A few weeks ago, both the girls and boys Torah Bowl teams competed to test their knowledge of Rashi on parshiot Berashit, Noach, and Lech-Lecha. Both teams were very successful with the boys going 2-1 and the girls going 3-1. Not only are their wins impressive, but so is the amount of Torah they learned in order to answer the questions. Here are just a few of our Torah Bowl team members favorite Rashis from this competition: 

Adina Lippman, Senior 23’

“My favorite Rashi is from בראשית פרק א פסוק ב on the words “ורוח אלוקים מרחפת”, meaning “and the spirit of Hashem was hovering [over the water]”. Rashi is troubled by these words and what they mean, but he concludes that it means the throne of Hashem, the כסא הכבוד, was hovering in space over the face of the waters by the breath/wind of Hashem and by His command, just as a dove hovers over its nest. If the Torah makes a point to show Hashem was looking over the world, hovering over the sea, on the day of creation (when obviously He was there creating it), then all the more so on every regular day, Hashem is hovering over our lives and watching over us. I loved this Rashi because it emphasized the constant presence of Hashem.”

Yishai Kaufman, Senior 23’

“It had been a long-standing question that remained in the back of my mind but was never really something I tried to find an answer to. The second Rashi in the Torah addresses an issue that is found in many places throughout the Torah. It discusses the fact that Hashem’s shechinah rested over the water before said water was even created. Rashi explains that the Torah is not necessarily fully in order, but it’s in the order that Hashem deemed as necessary.” 

Elana Max, Sophomore 25’

“My favorite Rashi from Torah Bowl is on Pasuk Aleph, which explains why the Torah starts with the word בראשית. Rashi explains that this Pasuk begins the Torah so no one should claim that we have stolen Canaan, as we have proof the world was created for us. Here, we learn about the very reason for the world’s creation and how important it is. As Jewish people, we know the truth of the world because we know the truth of G-d, but other nations don’t necessarily believe this truth. This Rashi reminds me of the importance of perspective, to be willing to look at a situation from someone else’s shoes and of the depth we can see in the Torah when we look for it, because there is always so much more to learn and another side to explore.” 

Ariela Haftel, Senior 23’

“In פרשת נח, it describes the water that came down during the flood as גשם, rain, and later on in the פרק it is switches to describing it as a מבול, a flood. Why does the Torah switch from calling it rain to a flood? Rashi answers that by first bringing down rain, Hashem was giving the people a chance to do teshuva. The water came down little by little so that if they realized that what they had been doing was wrong and changed their ways, the water could actually be a blessing for them. Hashem had already given them 120 years while נח was building the תיבה to do teshuva and was now giving them yet another chance. This Rashi teaches us that Hashem is waiting us to do teshuva and wants to be able to bless us instead of punishing us whenever possible”

These are just a sample of the many Rashis that our Torah Bowl team members learnt for the meet. Congratulations on the wins and yasher koach on your learning and preparation!