Eran Viezel

There are two statements concerning Targum Onkelos in Rashi's commentary to the Babylonian Talmud — Qidushin 49a and Megilla 21b. The first part of the article deals with the statement in the Qidushin tractate. This statement reveals Rashi's innovative approach to the history of Targum Onkelos: he claimed that its origin was at Sinai and it is the word of God. This innovative outlook gave rise to research works which queried Rashi's expressed purpose, but seem to have been unwarranted. The author of this article claims that the doubt expressed by these researchers about the sincerity of the statement derives from their erroneous interpretation that although Rashi says that the origin of the Targum was at Sinai, he does not refrain from criticizing the way which it translated the Hebrew verses. The second part of the article deals with the statement in tractate Megilla. This statement reveals Rashi's opinion about the purpose of Targum Onkelos: mainly for women and persons who do not have a command of the holy language. Indirectly the statement provides a link between Targum Onkelos, the Aggadah of the Sages and the books of Leʿazim.