Elie Wiesel is the author of more than 50 books, both fiction and nonfiction. He has been awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the United States Congressional Gold Medal, and the French Legion of Honor with the rank of Grand Cross. In 1986, he received the Nobel Peace Prize. He is Andrew Mellon Professor in the Humanities and University Professor at Boston University. Here he offers a brief biographical look at the eleventh century French Talmudic scholar Rabbi Shlomo Yitzhaki, better known as Rashi. Wiesel sees him as the foremost interpreter of the Bible and says:
"He is my first destination. My first aid. The first friend whose assistance is invaluable to us, not to say indispensable, if we've set our heart on pursuing a thought through unfamiliar subterranean passageways, to its distant origins. A veiled reference from him, like a smile, and everything lights up and becomes clearer."
Wiesel cites Avraham Grossman as a biographer who discovered five character traits which made Rashi such an impressive scholar and Talmudic interpreter: humility and simplicity, the pursuit of the truth, respect for his fellow man, confidence in his own creative inspiration, and the feeling of accomplishing the mission of a community leader. Wiesel reviews Rashi's commentaries on the first book of the Bible, Genesis, and finds them to be rich with meaning and insight.
This rabbi sought to answer the many questions he received from individuals, community leaders, and other rabbis. What concerned Rashi most was the fate of the community, tradition, ritual, and the Laws. During his lifetime, Jews were persecuted and savaged by the furies of anti-Semitism and the Crusades. This scholar sought to address their suffering in his work. Wiesel, a descendant of Rashi, pays tribute to his humanity, curiosity, and respect for the Talmud and other sacred writings.
This book is part of the "Jewish Encounters" series, a collaboration between Shocken Books and Nextbook, a foundation for Jewish culture, under the general editorship of Jonathan Rosen.
