Searching for Meaning in Midrash: Lessons for Everyday Living

by Gershon Schwartz, Michael Katz, Rabbi Gershon Schwartz, et al.

Book Overview

Searching for Meaning in Midrash explores the fascinating body of Jewish literature called Midrash--creative interpretations of the Bible that are designed to reveal hidden or deeper meaning in Scripture. Each of the over 50 midrashim sit next to its corresponding biblical text so that readers can compare them, along with commentary on the times and insights of the Rabbis who wrote each midrash. Readers are given guidance for answering "What...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 082760730X
• ISBN13: 9780827607309
• Release Date: July 2002
• Publisher: Jewish Publication Society
• Length: 384 Pages
• Weight: 1.05 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 7.0" x 10.0"

Customer Reviews

This is an excellent book for getting more meaning out of the Torah/ Pentateuch.

The Oral Torah was handed down for generations from Moses. It is the complement to the Written Torah. Keep in mind that the original Torah was written without vowels or punctuation; the implication being that there had to be an oral Torah to understand the written one. Midrash refers to stories and details from the Oral Torah that clarify and add to stories in the Torah. The Oral Torah wasn't codified in the Talmud until about a millennium ago when anti-Semitism was so intense it appeared that the Oral Torah would be lost to posterity. This book is presented in an easy concise format. The authors explain all of the Hebrew words that are used. The actual Biblical texts are juxtaposed with the Midrashic texts for easy comparison. Then each is followed by a D'rash, a short commentary. The root word of d'rash means to investigate. A lot of Christians tend to shy away from Jewish commentaries and such books are rarely sold in Christian books stores, even though Christians believe in the Hebrew Bible, the so called Old Testament. This is unfortunate because they are really missing out on a lot. Very few Christian ministers were able to answer my questions pertaining to the Hebrew Bible. A couple of ministers I consulted had never even heard of the story of Tamar and Judah in Genesis 38. The Jewish people are named for Judah/Yehuda.