Who was Rashi?
Rashi (an acronym for Rabbi Shlomo Yitzchaki, 1040–1105) was a French scholar and the most influential commentator on the Torah and the Talmud in Jewish history. His commentaries are prized for being remarkably clear and concise — explaining exactly what a beginner needs at exactly the right moment — and they appear on nearly every printed page of the Talmud and Chumash to this day. For a thousand years, "learning with Rashi" has been the default first step into the text.
Why is Rashi so important?
- Clarity — Rashi anticipates the reader's questions and answers them in a few words, making dense texts approachable.
- Universality — his commentary became the standard companion to the Torah and Talmud, studied by beginners and scholars alike.
- The gateway — to this day, the first commentary most learners meet is Rashi.
What is "Rashi script"?
Rashi's commentaries are traditionally printed in a distinctive semi-cursive Hebrew typeface now called "Rashi script" — though Rashi himself didn't write in it; it was simply the font printers used for his commentary, and the name stuck. On a standard page of Talmud, Rashi's commentary runs along the inner margin (how to read a page of Talmud).
In short: Rashi (1040–1105) is the great clarifying commentator on the Torah and Talmud — the learner's first and most trusted guide to the text.
Learn with Rashi through Derekh Learning
Derekh Learning's lessons lean on classic commentary like Rashi, explained in plain English and grounded in real sources. Start learning or read how to read a page of Talmud.
