MASTERING THE ART OF MIDRASH:LES POISSONS ET MOI

It took about ten minutes into the first piska in Bereshit Rabbah for the class to figure out that they were in a new country. Where was Job and what did he have to do with Bereshit?

“Welcome to the world of Midrash” was their answer. "Midrash assumes that the entire Tanach is a seamless text, where one text is always speaking to another. The art of Midrash and enjoyment of it as a style of literature is flying out to the place where the author begins and slowly closing in on a line from your original text. How you get there--the textual and aesthetic moves--makes an interpretation into an art form. “

J wanted to know if Midrash is commentary. “Yes and no” seemed appropriate. Sometimes a comment is just an explanation and sometimes it is midrashic. Midrash wants to move you, make a point and lift you up. Midrash can get very emotional which I think is why so many people think of it as a polemic against other competing religions. More on this to come, I am sure.

“Boy we sure are going to learn a lot about other books in the Bible!” someone said. At the very least we are going to spend a lot of time flipping pages around.

Then I had a funny inspiration. Some time ago I had a student who always found the place in Psalms or the Prophets in a split second. Her secret weapon? Tabs for each book of the Bible which she had picked up in a Christian book store.

I decided my students deserved a present, since they had given me a beautiful wall hanging for my Sukkah. Surfing around on internet, I googled Bible tabs. Who knew there were so many choices? Gold foil, pink, lavendar, with fish and without. I ordered a set for everyone. Now I am getting daily emails from Christian Book Source. Kind of interesting to compare their offerings ( no pun—okay yes pun-- intended!).

It was a little shocking to see the tiny crosses under-hatching each tab. They did not appear on the enlarged image. So my students have homework: 1) throw out the tabs they do not need 2)attach the tabs they do need 3) notice the difference in the order of the books 4) take a pen to the crosses. Can’t have my students walking about town with fishy looking Bibles. But they were all so tickled and happy!