What is Midrash?
Many times, Jesus is recorded telling a story that has its parallel in the midrashic tradition. In truth, it is a brilliant way to connect to established themes and set the stage for the lesson he wants to teach.
The word Midrash (מִדְרָשׁ) comes from the Hebrew root word darash (ד־ר־שׁ), which means "to seek out," "to inquire," or "to expound." Midrash is an important aspect of Jewish interpretation as it searches the text and draws out hidden insights beneath the surface-level reading¹.
What Is Midrash?
Midrash is an ancient form of storytelling. It preserves insights and stories that accompany the Biblical text, some of which are older than the written text itself. These include: the lives of the patriarchs and matriarchs, the memory of historical events, and traditions of interpretation that the written page never spells out.
Wherever the Bible moves abruptly from narrative to narrative, Midrash can fill the gaps, answering the natural questions a reader may have.
Or when a word carries a strange spelling, an odd turn of phrase, or lacks clarifying details, the Midrash offers suggestions.
For more than three thousand years, these stories have been told, adapted, and retold across the Jewish world for thousands of years.
The Living Text
Each year, the Jewish community liturgically reads through the five books of the Torah from beginning to end. You might expect the cycle to grow stale after a few turns, but this is never the case.
The weekly sermon that follows the liturgical reading is called a Drash, and you can already tell this is connected to the word Midrash.
The Midrash keeps the texts alive, opening new perspectives on old verses and supplying endless material for new audiences.
Its stories circulate freely among religious Jews, and even make their way into popular media, forming a storehouse of metaphors and allusions.
A Traveling Tradition
In ancient times, as still today, an itinerant Rabbi can teach from the Midrash, knowing the audience already carries this foundation from which to build a new insight.
The same holds in the New Testament. What many call parables are an aspect of Midrash. Again and again, Jesus is recorded telling stories that echo, or even directly quote, the Midrashic tradition².
In other cases, it seems the Gospel stories themselves are written as a narrative Midrash on well-known prophetic passages³.
This is the tradecraft of a first-century Jewish teacher at work, drawing on themes his audience already knew, to set the stage for the lessons about the coming redemption.
How Old Is the Midrash?
While some see the Midrash as a work of later centuries, there is important nuance. The compiled volumes of Midrash indeed took shape after the Talmudic period. Yet, the material itself is understood to reach back much further.
There may even be material we no longer have access to, as it did not survive into modernity.
Though, given the creative character of Midrash, it is not hard to see its themes and ideas circulating in early form, long before the compilation and publication process began.
Midrash Matters
Midrash is an important field of study when one wants to go deeper into the Bible. Become familiar with how this genre flows, shares information, and conceals lessons is vital, and goes a long way to understanding the Biblical literature.
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Want To Learn More?
For more on Midrash, this video will provide further insight.
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