A significant person in Judaism, Rashi (Rabbi Solomon Isaac): HSC Studies of Religion

Criteria (NESA 2025 marking guidelines, SoR I Q16(c), SoR II Q27(c)). 7: a thorough evaluation of how ONE significant person or school of thought provides direction for a meaningful life for Jewish adherents, with clear and relevant evidence and integrated, accurate terminology. 5 to 6: sound evaluation. 3 to 4: explanation. 2: outline. 1: general statements. (NESA's sample used Abraham Joshua Heschel, who is not on the syllabus list; Rashi is on it.)

A 7-mark evaluation with Rashi.

1. Judgement. Rashi gives lasting direction because he opened the Torah and Talmud to every Jew who studies them, and Torah study is itself central to a meaningful Jewish life.
2. Understanding the Torah. His commentary explains "the plain sense of Scripture" with midrash that fits the words (Rashi on Genesis 3:8), so the weekly parashah can be understood and lived.
3. Access to halakhah. His Talmud commentary is the first guide every student uses, so the mitzvot are learnt from their sources.
4. Values. His comments teach ethics and faith, for example that "All the earth belongs to the Holy One, blessed be He" (Rashi on Genesis 1:1).
5. Limits. He gives direction mainly through study; his reliance on midrash was questioned by his own grandson; some Jews today engage with the Torah through other approaches.
6. Conclusion. Significant, practical direction through study and understanding, the foundation on which meaningful practice is built.

Source: NESA, 2025 HSC Studies of Religion examination and marking guidelines.

Criteria (NESA 2024 marking guidelines, SoR I Q21, SoR II Q32). 17 to 20: a comprehensive and accurate analysis of the impact of ONE significant person or school of thought on Judaism; integrates the statement effectively throughout; a cohesive, well-structured response with detailed, relevant and accurate information; relevant and accurate terminology. 13 to 16: accurate analysis. 9 to 12: some analysis. 5 to 8: general statements about the person. 1 to 4: general statements about Judaism.

A top-band frame on Rashi.

1. "Agents of change". He founded a school in Troyes (about 1065) that moved the centre of Ashkenazi learning to northern France; his method of peshat changed how Jews read the Torah; after the Rhineland massacres of 1096 his school kept learning alive.
2. "Enriching the faith". Commentaries on almost the whole Tanakh and most of the Babylonian Talmud; clear explanation with Old French glosses; preservation of the rabbinic midrash he selected.
3. "Inspiring new forms of religious expression". The Tosafists (his grandsons Rashbam and Rabbeinu Tam and their students); the "Chumash with Rashi" as a basis of weekly study; the printed Talmud page with Rashi in the inner column; hundreds of supercommentaries; the typeface called "Rashi script".
4. Analysis. His impact is on the expression of Judaism through study rather than new doctrine, but in Judaism study is worship.
5. Judgement returning to the statement.

Source: NESA, 2024 HSC Studies of Religion examination and marking guidelines.

Criteria (NESA 2023 marking guidelines, SoR I Q16(c), SoR II Q27(c)). 5: an accurate and detailed explanation of how the contribution is evident in Judaism today, with clear and relevant examples and clear, accurate terminology. 4: accurate explanation. 3: explanation. 2: general statements about the person. 1: general statements about Judaism.

A 5-mark plan using Rashi.

1. Every Talmud page. In the standard printed Talmud, Rashi's commentary runs down the inner margin of every page, beside the Tosafot; no one learns Talmud without him.
2. Weekly Torah study. Many Jews study the weekly portion with Rashi; the Shulchan Arukh (Orach Chayim 285:2) treats reading Rashi's commentary as fulfilling the custom of studying the portion with its translation.
3. Education. Rashi is usually the first commentator taught in Jewish schools, where students learn to ask "Rashi's questions" of the text.
4. Language. His Old French glosses and the "Rashi script" typeface are part of Jewish textual culture.
5. Judgement. His contribution is evident wherever Torah is studied, across Orthodox, Conservative and many Reform settings.

Source: NESA, 2023 HSC Studies of Religion examination and marking guidelines.

Criteria (NESA 2021 marking guidelines, SoR I Q16(b), SoR II Q27(b)). 6: thorough and accurate information on the contribution of ONE significant person or school of thought to Judaism, with clear and relevant evidence integrated, and relevant, accurate terminology. 4 to 5: accurate information with clear evidence. 2 to 3: some accurate information. 1: general statements.

"Evaluate" means a judgement about how significant the contribution is.

1. Contribution. The standard commentaries on the Torah and the Babylonian Talmud; the peshat method; the Troyes school and the Tosafists.
2. Evidence of significance. His Torah commentary was among the first Hebrew books ever printed (1475, Britannica); the Talmud is printed with his commentary; the Shulchan Arukh gives it the status of the Targum for weekly study.
3. Weighing. Unlike Maimonides, he did not write a law code or philosophy, and his grandson Rashbam argued for even more attention to the plain meaning. But no Jewish commentator is more widely read.
4. Judgement. His contribution is foundational to Jewish learning, which makes it central to Judaism as a whole.

Source: NESA, 2021 HSC Studies of Religion examination and marking guidelines.

Rashi wrote a clear, concise commentary on the Babylonian Talmud that explains each difficult word and argument as the student meets it. It became the essential guide to Talmud study and is printed beside the text on every page of the standard Talmud, so every Jew who learns Talmud learns it with Rashi.

Marking: 1 for the contribution, 1 for detail, 1 for its significance.

Method

Rashi said he was "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" (on Genesis 3:8). He chose, from a vast rabbinic tradition, the explanations that answer a real difficulty in the words.

Clarity

He explained grammar and vocabulary, often translating into Old French (laazim), so ordinary students could follow.

Values

His selected midrashim carry ethical and theological teaching into the reading of the text, for example that "All the earth belongs to the Holy One" (on Genesis 1:1).

Result

The "Chumash with Rashi" became the standard way to study the weekly portion; the Shulchan Arukh treats reading Rashi as fulfilling the custom of studying the portion with its translation.

Marking (Original): 5 for an accurate explanation of method, evidence and effect.

Learning

His commentaries became the entry point to both Written and Oral Torah; without them the Talmud would be closed to most students.

Institutions

The Troyes school and his descendants (Rashbam, Rabbeinu Tam) created the Tosafist movement, which dominated Ashkenazi learning for two centuries.

Continuity

After the Rhineland massacres of 1096, his school helped preserve and renew Torah learning in northern Europe; his penitential poems (selichot) responded to the suffering.

Print and practice

Printed with the Torah from 1475 and with the Talmud since the sixteenth century; used in weekly study and education.

Beyond Judaism

Christian scholars such as Nicholas of Lyra, and through him Martin Luther, drew on his work.

Limits

He wrote no law code or philosophy (compare Maimonides); his grandson thought he relied too much on midrash; his influence is strongest in traditional study settings.

Judgement

His impact on the expression of Judaism through study is unmatched by any other commentator, even if his influence on doctrine is indirect.

Marking (Original): 8 for a sustained assessment across areas, with evidence, limits and a judgement.