וישמעו. יש מדרשי אגדה רבים וכבר סדרום רבותינו על מכונם בבראשית רבה (יט ו) ובשאר מדרשות ואני לא באתי אלא לפשוטו של מקרא ולאגדה המישבת דברי המקרא דבר דבור על אפניו ומשמעו
וישמעו AND THEY HEARD — There are many Midrashic explanations and our Teachers have already collected them in their appropriate places in Genesis Rabbah and in other Midrashim. I, however, am only concerned with the plain sense of Scripture and with such Agadoth that explain the words of Scripture in a manner that fits in with them.
ואלה המשפטים - ידעו ויבינו יודעי שכל כי לא באתי לפרש הלכות אף על פי שהם עיקר כמו שפירשתי בבראשית, כי מיתור המקראות נשמעים ההגדות והלכות ומקצתן ימצאו בפירושי רבינו שלמה אבי אמי זצ"ל. ואני לפרש פשוטן של מקראות באתי ואפרש הדינים וההלכות לפי דרך ארץ. ואעפ"כ ההלכות עיקר, כמו שאמרו רבותינו: הלכה עוקרת משנה.
Intelligent people, know that I have not come to explain the halachot (laws), even though they are the they are the most important thing, as I explained [in my commentary] on Bereishit. While halachot and aggadot may be derived from the extraneous or missing [letters and words] found in verses, these may be found in maternal grandfather Rashi's (may the memory of the righteous be a blessing) commentaries. I have come to explain the peshat (contextual meanings) of the text, and will [only] explain rules and halachot according to common sense. And even so, the halachot are the most important thing, as our rabbis taught: the halacha uproots the scripture.
אבן עזרא, הקדמה לתורה
ובעבור הדרש דרך הפשט איננה סרה/ כי שבעים פנים לתורה/ רק בתורות ובמשפטים ובחקים/ אם מצאנו שני טעמים לפסוקים/ והטעם האחד כדברי המעתיקים, שהיו כולם צדיקים/ נשען על אמתם בלי ספק בידים חזקים/
וחלילה חלילה מלהתערב עם הצדוקים/ האומרים כי העתקתם מכחשת הכתוב, והדקדוקים/ רק קדמונינו אמת/ וכל דבריהם אמת/ וה’ אלהים אמת/ ינחה את עבדו בדרך אמת:
Ibn Ezra, Introduction to his Commentary on the Torah
The way of the peshat will not swerve for the derash, because while there are seventy faces of the Torah, when it comes to the laws and ordinances and statutes, if we find there are two meanings to the verses and one is according to the sages (who were all righteous) we will rely upon their truth, as there is no doubt that they have the strength and ability. And God forbid we become like the Tzedukim who claim that the sages contradict scripture and grammar! Only our ancient ones are truth, and all of their words are truth, and God is truth, and will lead God's servants on the path of truth.
J.R.R. Tolkien, The Return of the King
“There, peeping among the cloud-wrack above a dark tor high up in the mountains, Sam saw a white star twinkle for a while. The beauty of it smote his heart, as he looked up out of the forsaken land, and hope returned to him. For like a shaft, clear and cold, the thought pierced him that in the end the Shadow was only a small and passing thing: there was light and high beauty for ever beyond its reach.”
Rashi
A white star:
This is Eärendil.
Beyond its reach:
And this is a wonder, because Eärendil is not beyond the reach of Evil but flies around the world on his ship. It was not the star itself that Sam thought was out of reach. Rather, the light acted as a reminder to him as a sign of the covenant between Ilúvatar and the Children. And this is the simple explanation.
And some say, that at that moment that Sam looked upwards a Bat Kol came to him with a message of hope, that there was light and high beauty for ever beyond its reach, and from this we learn that Frodo was inferior to Sam in the matter of prophecy.
Pierced him:
It is not written, "it occurred to Sam," but rather, "pierced". This is a Bat Kol.
Rashbam
Saw a white star:
There are some who say that the sight of the star only reminded Sam that there was beauty out of reach, but the simple meaning of the text is that Sam saw the star itself and thought its beauty was out of reach of the Shadow. And if you say, Sam cannot mean the the star is out of reach because we know from our sages that the star is Eärendil and is of this world, rather, the verse does not say it is Eärendil and I have not come to explain the laws, but rather the contextual meaning of the verses. And in all cases, Sam does not know the star is Eärendil, but is taking hope in the sight of something far beyond where he thinks the Shadow reaches.
Forever beyond its reach:
There are stars that are above the circles of the world, and these were made by Elbereth.
Ibn Ezra
A white star:
There are those who dispute our holy ancestors and claim that this star is not Eärendil but is like any other star as in, "black sky dotted with stars," or "early stars through Hobbiton" or "stars glittered above them" or "sit together under the stars" as in all these cases and more the stars are any star set above the reaches of the Earth.
But this is the incorrect approach! As in those cases, the stars were in plural and there is no great meaning attached to them. But in other cases when a star is described as chasing away darkness, such as "bear his shining lamp afar," and "Eärendil the evening star most beloved of the Elves shone clearly above," and "may it be a light to you in dark places", and "a minute heart of dazzling light," and in other places - the star is always Eärendil.
And Sam had just been faced with darkness, as he had just said to Frodo, "it's getting dark again."
And those who say this is not so are misleading all of Israel.
Forever beyond:
Eärendil is not beyond the Shadow's reach but Sam is a gardener and does not know that. And his name means half-wise, or simple, from Sam meaning half and wise meaning wise, and in Westron his name is Banazir, where Ban means half and Zir means wise. And he does not understand the stars and constellations.
A thought pierced him:
The Torah speaks in the language of human beings, and this is an idiom, and it is not so that it means anyone struck Sam, but rather that Sam thought.