Why do we know so little about Rashi, Rabbi Shlomo ben Yitzchak? This question is intensified because Rashi, who lived in France in the 11th century, was in terms of the Torah and Talmud a master of knowledge and clarity. He teaches us the art of commentary, and thereby diminishes the distance between us and ancient texts. Rashi is great because he is forever loyal to the text before him, and before us, but he also tries to be kind to the people he writes about. Additionally, master though he is, he is not afraid to say “I don’t know.” A great Torah sage, he was also a father, husband, and businessman. How could it be then that did not respond to the tragedy of the Crusades that, while skirting his own town of Troyes, devastated Jewish life in those nearby? At least two points in his writings do suggest a response to the upheaval: his lenient position regarding those forced to convert returning to Judaism; and his first comment on the Book of Genesis proclaiming that God, Creator of All, gave Israel to the Jews, which implies that the Crusaders are fighting over what does not even belong to them. This comment also reveals that, counter to common opinion, Rashi came to his Torah commentary only his later years, contemporary to the Crusades. At bottom, he was perhaps sent down to show that children, like myself, need not be afraid of confronting ancient texts. In essence, Rashi’s commentary on Torah and Talmud teaches us to remember the past--to remember the times when God and Israel worked together to attain the same goal.