Rashi of Troyes, a figure of European stature

Rashi’s work is also an exceptional source of insight into medieval society. Through his writings, he describes the everyday realities, trades, techniques and customs of his time. Keen to pass on knowledge to as many people as possible, he uses over two thousand words from the Champagne dialect, thereby shedding light on the history of the French language and regional cultures.

The School of Rashi and the Tossafists

Rashi’s teachings were continued and developed by his disciples and descendants, notably his grandsons Samuel (Rashbam) and Jacob (Rabbeinu Tam). From the 12th century onwards, their work gave rise to the Tossafist School, a vast intellectual movement that spread from northern France to the Rhineland, and then to England and Central Europe.

The Tossafists enriched Rashi’s method, disseminated his thought and produced texts which today constitute valuable records of the intellectual, cultural and economic exchanges of medieval Europe. Their commentaries still accompany Rashi’s in traditional editions of the Talmud.

A thinker of remarkable modernity

As an educator, humanist and advocate of dialogue, Rashi placed the transmission of knowledge at the heart of his work. His teaching emphasised listening, the pursuit of justice and the peaceful resolution of conflicts. His open-mindedness and his concern for relations between Jewish and Christian communities have secured him a unique place in European history.

Almost a thousand years after his birth, Rashi remains an essential figure in Jewish thought and a major contributor to Europe’s cultural heritage. His work continues to inspire scholars, philosophers and readers around the world.

Rashi’s work encompasses the work of many generations before and after him. Originally, his school consisted mainly of his sons-in-law and grandsons. Among them were Jacob (Rabbeinou Tam) and Samuel (Rashbam), who achieved great renown. In the 12th century, they had many disciples who claimed to be of the same school. Some of them came from the Rhineland, Bohemia and Russia. They in turn copied, enriched and disseminated Rashi’s work and thought in Europe.

Rashi’s writings have always been the subject of numerous commentaries and super-commentaries in most European countries, particularly since the end of the 15th century with the invention of printing. These collections, stemming from his school of thought, were published mainly at the beginning of the 20th century.

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