Birth and early life Rashi was an only child born at
Troyes,
Champagne, in northern France. His mother's brother was Simeon bar Isaac, rabbi of
Mainz. Simeon was a disciple of
Gershom ben Judah, who died that same year. On his father's side, Rashi has been claimed to be a 33rd-generation descendant of
Johanan HaSandlar, In his voluminous writings, Rashi himself made no such claim at all. The main early rabbinical source about his ancestry, Responsum No. 29 by
Solomon Luria, makes no such claim either.
Legends His fame later made him the subject of many legends. One tradition contends that his parents were childless for many years. Rashi's father, Yitzhak, a poor
winemaker, once found a precious jewel and was approached by non-Jews who wished to buy it to adorn their idol. Yitzhak agreed to travel with them to their land, but en route, he cast the gem into the sea. Afterwards he was visited by either the
Voice of God or the prophet
Elijah, who told him that he would be rewarded with the birth of a noble son "who would illuminate the world with his Torah knowledge." Another legend also states that Rashi's parents moved to
Worms, Germany while Rashi's mother was pregnant. As she walked down one of the narrow streets in the Jewish quarter, she was imperiled by two oncoming carriages. She turned and pressed herself against a wall, which opened to receive her. This miraculous niche is still visible in the wall of the
Worms Synagogue. Additional legends, particularly in
Hasidic literature, postulate that Rashi's tremendous works and accomplishments were inspired by the
Holy Spirit, the
Shekhinah, as no mere human could produce such immense works. One text goes so far as to claim that Rashi was beyond human; the author proposes that he never died a natural death, but rather ascended to Heaven alive like the immortal prophet
Elijah.
Yeshiva studies ,
Worms According to tradition, Rashi was first brought to learn Torah by his father on
Shavuot day at the age of five. His father was his main Torah teacher until his death when Rashi was still a youth. At the age of 17 he married and soon after went to learn in the
yeshiva of
Yaakov ben Yakar in
Worms, returning to his wife three times yearly, for the
Days of Awe,
Passover and
Shavuot. When Yaakov died in 1064, Rashi continued learning in Worms for another year in the yeshiva of his relative,
Isaac ben Eliezer Halevi, who was also chief rabbi of Worms. Then he moved to
Mainz, where he studied under another of his relatives, Isaac ben Judah, the rabbinic head of Mainz and one of the leading sages of the
Lorraine region straddling France and Germany. Rashi's teachers were students of
Rabbeinu Gershom and
Eliezer Hagadol, leading Talmudists of the previous generation. From his teachers, Rashi imbibed the oral traditions pertaining to the Talmud as they had been passed down for centuries, as well as an understanding of the Talmud's logic and forms of argument. Rashi took concise, copious notes from what he learned in yeshiva, incorporating this material in his commentaries. He was also greatly influenced by the exegetical principles of
Menahem Kara.
Career He returned to Troyes at the age of 25, after which time his mother died, and he was asked to join the Troyes
Beth din (rabbinical court). He also began answering
halakhic questions. Upon the death of the head of the
Bet din, Zerach ben Abraham, Rashi assumed the court's leadership and answered hundreds of halakhic queries. At some time around 1070 he founded a yeshiva, which attracted many disciples. Jewish oral tradition contends that he was a vintner. There is no evidence for this, although Rashi shows an extensive knowledge of winemaking utensils and process. One responsum from his school refers to a barrel of wine marked with Rashi's import seal. The soil around Troyes is not suited to growing grapes, but some vineyards are known to have existed anyway, due to the great local demand for wine. Although there are many legends about his travels, Rashi likely never went farther than from the
Seine to the
Rhine; his furthest destinations were the yeshivas of Lorraine. In 1096, the
People's Crusade swept through the Lorraine, murdering 12 Jews and uprooting whole communities. Among those murdered in Worms were the three sons of Isaac ben Eliezer Halevi, Rashi's teacher. Rashi wrote several
Selichot (penitential poems) mourning the slaughter and the destruction of the region's great yeshivot. Seven of Rashi's
Selichot still exist, including ''Adonai Elohei Hatz'vaot
, which is recited on the eve of Rosh Hashanah, and Az Terem Nimtehu'', which is recited on the
Fast of Gedalia.
Death and burial site Rashi died on July 13, 1105 (
Tammuz 29, 4865) at the age of 65. He was buried in Troyes. The approximate location of the cemetery in which he was buried was recorded in
Seder ha-Dorot, but over time the location of the cemetery was forgotten. A number of years ago, a
Sorbonne professor discovered an ancient map depicting the site of the cemetery, which lay under an open square in the city of Troyes. After this discovery, French Jews erected a large monument by the sculptor Raymond Moretti in the center of the square—a large, black and white globe featuring the three Hebrew letters of רשי artfully arranged counterclockwise in negative space, evoking the style of Hebrew
microcalligraphy. The granite base of the monument is engraved:
Rabbi Shlomo Yitzchaki — Commentator and Guide. In 2005,
Yisroel Meir Gabbai erected an additional plaque at this site marking the square as a burial ground. The plaque reads: "
The place you are standing on is the cemetery of the town of Troyes. Many Rishonim are buried here, among them Rabbi Shlomo, known as Rashi the holy, may his merit protect us".
Descendants Rashi had no sons. All of his
three children were girls, named Yocheved, Miriam and Rachel. He invested himself in their education; his writings and the legends which surround him suggest that his daughters were well-versed in the
Torah and the
Talmud (at a time when women were not expected to study) and would help him when he was too weak to write. His daughters married his disciples; most present-day
Ashkenazi rabbinical dynasties can trace their lineage back to his daughters Miriam or Yocheved. A late-20th century legend claims that Rashi's daughters wore
tefillin. While a few women in medieval Ashkenaz did wear tefillin, there is no evidence that Rashi's daughters did. • Rashi's oldest daughter, Yocheved, married
Meir ben Samuel; their four sons were Shmuel (
Rashbam; born 1080), Yitzchak (
Rivam; born 1090), Jacob (
Rabbeinu Tam; born 1100), and Shlomo the Grammarian, all of whom were among the most prolific
Tosafists. Yocheved's daughter,
Channah, is reputed to have instructed the local women to recite the blessing after
candle lighting (instead of before). • Rashi's middle daughter, Miriam, married
Judah ben Nathan, who completed the commentary on the Talmud
Makkot. Their daughter Alvina was a learned woman whose customs served as the basis for later halakhic decisions. Their son
Yom Tov later moved to Paris and headed a yeshiva there, together with his brothers Shimshon and Eliezer. • Rashi's youngest daughter, Rachel, married (and divorced) Eliezer ben Shemiah. Little else is known about her. It is reputed that the famous Polish Talmudist
Moses Isserles (1530–1572) was a descendant of Rashi. ==Works==