MIDHRĀŠ. — Homiletic interpretation of the Bible, produced by the rabbis from approximately the 2nd to the 10th centuries.
The term derives from dāra, which, both in its verbal and substantive forms, already occurs in the Old Testament; in post-biblical Hebrew it means: “search for meaning, inquiry, explanation,” theoretical study as opposed to practice, “interpretation, exposition” of the meaning of Scripture (Aramaic dāra).
The m. tends to deduce from the sacred text whatever was necessary for the observance of the precepts which, from the end of the prophetic period onward, through the activity of the first learned men (“scribes”), became an increasingly vital concern. The m. thus becomes the further development of the “Law,” now called hālāhāh (v.), “practical norm.” In the period of the tannaim (v.), the m. is rich in prescriptive elements, which slowly give way to others—haggadic (v. AGGADA), homiletic, narrative, recreational—rich in parables and historical narratives, meditations, and affective and consoling expressions. Midhrāšic interpretation follows a particular hermeneutic and, given the fascination it exercises over listeners, is the nourishment of the popular soul. From the beginning of the 3rd century A.D., midhrāšic production began to be committed to writing. In the period of the gē'ōnīm (v.), the nomistic tendency predominates. More recently, the m. has been replaced by collections of sermons or by historical and scientific studies.
The midhrāšic homily begins with an introduction (“opening”: pētīhāh), in which the m. connects itself with some scriptural text (prophetic, hagiographic, or sapiential). The m., however, extends into collections based on almost all the books of the Old Testament.
Among the m. of tannaitic character are the Mēkhīthā' (“measure”), Siphra' (“Book”), and Siphrē' (“Books”), which comment on Exodus and Deuteronomy. The principal m. of haggadic character are: the m. rabbāh (the Pentateuch and the 5 meghīlāth), the Pēsiqā', and Talqūṭ. The “pearl” of homiletic midhrāšic literature is the Tanna' dēbē 'Elījāhī. Esoteric-gnostic in character is the “Book of Creation” (Sēpher jēšīrāh), cabala (v.).
Many m. were translated, particularly by Wünsche, into German.