Commentary: On the Song of Songs

Solomon ben Isaac of Troyes (Rashi) was the most prominent rabbi of eleventh-century France and certainly one of the most enduring medieval Jewish figures. Although first educated in Troyes, perhaps by his father, Rashi studied in the German academies before returning home, a move that came to signal the transfer of northern European talmudic learning to France. Rashi composed commentaries on nearly the whole Babylonian Talmud; they quickly won widespread acceptance, displacing competing works. Rashi’s commentary on much of the Hebrew Bible, particularly on the Pentateuch, was also immensely popular. Rashi was also an influential jurist and composed many decisive responsa. His students and descendants were leading talmudists for several generations.