I have had the great fortune to teach in several seminaries, and to work on multiple bishops’ staffs to coordinate continuing education and lay preacher development. No matter which educational setting, one of the chief desires of my students is for help with sermon preparation. But there are barriers, of course. Original language study is difficult for most pastors and preachers, as is the ongoing challenge of consulting diverse voices.
When my students are preparing for their final exercises—almost always a sermon to demonstrate what they have learned—I require them to consult the writing of Rashi, the Rabbi Shlomo Yitzchaki, as one of their sources. Rashi lived in the 11th century CE in France and what would become Germany. Both of his major teachers studied under Rabbi Gershom, a noted champion of women, who banned both polygamy and one-sided divorce decrees. Accordingly, Rashi’s work is notable for his focus on all the people in Scripture, including women, and for his focus on land and agriculture. Rashi lived in a period of great cultural variety, and he provides both linguistic and cultural notes in his commentaries.
In addition to his scope, it is the breadth of his work that draws great attention. Rashi commented on all the books of the Hebrew Bible, and on all the Talmud as well. Because Rashi has read and commented on everything, his notes are particularly intertextual. What makes Rashi such a useful conversation partner for a preacher?
- His nuanced translations of Hebrew and Aramaic
- His attention to where themes and words are used elsewhere in the Bible
- His attention to physical life
Before you start to feel dismayed by the cost of buying another book, or to lament that you cannot read Hebrew, I have great news. Rashi’s entire commentaries are available online, for free and in English! Sites like Sefaria and Chabad make Rashi’s entire biblical commentary easily accessible for anyone with the internet. Rashi’s commentary is immediately available and useful for the upcoming Revised Common Lectionary readings.
June 22, 2025: Isaiah 65:1–9
For example, in the Isaiah 65 text for June 22, Rashi notes that the returned Israelite and Judahite exiles are compared to the early juice that flows from a grape. He points out that this may be an allusion to Noah, who was a vintner (Genesis 9:20). Noah was not righteous in and of himself, but only when viewed relative to the worst generation ever (Genesis 6:9). Happily, Noah found grace in God’s eyes (Genesis 6:8). Rashi argues that Isaiah’s words to returned exiles were meant to be a comfort that, even though they may not be especially righteous—they may be juice rather than aged wine—it has always been God’s grace that saves.
July 6, 2025: Isaiah 66:10–14
Looking ahead to July 6, Rashi insists on reading all the embodied language of Isaiah 66, and translating to the language of the people. In verse 11, Rashi emphasizes to his French-speaking congregants that the second verb, which the New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition renders “drink deeply,” should be something like “suckles,” because the Hebrew imitates the sound of an infant nursing. Then Rashi notes that the best translation of the Hebrew verb that closes verse 12 is the Old French verb esbanier, which means to play with a baby. Rashi repeatedly insisted that the Bible should be understood using plain, embodied language that reflects embodied realities, rather than allowing disembodied analogies or euphemisms to creep into interpretation.
July 20, 2025: Genesis 18:1–10a
In reading the Genesis 18 text for July 20, Rashi brings a lovely reading of God’s character. Glossing Talmud, Rashi reminds the reader that when God came to visit Abraham in his tent, God was visiting someone in a time of ill health. Abraham has just had surgery, after all! Rashi points the readers to Rabbi Hama’s insistence that humans are to learn to emulate God’s graciousness (see Romans 8:29). Just as God clothes the naked (Eve and Adam in the garden, Genesis 3:21), so we are to clothe the naked. Just as God visits the sick (Abraham here in Genesis 18:1), so we are to visit the sick. Just as God comforts the mourners (blessing Isaac after Abraham died, Genesis 25:11), so we are to comfort the mourners. Just as God graciously loves those who cannot pay back (God buried Moses, Deuteronomy 34:6), we are to perform true acts of lovingkindness that cannot be paid back. That should sound familiar, as Jesus taught very much the same lesson (Matthew 25:31–46).
Reading the lectionary passages with Rabbi Shlomo Yitzchaki, who I am hoping is your new best friend, can be a tremendous blessing. He commented on translations to make sure that verses are read with simple readings, without becoming convoluted. He insisted on embodied meanings of texts that address bodies. As one of the most comprehensive biblical commentators ever, Rashi brought beautiful intertextual readings to folks who do not have time for (or interest in) Talmud study. In short, reading with Rashi provides the Christian preacher a precious insight into alternative reading strategies that are profoundly traditional and wildly life-giving.