Rashbam's Exegesis and the 12th-Century Christian Renaissance

(1) Enlightened ones shall understand that all the words of our Masters and their interpretations are true and well-founded. This is what is stated in [the Talmudic tractate] Shabbat: “I was eighteen years old and I didn’t know that Scripture does not depart from its simple meaning…” The essential part of the laws and the interpretations stem from [otherwise] extraneous [phrasings] of Scripture or from a change of language, where the simple meaning of Scripture is written in a manner that enables learning from it the essential part of the interpretation, such as “These are the generations of the heavens and the earth in their bing created b’hibar’am – where the Sages interpreted, “through Avraham” from the extra wording, for it did not need to write b’hibar’am. Now, I will explain the explanations of the early authorities (Rishonim) regarding this verse, making it known to people why I have not seen fit to explain as they did. There are those who explain “At first, G-d created the heavens and the earth”. But it is impossible to say this, for behold, the waters came first, as it is written, “And the spirit of G-d hovered over the waters”. And further, what is written here is not “in the beginning”, but rather, “in the beginning of”, which is attached to what follows, such as “And the beginning of his kingdom was Bavel”. Now the one who explains like, “the beginning of G-d’s speaking with Hoshea”, that is, “At the beginning of G-d’s creating the heavens”, that is, “before He created heaven and earth, the earth was void and without form and darkness was over the deep and the spirit of G-d hovered over the waters” so that it turns out that the waters were created first, this is also vanity, for then it would not be appropriate to write, “ and the earth was void and without form”, for since it hadn’t yet been created, it would be inappropriate to call it “earth” before the creation of the waters, since the waters came first. Rather, this is its essential simple meaning: it is the way of Scripture to anticipate and explain something which is not strictly necessary for the sake of something mentioned further on in another place. As it is written, “Shem, Ham and Yefet”, and it is written, “Ham is Kena’an’s father” – for since it is written further on, “cursed is Kena’an”, yet it didn’t explain first who Kena’an is, we wouldn’t know why Noach cursed him. Or: “And he laid with Bilhah, his father’s concubine and Yisrael heard” – why is it written here “and Yisrael heard”? Behold, it isn’t written here that Ya’akov spoke with Re’uven at all? Rather, since at the time of his passing, he said “Unstable as water, you will not have excellence; because you went up to your father's bed; then you defiled it--he went up to my couch”, therefore, it wrote first the passage “And Yisrael heard”, so that you should not be surprised when you see that he reproves him regarding this at the end of his days. And similarly, in several places. Also the entire passage of the work of the six days Moshe our master wrote first to explain what Hashem said at the time of the giving of the Torah, “Remember the Shabbat day to sanctify it…for, six days did Hashem make the heavens and the earth, the sea and all that is in it, and He rested on the seventh day”. This is why it is written “and it was evening, and it was morning, the sixth day” – that same sixth day which is the conclusion of the six days spoken of at the giving of the Torah. This is why Moshe said this to the Jewish people, to inform them that the word of the Holy One (praised be He!) is true. Are you of the opinion that this world, all its days, has been [completely] built-up the way you see it now, filled with everything good? It was not like this, rather, "In the beginning G-d created…" - that is to say, at the beginning of the creating of heaven and earth - at the time that the supernal heaven and earth were already created - whether that [lasted] a long time or a short time - at that time, the earth was [void and without form].

(2) Those who love pure reason should always remember that the sages have said a Biblical passage must not be deprived of its plain meaning. Because the main point of Torah comes to teach us and tell us in hints found in the plain meaning of the text, the hagadot, and halachot and laws derived through lengthy words and the 32 and 13 laws by which we derive law from the text of the Torah. The Rishonim, because of their piety busied themselves with the drashot as their focus, and they did not regularly delve into the plain meaning of the text, and because the Chachamim said not to spend too much time with logic and expressed the significance not of learning Torah but of learning Talmud as having no greater measure, they did not regularly engage in establishing the plain meaning of the text. Even Rashi the father of my mother set his heart to explain the plain meaning of the text, even my grandfather Shlomo was an adherent of this school; and I had an argument with him on that account, in which he admitted that he would make new commentaries according to the plain meanings that arise each day.

(21) ברוח קדים, G’d used natural means, i.e. an east wind which always brings dryness and on occasions dries out ponds and rivers.

(2) “and wind/spirit…blowing upon the waters” – the wind was necessary for what is written further on, “and G-d said, ‘let the waters under the heavens be gathered to one spot”, for it was by the wind that the waters were gathered” - just as the Red Sea was split so that the dry land was visible, by means of “and G-d led the sea with a powerful East wind all that day, turning the sea into dry land, and the waters were split”.

(11) וגבר ישראל, it is a psychological axiom that when the warriors see their flag being held aloft they are inspired with additional courage. When they cannot see their flag being held aloft they interpret this negatively and are liable to flee from the battlefield.

(25) בהיותם כואבים, according to normal reactions of people to such an operation, and according to the plain meaning of the text, the meaning is that they had been in pain during the first and second day after the circumcision, and they were now in even greater pain,

(1) Everyone endowed with intelligence should know that it is not my purpose to explain halachic rulings as part of my commentary, something I have mentioned already in my commentary at the beginning of Parshat Vayeshev. I explained there that many such rulings are hinted at by variant spellings in the text, missing words or extraneous words. Many of these have been covered in the commentary on the Torah by my grandfather Rashi of blessed memory. I have set myself the task of only explaining the plain meaning of the text as it is before us. When I explain legislation I do so within the context of its contribution to civilised behaviour, דרך ארץ. My explanations notwithstanding, when they conflict with the halachic rulings, the latter are supreme.

(34) אשר יבא עליו מים יטמא, those who wish to find a reason for G’d’s commandments in order to confound the heretics, and in order to make them intelligible in terms of the laws of nature, would do well to consider this piece of legislation. Foodstuffs, originating in the earth, though subject to ritual impurity under certain conditions, are free from even potential impurity as long as they have not been in contact with water The first step in preparing earth grown food is to wash it, etc. Therefore, as long as no water has fallen on such potential food it is free from such impurity or potential impurity. [Water which fell on it against the wishes of its owner does not count. Ed.]

(19) בהמתך לא תרביע כלאים, according to accepted norms and even the view of the heretics, just as the Torah commanded the earth and the creatures to reproduce only their own species (Genesis 1,11 and 1,21 as well as 1,24) so the Torah commands us when pursuing the task of tilling the earth to follow the same principles. This is also required regarding not mixing flax and wool, seeing the former is a product of the earth whereas the latter is a product of the animal kingdom, a higher form of creation. To the heretics who deny this principle, questioning that if true why are only lambs’ wool and flax prohibited to be mixed, whereas other forms of animal based wool are allowed to be mixed with flax, I say that the prohibition is due to mixing natural coloured materials such as white and dyed materials. The Torah considers mixing coloured fabrics with fabrics in their natural state as forbidden, quoting lamb’s wool and flax (linen) as the most popular example of such mixes. The heretics I spoke with accepted my argument.

(6) לא תקח האם על הבנים, I have already elaborated on this verse in connection with the prohibition to boil the young in the milk of its mother (Exodus 23,19) Similar considerations are valid in connection with the prohibition of אותו ואת בנו. The practices, if carried out, look as if the person carrying it out is insensitive, cruel by nature, and is so anxious to satisfy his palate that all considerations of feelings of others are of no concern to him.

(19) וישלך מידו, when Moses saw the golden calf, he became physically too weak to continue to carry the weight of the Tablets and he threw them as far as possible away from himself so that they would not drop on his feet. This is the way all persons who throw away a burden they carry and which has become too heavy for them, do this. This is the way Pirkey de Rabbi Eliezer explains this verse (chapter 45). This is also the plain meaning of the verse.