The manuscript in the Bodlean Library of Oxford
A week after the Yated Ne'eman's revelation of an ancient document identifying the gravesite of the Master of all Diaspora Jewry, Rabbenu Shlomo Yitzchaki, Rashi HaKadosh, a new significant development has emerged. Torah researchers and local investigators in Troyes, France, have united in a joint effort of an extensive research project to reveal the precise burial site of Rashi within the boundaries of the ancient Jewish cemetery that was destroyed.
This project is being undertaken with a race against time: the first and main part is expected to be published in Tishrei, this coming October. At the beginning of this year, Troyes was already officially designated as a European Heritage site for the project "Rashi of Troyes — Places of Remembrance," and it received the European Heritage Label on February 25, 2026. This includes the ancient Jewish Quarter and the home of Rashi, all on the background of the city's desire to expand the international recognition of the sites within it.
It should be noted that the official recognition of this label describes Rashi as being born and buried in this region and is yet another source corroborating his burial here.
In the course of the examination of manuscripts in the Oxford Bodlean library, a rare and complete version of the ancient historic essay "Seder Hayachas," a chronicle written in France only a few generations after Rashi's passing, came under scrutiny. In the section dealing with his death, it is specifically noted: "In the year 4465, the light of Israel was extinguished and our crowning glory fell and was buried alongside his ancestors in Troyes."
This is the first definitive reference, in a source from close to the time of the events and preceding the banishment of Jews from France that resulted in the destruction of the Jewish cemetery of Troyes.
The phrase "buried with his ancestors," taken directly from the Torah, testifies that Rashi was buried in the cemetery of his home city of Troyes, close to his antecedents. There is also additional corroboration of his grandson, Rabbenu Tam, who wrote that Troyes, is "the site of Rabbenu Shlomo and the city of the graves of his ancestors." (Sefer Hayoshor). This is a final repudiation of later allegations that he was buried in Prague or Worms.
Parallel to the research project, there is continued contact between representatives of the Jewish communities in Europe and bodies involved in historic preservation, headed by HaRav Yisroel Meir Gabbai and various authorities in France to precisely define the boundaries of the ancient cemetery in order to officially determine its legal status and erect a fitting landmark for the resting place of Rashi Hakodosh.
