Midrash Rabbah
One name, many books.
By Rabbi Jill Jacobs
The history of Torah is one of interpretation. Every
seemingly superfluous letter, unclear transition, and difficult phrase invites
discussion, explanation, and elaboration. This interpretive tradition has
produced volumes and volumes of midrash--stories, homilies, parables,
and legal exegesis based on the biblical text. These texts offer a glimpse of
the ways that people of various times and places have grappled to understand
the biblical text and to make it meaningful for their own lives.
Midrashic Collections
The body of literature known as midrash is
generally divided into aggadic
(narrative) and halakhic
(legal) midrash. Collections
that contain mostly stories, parables, and homilies are classified as midrash
aggadah, while collections focused primarily on the derivation of law are called
midrash halakhah.
The largest volumes of midrash aggadah are often referred to collectively as Midrash
Rabbah. This name is actually a misnomer, as this group of texts comprises ten
unrelated collections, compiled over the course of eight or more centuries. Each
volume comments on one of the five books of the Torah (Genesis, Exodus,
Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy) or of the five Megillot (Song of Songs,
Ruth, Lamentations, Ecclesiastes, and Esther).
Some scholars trace the name Rabbah to the first line
of B'reishit Rabbah (Genesis
Rabbah), which begins, "Rabbi Oshaya Rabbah opened."
Just as books of the Bible often draw their names from the
first significant word of the text, this book of midrash also seems to have acquired the name of the first rabbi
quoted in it. Others argue that the title Rabbah, which means "great"
or "large," is intended to distinguish this book from a smaller
volume that must once have existed. Whatever its origin, the term "Rabbah"
later came to be applied to the largest collections of aggadic midrash on each of the five books of the Torah and the
five Megillot. In turn, shorter collections of aggadic midrashism on a few of these
books acquired the designation, Zuta, which means "small" in
Aramaic.
B'reishit Rabbah and Vayikra Rabbah
The oldest extant aggadic midrashimare B'reishit (Genesis) Rabbah and Vayikra (Leviticus)
Rabbah. Both were probably compiled around the fifth century CE, but each
includes material dating back at least to the third or fourth century. These
midrashim are written in a combination of Hebrew and Aramaic, and are peppered
with Greek words and expressions.
B'reishit Rabbah consists of a mixture of
line-by-line commentary, parables, popular sayings, and legal principles. Many
of the best known midrashim, including the story of Abraham breaking his father's
idols, appear in this collection.
One notable characteristic of B'reishit Rabbah, as
well as of a number of other aggadic midrashim,
is the prevalence of the petihta (known to scholars as a "proem,"
meaning "preface"), a roundabout method of explaining a given verse. The
petihta begins with a citation from elsewhere in the Bible--usually from Psalms
or Proverbs--and then explicates this text so that it eventually leads back to
the verse in B'reishit.
Vayikra Rabbah is classified as a "homiletic midrash,"
meaning that the text consists of a series of expository sermons, rather than of
a line-by-line commentary. Each of these homilies introduces one parashah
(weekly Torah reading) according to the ancient cycle of readings, in which the
Torah was read consecutively over the course of three years.
Each homily in Vayikra Rabbah focuses on one theme
that emerges from the parashah being introduced. For example, the first verse
of Leviticus, "God called to Moses," inspires a long meditation on
Moses' qualities and on his special relationship with God. The prohibition
against drinking wine before undertaking divine service (Leviticus 10:9)
prompts a discussion on the dangers of alcohol. Other verses spark discussions
about poverty, reward and punishment, and appropriate interpersonal behavior. With
their emphasis on topics of general interest, these homilies help ordinary
people to find relevance in the book of Leviticus.
Devarim Rabbah
Devarim (Deuteronomy) Rabbah is made up of
twenty-seven homilies, corresponding to the divisions of the book according to
the ancient triennial reading cycle. Scholars have dated this text as early as
450 CE and as late as 800 CE. Each homily in Devarim Rabbah addresses a halakhic (legal) question and each
generally concludes with a statement about redemption.
For example, the text begins with a reference to the first
words of the book of Deuteronomy, "These are the words that Moses spoke,"
and then launches into a discussion about the permissibility of writing a Torah
scroll in a language other than Hebrew. The midrash goes on to consider a range
of other subjects, including the importance of rebuke and the value of Torah,
and eventually concludes with a promise that, in the messianic era, God will
bless the Jewish people directly rather than via religious functionaries.
The last section of Devarim Rabbah consists of a lengthy
and sometimes astounding discussion on the death of Moses. In describing the
moment of Moses' death, the midrash imagines a powerful battle of wills, in
which Moses prays for life and God bolts the doors of heaven lest Moses' prayer
enter and overturn the divine will. The angel of death tries and fails to kill
Moses, the angels Gabriel and Mikhael refuse to participate in taking Moses'
life, and Moses' soul refuses to leave his body. Finally, in accordance with
the biblical text, God descends to give Moses the kiss of death and then to
bury him.
Sh'mot Rabbah and Bamidbar Rabbah
The Rabbah midrashim
on the books of Exodus and Numbers were probably compiled in the early medieval
period, though each also includes older material and, in some cases, the
vestiges of a previously-edited work of midrash.
Most scholars understand Sh'mot (Exodus) Rabbah
to be a combination of two separate works, each probably written sometime
between the ninth and eleventh century CE. The first half of the midrash offers
a line-by-line commentary on the first ten chapters of the book of Exodus, and
the second half consists of a series of homilies on chapters twelve through
forty. Similarly, Bamidbar (Numbers) Rabbah comprises an
exegetical commentary on the first seven chapters of the book of Numbers and a
homiletic commentary on the rest of the book. The first part of Bamidbar
Rabbah is notable for its inclusion of esoteric material and for its
apparent familiarity with Sefer Yetzirah, an early work of Jewish
mysticism. The second half of Bamidbar Rabbah is essentially identical
to Midrash Tanhuma on the book of Numbers. The development of the first
half of this text may have taken place as late as the twelfth century CE, while
the second half may have existed as early as the fourth century CE.
The Five Megillot
Between the fifth and eighth centuries, a Rabbah developed for each of the five Megillot--the
biblical books read on the holidays of Passover (Shir Hashirim/Song of
Songs), Shavuot (Ruth), Tisha B'Av (Eicha/Lamentations), Sukkot (Kohelet/Ecclesiastes),
and Purim (Esther).
In keeping with the themes of the book of Eicha,
which describes the destruction of Jerusalem in 586 BCE, Eicha Rabbah (fifth
century) offers a series of homilies that elaborate on the themes of
displacement, suffering, and hopelessness. Most striking are the midrashim that
depict God as actively destroying Jerusalem in order to punish the Jewish
people, and then mourning for the loss of the city and its people. In some of
these midrashim figures including the angels, the Torah, and various biblical
characters plead with God to save the Jewish people; in others, God retreats
into a private mourning, refusing any consolation.
Like Eicha Rabbah, Ruth Rabbah, also composed around
the fifth century, amplifies the themes of the book on which it is based. The
book of Ruth includes numerous examples of tzedakah (monetary gifts to
the poor) and g'milut hasadim (acts of loving kindness), and the midrash
spends significant time expounding on these themes. This midrash also spends
some time locating the story of Ruth within the larger biblical context by
reading references to Ruth and her family into verses from the book of
Chronicles.
Shir Hashirim Rabbah (sixth century)is most notable for its allegorical
interpretation of the biblical text. Read literally, Shir Hashirim consists
of some fairly racy poetry describing the relationship between two lovers. In
the hands of the midrash writers, the book becomes a G-rated description of the
love between God and the Jewish people. Consider, for example, the midrashic
interpretation of the verse, "All night between my breasts my love is a
bundle of myrrh (1:13)":
"My love is a
bundle of myrrh." What does "a bundle of myrrh” mean? Rabbi Azariah,
in the name of Rabbi Yehuda, explained that this verse refers to Abraham. Just
as myrrh is first among the spices, so too is Abraham first among the
righteous..."all night between my breasts." For he was considered to
be halfway between an angel and the divine presence (1:14).
Thus, what seems at first like a sexy bedroom scene is
transformed into a lesson about the righteousness of Abraham who, according to
this midrash, achieves near-divine status.
Some have suggested that Kohelet Rabbah, written
between the sixth and eighth centuries CE, may originally have served as a
school textbook. Through a verse-by-verse commentary on the book of Kohelet,
this midrash addresses an unusually wide range of topics, ranging from business
practices to the cycles of nature to the character and limits of wisdom. This
collection includes a significant amount of material taken from other midrashim
and from the Palestinian and Babylonian Talmuds.
The volume known as Esther Rabbah can be divided into
two sections. The first half, compiled around 500 CE, is an exegetical
commentary on the first two chapters of the book of Esther. Like other midrashim
of its time, this collection begins with a number of petihtaot introducing
the first line of the biblical book. Given the notable absence of the name of
God from the book of Esther, the midrash makes a special effort to find within
the biblical text hidden references to divine intervention.
The second part of Esther Rabbah was composed
significantly later, perhaps around the eleventh century. This section comments
on the remaining chapters of the biblical book. Most surprisingly, this half of
Esther Rabbah includes Hebrew translations of several passages of the
Septuagint, the first Greek edition of the Bible, published in the third
century BCE.
The Rabbahs include midrashim of a variety of styles,
themes, and time periods. Though different from each other in many ways, all of
these works help to bring the biblical text to life by adding stories and
interpretations, and by drawing out of the biblical text lessons for everyday
life. Most importantly, these midrashim remind us that the Bible has infinite
meanings, and that each individual and each generation reinvigorates it by
developing new interpretations.
Rabbi Jill Jacobs is the Rabbi-in-Residence for the Jewish
FundS for Justice.
