McGill University

The Department of Jewish Studies

135-331A: BIBLE INTERPRETATION IN MEDIEVAL ASHKENAZ

Topic for Fall 2001:

Rashi & Rashbam

Instructor: Evyatar Marienberg

Syllabus

Our course will deal with the commentaries of the Hebrew Bible composed by
two major medieval Franco-German (Ashkenaz) commentators: Solomon ben Isaac
(1040 - 1105), known as Rashi, and one of his grandsons, Samuel ben Meir (c. 1080 – c.
1170), known as Rashbam. If time allows, we may also explore the writings of less
known Jewish Bible commentators from the same period and region. The course will be
built around two axes:

„ Reading portions from the Hebrew Bible followed by the commentaries of

Rashi and Rashbam,
„ Reading and discussing related modern scholarly works.

The following bibliography is a small representative of the vast literature devoted

to the subject. It includes material accessible to the English reader, with a few works in
French. All articles are included in this course-pack. Students will be requested to read
the English articles during the semester; the articles in French are optional. Photocopies
of primary Hebrew sources will be distributed throughout the semester.

Grades will be based on reading and participation (30%), two short assignments
(10%), an oral presentation or a paper (30%), and a final (30%).

 I
 Ch. I - Introduction

- John H. Hayes and Carl R. Holladay, Biblical Exegesis - A Beginner’s Handbook,

John Knox Press, Atlanta 1982, pp. 5-29.

- “Ashkenaz”, in: Encyclopedia Judaica (EJ), CD-ROM Edition, 4 pages.

- Ephraim Kanarfogel, “On the Role of Bible Study in Medieval Ashkenaz”, in:
Barry Walfish (ed.), The Frank Talmage Memorial Volume I, Haifa University Press,
Haifa 1993, pp. 151-166.

Ch. II – Rashi

- Rothkoff, Grossman, Kaddari, Fraenkel, Ta-Shma, “ Rashi” , in: Encyclopedia

Judaica (EJ), CD-ROM Edition, 9 pages.

- Rashi’s Family, from Encyclopedia Judaica (EJ), CD-ROM Edition

- Israel Moses Ta-Shma, “ Tosafot” , in: Encyclopedia Judaica (EJ), CD-ROM

Edition, 7 pages.

- Eli Yassif, “ Rashi Legends and Medieval Popular Culture” , in: Gabrielle Sed-
Rajna (ed.), Rashi 1040-1990: Hommage à Ephraïm E. Urbach, Cerf, Paris 1993, pp.
483-492.

- Harvey Sicherman, Gilad J. Gevaryahu, “ Rashi and the First Crusade:

Commentary, Liturgy, Legend” , in: Judaism 48.2 (1999), pp. 181-197.

- B. Barry Levy, “ Rashi’s Commentary on the Torah: A Survey of Recent

Publications” , in: Tradition 23.4 (1988), pp. 102-116.

- Deborah Abecassis, Reconstructing Rashi’s Commentary on Genesis from Citations

in the Torah Commentaries of the Tosafot, Ph.D. dissertation, McGill University,
Montreal 1999, pp. 1-52 ; 211-216.

- Nahum M. Sarna, “ Rashi the Commentator” , in: Nahum M. Sarna, Studies in

Biblical Interpretation, JPS, Philadelphia 2000, pp. 127-137.

- Sarah Kamin, “ Rashi’s Exegetical Categorization with Respect to the Distinction

Between Peshat and Derash” , in: Immanuel 11 (1980), pp. 16-32.

 II
 - Ivan G. Marcus, “ Rashi’s Historiosophy in the Introductions to his Bible
Commentaries” , in: REJ 157.1-2 (1998), pp. 47-55.

- Elazar Touitou, “ Rashi and His School: The Exegesis on the Halakhic Part of the
Pentateuch in the Context of the Judeo-Christian Controversy” , in: Bar-Ilan Studies
in History IV (1995), pp. 231-251.

- Ephraim E. Urbach, “ How did Rashi Merit the Title Parshandata ?” , in: Gabrielle
Sed-Rajna (ed.), Rashi 1040-1990, pp. 387-398.

- Moché Catane, “ Les gloses en français” , in: Simon Schwarzfuchs, Rachi de Troyes,
Albin Michel, Paris 1991, pp. 135-145.

- Jonathan M. Weiser, “ Translation As Interpretation: Rashi’s Use of French in his

Commentary to the Torah” , in: Tradition 29.4 (1995), pp. 30-42.

- Esra Shereshevsky, “ Realia as Portrayed by Rashi: A Description of Medieval

Household Utensils” , in: Abraham I. Katsh and Leon Nemoy, Essays on the
Occasion of the Seventieth Anniversary of the Dropsie University, Dropsie University,
Philadelphia 1979, pp. 413-421.

- Moché Catane, “ Le vêtement en France au XIe siècle d’après les écrits de Rashi” ,
in: Gilbert Dahan, Gérard Nahon, Elie Nicolas (eds.) Rashi et la culture juive en
France du Nord au moyen âge, Peeters, Paris - Louvain 1997, pp. 123-133.

- Esra Shereshevsky, “ Rashi’s and Christian Interpretations” , in: JQR 61 (1970-

1971), pp. 76-86.

- Sarah Kamin, “ Affinities Between Jewish and Christian Exegesis in Twelfth

Century Northern France” , in Sarah Kamin, Jews and Christians Interpret the Bible,
Magnes, Jerusalem 1991, pp. 12*-26*.

- Gilbert Dahan, “ La connaissance de l’exégèse juive par les chrétiens du XIIe au

XIVe siècle” , in: Gilbert Dahan, Gérard Nahon, Elie Nicolas (eds.) Rashi et la
culture juive en France du Nord au moyen âge, pp. 343-359.

- Abraham Grossman, “ Exegesis of the Piyyut in the 11th century France” , in:
Gilbert Dahan, Gérard Nahon, Elie Nicolas (eds.) Rashi et la culture juive en France
du Nord au moyen âge, pp. 261-277.

 III
 Ch. III – Rashbam

- Grossman, Ta-Shma, “ Samuel ben Meir” , in: Encyclopedia Judaica (EJ), CD-ROM
Edition, 4 pages.

- Martin I. Lockshin, “ Tradition or Context: Two Exegetes Struggle with Peshat” ,

in: Jacob Neusner, Ernest S. Frerichs, Nahum M. Sarna (eds.), From Ancient Israel
to Modern Judaism - Intellect in Quest of Understanding: Essays in Honor of Marvin
Fox, Scholars Press, Georgia 1989, Vol. II, pp. 173-186.

- Sarah Kamin, “ Rashbam’s Conception of the Creation in Light of the Intellectual

Currents of his Time” , in Sarah Kamin, Jews and Christians Interpret the Bible, pp.
27*-68*.

 IV