Why the Midrash?

Some people have asked me why we discuss things out of the Midrash? Sometimes, they don't really ask, they just say, "Well, that's just the old Jewish legalisms, they don't really apply to us!" People usually dismiss Midrash, and they don't know what Midrash even is.

First, Midrash has a basic meaning. It comes from the base word "DaRaSH," (Search) which can simply mean "a teaching" or "a bringing together of texts." Whenever anyone comments on two Scriptural passages that are not from the same source, they have made a drash. Christian priests and pastors bring what they call homilies all of the time. They take a couple of passages from Scriptures and they make some generic comments on them, hoping that if we listen to them, we can apply these teachings to our lives today. So, basically, a midrash is any teaching from Scripture that is based upon a Biblical text.

Now, the specific Jewish meaning of Midrash is found in the compilations of Mishnah (2oo CE), The Talmud of the land of Israel (400 CE), and the Talmud of Babylonia (600 CE). The writings of the Jewish Sages that have been passed down through Rabbinic Judaism is also called Midrash, and is compiled in the books just mentioned. But, when people often object to using these writings, they often do not know what it is that they are rejecting. Believers in Yeshua the Messiah do have an authority which comes from the Jewish Apostles, and is passed down to us in the New Testament, or Brit Chadashah. So, we do have a set of texts that we describe as "Scripture." But the Talmuds and Mishnah are not thought of as "Scripture" in the same way. Whereas in the New Testament, there is a need to resolve apparent contradictions between the New Testament and the Torah, there is no need to do this in Talmud. In fact, different Midrashim will not always be related to other Midrashim, even if they are based upon the same Biblical text. Herein lies the primary difference between Christian Theology and Jewish Instruction. A Midrash does not need to neatly package all of the loose ends of the Bible. In fact, it does the opposite. Questions are raised, in which more questions are raised. Where one answer may be gleaned, 1o or 100 more questions are asked. Then, often the opposite solution is raised, and then later it is refined or opposed. When Christians find these contradictions in Jewish writings, they believe that they have found many errors in Jewish thinking, or logic. Yet the goal of understanding the Scriptural meaning of a text is not to simplify its meaning so that it can be summarized and categorized. Instead, it is to take the many possible facets of interpretations in order to see just how immense the One G-d whom we serve really is. Christian theology, on the other hand, has a tendancy to narrowly define all Scriptures, to eliminate and resolve all controversies, and then create a nice statement of beliefs or doctrine or creed by which everyone else must adhere to. By doing this, then there is a mechanism by which man can become the judge over all other men, and by which a minority of people can rule over a majority. The problem with this is that the theology usually limits G-d in serious ways and resolves the ambiguity of G-d, forcing people to limit how much they can understand Him, and thus truly KNOW Him.

As to whether or not we all adhere to every Midrashic saying, obviously, this is neither true, nor is it the point. Some Midrashim, written long ago, may seem silly to our modern sensibilities, but again, they may not have been meant for our time, but were simply part of a manner of thinking from another time. But to dismiss them absolves us from the process of understanding, "How did we even get to where we are now?"

If you'd like to learn more about Midrash, let me recommend a couple of books:
First, the author Jacob Neusner is one of the 20th centuries most prolific writers about Jewish texts. He has commented on each of the tractates of Talmud in a Western and English rhetorical style. It is highly academic. Two books that are interesting (and difficult) to read: THE MIDRASH, An Introduction and THE MISHNAH, An Introduction. If you'd like to read a compilation of Midrashim on the Torah portions, I enjoy reading, THE MIDRAH SAYS, 5 Volumes, Bnay Yacov Publications.

Finally, when we get right down to the meanings of words, we do live by Midrash every day if we are studying the New Testament. Rabbi Yeshua and Rabbi Paul both bring to us a great many Midrashim, and as we apply them to our lives, these teachings begin to change us. However, if we do not read even the New Testament every day, much less the Midrashim of the Jewish Sages, then we have no basis by which to make any arguments or complaints. We must remember, from the Jewish tradition and for us, Studying is the highest act of worship. So, this week, I hope you each have a wonder time of worshipping The Almighty in your studies this week. Shavua Tov! RB