Rashi by Elie Wiesel Page B

should retake Jerusalem from the Muslims, initiating what will be the First Crusade. Christian soldiers set off for the Holy Land, massacring Jews in France, the Rhineland, and Bohemia along the way.
1099
Crusader Godfrey of Boullon conquers Jerusalem, massacring Jews and Karaites.
1105
Rashi dies. His grandson and disciple Shmuel ben Meir, known as the Rashbam, one of the most prominent Tosafists, completes Rashi’s commentary on several tractates of the Talmud.
1138
Birth of Moses ben Maimon, known as Maimonides or Rambam, the great Spanish philosopher, commentator, writer, and codifier of
halakhah
and physician to Saladin, as well as
nagid
, leader, of all Jews under Saladin’s empire.
1141
Death of Judah ha-Levi, the great Hebrew poet, philosopher, and friend of Abraham ibn Ezra. Born in Spain, he died in the land of Israel.
1144
The first blood libel takes place in Norwich, England.
1146
The passage of the Second Crusade through France causes one of Rashi’sgrandsons, Jacob ben Meir, known as Rabbenu Tam, to leave his home in Ramerupt, France. The greatest scholar of his generation, Rabbenu Tam wrote extensive responsa as well as Hebrew poetry and grammar.
1150
Rabbi Eliezer bar Nathan of Mainz, a leading German rabbinical authority, together with Rabbenu Tam and Rashbam, composes
Takkanot Troyes
, the Ordinance of Troyes, the directives governing the Jews of that community.
1190
Saladin reconquers Jerusalem from the Crusaders, permits Jewish resettlement.
1194
Birth in Spain of Moses ben Nachman, known as Nachmanides or Ramban, a major philosopher, Talmudist, and Kabbalist whose biblical commentary appears in the standard texts with that of Rashi. His teachers were trained by the Tosafists of northern France, the school of Rashi’s disciples.
CA . 1205–1218
The Radak, Rabbi David Kimhi, a grammarian and exegete in Narbonne,France, participates in the judgment of several men from Barcelona who dishonored Rashi’s memory.
1288
A blood libel in Troyes leads to the execution of thirteen Jews, inspiring laments by the Hebrew-French poet Jacob ben Judah of Lorraine, who witnessed the event.
1322
Nicholas de Lyre, a Christian biblical commentator and theologian, begins to publish his
Postillae Perpetuae
, the first Christian Bible commentary to be printed. He relies heavily on Rashi, whom he also translated into Latin.
CA . 1470
Birth of Obadiah ben Jacob Sforno, a major Italian biblical commentator.
1475
First known printed Hebrew book is produced in Italy. A Bible with Rashi’s commentary, it uses a cursive script typeface for Rashi’s comments, a typeface that will come to be known as “Rashi script.”
1503
Don Isaac Abrabanel, a Portuguese-born financier and biblical exegete who hadfled Portugal and Spain rather than convert to Christianity, settles in Venice where he will continue to write his commentaries on the Bible.
1517
Daniel Bomberg, a Christian printer of Hebrew books, publishes
Mikra’ot Gedolot, a
Hebrew Torah with commentary by Rashi, ibn Ezra, and others. Establishes the convention of printing the commentaries in “Rashi script.” He goes on to publish the Talmud, also with commentaries in Rashi script, including those of Rashi and his grandsons, the Tosafists.
1614
Rabbi Yom Tov Lipmann ha-Levi Heller, a purported descendant of Rashi, begins to publish his commentary on the Mishnah, the
Tosafot Tom Tov
.
1649
Rabbi Isaiah ben Abraham ha-Levi Horowitz, a purported descendant of Rashi, publishes his
Shnei Luchot ha-Brit
, a guide to ethical life combining
halakhah
, kabbalah, and moral instruction
CA . 1735
Israel ben Eliezer, known as the Ba’al Shem Tov, founds the Hasidic movement, which stresses ecstatic prayer and mysticism. His influence soon spreads among the Jews of Eastern Europe.
1772
Birth of Nahman of Bratzlav, who will go on to be a major Hasidic thinker.
1791
Emancipation of the Jews of France.
1895
Albert Dreyfus, a Jewish captain on the French Army General Staff, convicted of