midrash

American  

[mee-drahsh, mi-drahsh] / miˈdrɑʃ, ˈmɪ drɑʃ /

noun

plural

midrashim, midrashoth, midrashot, midrashos

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.

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midrash British  

/ 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

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Other Word Forms

• midrashic adjective

Etymology

Origin of midrash

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

Example Sentences

“Our Jewish scholar mentioned, ‘what you’re doing is called midrash, an ancient tradition in Judaism to look at these stories and read between the lines,’” says Echevarria.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 20, 2026

Sinai, God’s voice, in midrash, was heard communally, but was so overwhelming that only the first letter, aleph, was sounded.

From The New Yorker • Jan. 1, 2017

This was the meaning of the words in the Passover Haggadah, “We ourselves went out from Egypt,” and the midrash that states, “All generations stood together at Sinai.”

From New York Times • Jun. 23, 2016

“There’s actually a midrash, a Jewish teaching, that says ‘Why was there gold in the temple in Jerusalem?

From Slate • Jun. 19, 2013

“Run. Hide in the woods. We’ll go, too. Meet us at the school, the beit midrash, tomorrow. If there’s no beit midrash left, go to Cousin Yehuda’s. Go!”

From "The Inquisitor's Tale" by Adam Gidwitz