![]() ![]() Midrash is both a body of classic literature that lets us enter into the mind of our ancestors as they read Scripture and a process that invites us to continue to read our lives into the Bible’s holy words. Jews read the Hebrew Bible through the lens of this rabbinic interpretation, just as Christians read it through the lens of the Second Testament. Judaism is not merely the religion of the Bible, but the heritage shaped by these ancient rabbis. They created a vast body of legal and narrative commentary that was eventually collected in the Talmud (550 CE) and Midrash (400-1200). They read the biblical text in the light of their time. It was in those academies that the rabbis developed new ways of interpreting Scripture. In place of the Temple, they focused on the home, the synagogue and the academy. In place of sacrifice, they offered prayer, study and deeds of loving kindness. They taught new ways of coming close to God. What would it mean to read the Bible as if its words were actually speaking to us? Following the destruction of the Temple (70 CE), the ancient rabbinic sages believed that Scripture could speak to every generation anew. ![]()
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