Torah study
Who Was Rashi?
Meet the classic commentator and learn to distinguish his explanations from the biblical verse.
Rashi is the traditional name of Rabbi Shlomo Yitzchaki, a major commentator on the Torah and Talmud. His Torah commentary is a familiar companion to Chumash study, addressing wording and meaning with explanations drawn from Jewish tradition.
Read the verse before the commentary. Then ask what difficulty Rashi appears to address: an unusual word, a missing detail or a tension in the passage. This approach turns commentary into a conversation with the text rather than a paragraph to memorize without understanding.
A place to begin
- Read one verse carefully without commentary.
- Identify the question the explanation helps resolve.
- Ask a teacher about unfamiliar sources cited by Rashi.
Editorial introduction based on the linked Chabad.org resource; not a personal halachic ruling or a rabbi-reviewed article. Ask a qualified rabbi about practical observance. Prepare printed learning before Shabbat; device use is not permitted simply because a reading is saved.