A very troubling statement indeed! It was this past Chol Hamoed when my sons and I visited an out-of-town synagogue for Mincha/Arvit. A congregant between Mincha and Arvit addressed the topic of the Simchat Beit Hashoeva held at the Beit Hamikdash on Chol Hamoed Sukkot. The brief talk started on a conventional note, citing Rashi’s explanation of this festive celebration.
The next step of the talk was also quite conventional, with the speaker posing a compelling set of questions on Rashi. Nothing surprising here, following in the tradition of Ramban on Chumash and Tosafot to Shas.
However, the next step was troubling. The speaker then said he would present a superior explanation to Rashi for the Simchat Beit Hashoeva from a contemporary Israeli rabbi.
While the alternate explanation was quite intelligent, after tefillah I explained to my sons that this is just not the way we talk. We never should claim that we have a superior explanation to Rashi.
The Ramban, in his introduction to his commentary to the Torah, expresses the reverence with which we regard and treat Rashi. פרושי רבנו שלמה. עטרת צבי וצפירת תפארה. מוכתר בנימוסו במקרא במשנה ובגמרא. לו משפט הבכורה “Rashi’s commentary is the unchallenged leader, clarion call of glory, crowned with mastery of Tanach, Mishna and Gemara, to him belongs the right of the first born.”
Ramban, of course, disagrees with Rashi quite often. However, he does so with great respect and reverence.
Novel interpretations emerge in each generation and original thought is and should be encouraged at all levels of learning. However, original ideas must be expressed with utmost esteem for the great commentaries of the past, especially Rashi, the greatest of the past.
The phrase that best captures the delicate balance between reverence for the past and our eagerness to develop new ideas is “dwarfs standing on the shoulders of giants.” Dr. Shnayer Leiman, in a masterful brief essay on this topic that appears in Tradition 27:3, captures the power of this mindset. On the one hand it pays great homage to the greats of the past, while at the same time leaving room for us to formulate new approaches and ideas. Most interestingly, this phrase originated from a non-Jewish source, but was eagerly adopted by a wide range of early and later authorities, as Dr. Leiman documents beautifully.
I explained to my sons that there was nothing wrong with the content of the speech we had just heard. The problem rested in the manner in which the speaker expressed himself. We are correctly taught from day one in yeshiva that we never say our thoughts are superior to Rashi. This is simply not a respectful manner of expression.
The speaker could have and should have said that he is presenting an alternative approach to Rashi that seems to overcome the problems he raised with Rashi.
Those familiar with my writings know that I frequently cite my teenage students’ original insights and thoughts. I simply revel in the next generation taking appropriate ownership of Torah and adding a new layer of ideas to the corpus of Torah. However, I and all of my colleagues inculcate a love and respect for the giants of the past regarding whom we are mere dwarfs.
Makom hinichu lanu avoteinu l’hitgadeir bo—Our ancestors have left us room to make our unique contributions to Torah, teaches the Gemara (Hullin 7a). The giants of the past elevate us to see far and accomplish much. Express yourselves confidently, I teach my students, but do so with humility. An interpretation superior to Rashi offered by a member of the current generation? I don’t think so!
Rabbi Haim Jachter is the spiritual leader of Congregation Shaarei Orah, the Sephardic Congregation of Teaneck. He also serves as a rebbe at Torah Academy of Bergen County and a dayan on the Beth Din of Elizabeth.
