midrash

[ Sephardic Hebrew mee-drahsh; Ashkenazic Hebrew mi-drahsh ]

noun

, plural mid·ra·shim [mee-d, r, ah-, sheem, mi-, draw, -shim], mid·ra·shoth, mid·ra·shot, mid·ra·shos [mee-d, r, ah-, shawt, mi-, draw, -shohs].

1. an early Jewish interpretation of or commentary on a Biblical text, clarifying or expounding a point of law or developing or illustrating a moral principle.
2. (initial capital letter) a collection of such interpretations or commentaries, especially those written in the first ten centuries a.d.

midrash

/ miˈdraʃ; mɪdˈræʃɪk; ˈmɪdræʃ /

noun

1. a homily on a scriptural passage derived by traditional Jewish exegetical methods and consisting usually of embellishment of the scriptural narrative
2. one of a number of collections of such homilies composed between 400 and 1200 ad

Derived Forms

• midrashic, adjective

Other Words From

• mid·rash·ic [mid-, rash, -ik], adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of midrash¹

First recorded in 1605–15, midrash is from the Hebrew word midrāsh literally, exposition

Word History and Origins

Origin of midrash¹

C17: from Hebrew: commentary, from darash to search

Example Sentences

Each book uses a traditional storytelling structure — lyrics, midrash, folk tales — while pushing at the edges of what a form can contain, cramming it with modern human concerns, triumphs and tragedies.

From Los Angeles Times

The commissions will begin later this year with a beit midrash, or study period, for the writers, spearheaded by Sabrina Sojourner — herself a Jew of color who serves as a Rockville, Md.-based community chaplain promoting diversity and inclusion among Jewish people.

From Washington Post

Rather, he did what great exponents of Midrash have done for centuries: He used the Bible as a canvas on which to paint new images, ideas and interpretations; metaphors for the age in which he lived.

From Washington Post

Herzfeld spoke during a recent a tour through the 1,300-square-foot Northwest Washington house being renovated to be the yeshiva, where there are bedrooms for students to live, a massive basement of books and an open backyard being transformed into Reb Elimelech’s core Torah study room, in Hebrew called a beit midrash.

From Washington Post

Take Rabbi Buechler, who in 2011 started Midrash Manicures, which makes nail decals customized for Jewish holidays — plagues for Passover, tiny shofars for Rosh Hashana, scales of justice for Yom Kippur.

From New York Times