezra....” In his bibliography on Rashi. Fact: Rashi’s father, Yitzchak, and According to the anonymous manu- and then discusses the misconception as a way of indirectly honoring his in The Living Torah (Moznaim, 1991), 12. See Torah Sheleimah to Exodus 12:2 the “Rebbi Yitzchak” whom Rashi script, Rashi wanted to honor his regarding Rashi’s father. He observes father. Rashi’s Biblical commentary is Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan writes “Rashi— (#20) that in the Zohar to Exodus 39b a cites are different people. father, Yitzchak, and mention him at that the Chida11 refutes the story in primarily composed of paraphrases of acronym of Rabbenu Shlomo (Ben similar statement is brought in the name Background: The name “Rashi” is the beginning of his monumental the manuscript by pointing out, simi- various Talmudic and midrashic sources. Yitzchak) Yarchi. See Shem HaGedolim.” of Rabbi Yitzchak. However, Shir an acronym for Rabbi Shlomo work. However, Yitzchak was not a lar to the Divrei David, that Rashi Yet very rarely does Rashi identify the 2. In his supra-commentary to Rashi on Hashirim Rabbah 1:4 (#29) has a similar the Bible, Divrei David to Genesis 1:1. Yitzchaki, i.e. Rabbi Shlomo, the son very learned scholar. Rashi therefore cites his erudite father in his Talmudic author of a particular quote. Furthermore, statement attributed to Rav Yanai. Rabbi David Halevi (ca. 5346 [1586]- 13. By Rav Yeshaya Halevi Weiss of Reb Yitzchak.1 But the Rebbi requested that his father ask a question commentary; moreover, the Chida Rashi often quotes Bereishit Rabbah in Yitzchak cited could not possibly be about the first verse in the Torah. His identifies the Zohar and the Yalkut as 5427 [1667]) is most famous for his com- (Brooklyn, NY, 1990). his commentary to Bereishit; he rarely mentary Turei Zuhav to the Shulchan 14. Apparently, the author of the his father, because Rashi is citing a father then asked the above-stated sources for the midrash containing cites Midrash Tanchuma. In this case, Aruch. On his life and work see EJ “ancient manuscript” cited by Divrei Rebbi Yitzchak’s name.12 midrash that was written almost a question and Rashi supplied the Bereishit Rabbah makes a similar state- 5:1354-1355. Divrei David was first pub- David was not familiar with Buber’s ver- 3 thousand years earlier. answer based on an existing midrash. Without citing these earlier sources, ment, but in the name of Rabbi lished in 5449 (1689), then not re-pub- sion of the Tanchuma and hence accepted The famous commentary of Rashi The Divrei David rejects at least part a relatively recent work, the Leket Yehoshua of Sichnin. It is possible that lished until 5642 [1882]. See the recent the fanciful tale regarding Rashi’s father. on the first verse in the Chumash, in of the story. He argues that Rashi’s Bahir,13 simply notes that the Rebbi Rashi chose to cite this particular edition by H.D. Chavel, 5738 [1977-78], We can no longer make that mistake. which he defends the right of the father was a scholar, as evident from Yitzchak that Rashi cites was a Tanna midrash, from this particular source, and reissued in 5753 [1993]. 15. “Why I Wrote My Torah Jewish people to the Land of Israel, Avodah Zarah 75a (s.v. v’lo4 pligi) and that Rashi was quoting a source decided to include the author’s name, as a 3. According to Chavel, maybe Genesis Commentary,” Moment, December 2001, states: “Rebbi Yitzchak said: God need where Rashi adopts his father’s inter- found in a version of the Tanchuma way of honoring his father.17 JA Rabbah 1:3. 56-59, 72-76. He is a professor at not have begun the Torah before the pretation, and refers to him as “Abba printed in 5644 (1884). This sheds 4. Not s.v. pligi as written in Chavel University of California, San Diego. verse (Exodus 12:2), ‘This month shall mori menuchato kavod” “My father, my some light on how the original mis- Notes edition, note 1, p. 2 of commentary. This 16. Written for Kolel: The Adult Centre be your [first] month,’ which is the teacher, may he rest in dignity.” It is conception arose: It seems the first 1. Rashi lived 1040-1105. See is the only known explicit reference to his for Liberal Jewish Learning, found at first commandment that the Israelites not clear whether, aside from the ques- printed copy of the Tanchuma, which Encyclopedia Judaica (EJ) 13:1558-1565 father in all of Rashi’s writings. Using this www.kolel.org/tastytreats/texts2.1.html. as a proof that his father was a scholar is a 17. After suggesting this, I found it had were commanded….” tion of Rav Yitzchak’s scholarship, the appeared in 1522, relied upon a man- for details about his life and work. little troubling to me. It hardly seems pos- already been proposed. The Seder Ha’dorot The suggestion that Rashi was quot- Divrei David accepts the rest of the uscript that quoted the midrash but It is nearly universally agreed that Rashi’s father was named Yitzchak and sible that in his voluminous writings Rashi (see fn. 1) quotes the Divrei David and the ing his father is simply mistaken. story in the manuscript. did not attribute it to Rebbi Yitzchak. should refer to his illustrious and erudite objection of Naftali Seva Ratzon, and then There is, however, a centuries-old However, two decades later, Rav In Vilna in 1884, Shlomo Buber pub- that the name Rashi is an acronym for Rabbi Shlomo Yitzchaki. There were, father a grand total of one time. This offers this suggestion. It is also made by manuscript that makes that claim. In Naftali Hertz ben Rav Shimon lished another Tanchuma, using a dif- however, those, who referred to him as argument is also raised by Avraham Rabbi Chavel in his edition of the Divrei th 5 the 17 century, Rabbi David ben Rav Ginzburg rejected the story for a more ferent manuscript (known as the Rav Shlomo Yarchi. Others use both Grossman, Chachmei Tzarfat Harishonim David. Rabbi Menachem Mendel 2 Shmuel Halevi (better known as the fundamental reason: both the question Oxford manuscript), which quoted names. The Seder Ha’dorot (by Rav Yechiel (Jerusalem, 5757 [1996]), 123-4, where he Schneerson, zt”l, also discusses what “Taz”) stated that as a youngster he and the attribution to Rebbi Yitzchak Rebbi Yitzchak. Possibly Rashi, when Halperin, b. 1660; p. 150 in the 5722 ed.) notes that there are those who question Rashi’s intention was in quoting Rabbi saw an old manuscript that related the can be found in the Yalkut Shimoni writing his commentary, used a manu- identifies Rashi as “Shlomo Yarchi bar whether that “Rashi” on Avodah Zarah is Yitzchak. He clearly states that it was not (beginning of Bo on Exodus 12:2, sec- script of the Tanchuma which quoted Yitzchak from Troyes.” The Jewish not an addition by the Rashbam. Rashi’s father and that Rashi’s intention 5. Naftali Seva Ratzon (5468 [1708]; Rabbi Dr. Zivotofsky is on the faculty of tion 1876 citing Midrash Tanchuma)!7 Rebbi Yitzchak as well; but others Encyclopedia (1905; 10:324) says the may have been partially to honor his reprint, Ashdod, 5762 [2002]), 1. father. (Sichot in English, vol. 46, Bereishit the Brain Science Program at Bar-Ilan Ginzburg thus clearly shows that Rashi were not familiar with the midrash appellation Yarchi was erroneously applied th 6. Not 149 as given by Spiegel in his 5751, 94-96). University in Israel. was merely citing the Tanchuma and being credited to Rebbi Yitzchak since in the 16 century. It resulted from con- Fall 5763/2002 JEWISH ACTION JEWISH ACTION Fall 5763/2002