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What Is The Midrash?

  • Midrash (Hebrew: מדרש) is ancient rabbinic interpretation of scripture. Aggadah (Hebrew: אגדה) is rabbinic narrative. The two terms are, however, often used interchangeably to refer to those many aspects of rabbinic literature that are not related to Jewish behavior or law (Hebrew: הלכה)...
    Burton Visotzky, Benjamin Haber Kamine - Oxford Bibliographies

  • The word Midrash is derived from the verb דרש which means to demand, seek out, or investigate. For example ותלך לדרש את ה' – she [Rivka] sought out God’s word (Gen. 25:22); כי יבוא אלי העם לדרש אלקים – the people come to me to seek [the word of] God (Ex. 18:15); ודרשת וחקרת ושאלת היטב – you shall seek out, investigate, and question (Deut. 13:15). In that sense, the word Midrash originally meant seeking out the meaning of the text and referred to the exegetical process.
    Rabbi Haim Ovadia, Sefaria.org

  • A beit midrash is a Jewish house of study and discussion; in ancient times it was a school of higher learning.
    The Pluralism Project, Harvard University

Read The Midrash

  • Midrash
  • The Midrash

Additional Resources

  • Midrash and Aggadah: Introduction and Sources
  • Midrash, Torah.org

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