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Midrash
 Part Two
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Midrash: An Introduction
A Short History
As long as there has been a sacred text, there has been midrash.
Many people don't realize that the Bible itself contains 'midrash'
on the Torah.
- For example: we read in Gen. 28:10 And Jacob left Be'er Sheva to Haran... We know he was running from Esau, but he also was going to Haran to find a wife. In the Haftarah taken from (Hosea 12:13)
we read a different spin, When Jacob fled..
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- We see the process beginning most clearly with Ezra:
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- Ezra the priest brought the Torah* before the congregation...
He read from it...translating it and giving the sense... (Neh.
8:2,8)
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- *many scholars assume this was the book of Deuteronomy
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- The Jews coming from Babylonia spoke Aramaic. They needed someone
to translate the text. This was the role of the Meturgaman (translator).
As we will see in the next page, no translation is perfect. The
translator is adding/ subtracting his/her own opinions. After
a while, the Meturgaman began to give more of his thoughts, and
this 'sermon,' or 'drashah' became a formal part of the service.
The person giving a 'drash' was known as a Darshan.
- Darshan
Midrashic Gallery
| Parshanut Difficulty |
Midrashic Solution |
| Missing Information |
fills in holes/details |
| Contradictions |
resolves discrepancies |
| Echo's and Juxtaposition |
makes connections |
| Metaphors |
interprets |
| Duplication |
explains repetition |
| Unknown meaning |
guesses unkown |
Midrashic Styles
Just as we saw there were several kinds of problems, there are
also many kinds of midrashim. Midrashim have a number of different
literary styles. Here are a few you might encounter: (Click on each type to see an example)
- Question and answer
- Word play
- The 'Skeptic' (typically, a non-Jew challenges a Rabbi, who provides an answer)
- Parable/Allegory (a story of a king is a common allegory for God.)
- Story form
- Quote and connection
- Free flowing
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