(5.) Commentary on Numbers and Deuteronomy, called Siphre or Siphri ("ilSG), the Books, also Sijjhre B'be Bab (2"l '^3"I "^ISD), because Rab, the author of the preced- ing work, is also the author of this commentary, and Vishallechu (inS'i:'^.'!), because it begins with Numb, v, 2, where this word occurs. The commentary on Num- bers is divided into one hundred and sixty-one chapters, and that on Deuteronomy into three hundred and fifty- seven. The Siphre first appeared with the Mechilta and Siphra at Constantinople in 1515 ; at Venice in 1545. The best edition of it is in two volumes, with the ex- tensive commentary by Lichtstein (vol. i, Dyrhenfort, 1810 ; vol. ii, Radvill, 18"l 9). A Latin translation of it by Ugolino is given in his Thesaurus A ntiquitatum Sacrum (Venice, 1753), vol. xv.
2. The Ilomiletic or Ilagadic Exegesis. — The design of this branch of the ^Midrash- or exposition is to edify the people of Israel in their most holy faith, to encour- age them to obedience, to commend to them the paths of virtue and morality, to stimulate them to all good works, and to comfort them in tribulation by setting be- fore them the marvellous dealings of Providence with the children of man, the illustrious examples of the holy patriarchs, and the signal punishment of evU-doers from by-gone historj- — investing each character, and every event, with the halo or contumel}-, the poetry or the legend, which the fertile genius of the Hebrew nation and the creative power of tradition had called into ex- istence in the course of time. This branch of exposition extends over the whole Hebrew Scriptures, while the Halachic interpretation, as we have seen, is chiefly con- fined to the Pentateuch, which is the civil and legal portion of the Bible. It is also called Ilagadah ip>'^'^T> ; Chaldee mjX, from 133, to say), said, rejmrted, on dit, without its having any binding authority, in contradis- tinction to the Halachah, which is authoritative law. When it is stated that this department of Biblical ex- egesis is interspersed with homiletics, the beautiful max- ims and ethical sayings of illustrious men, attractive mystical expositions about angels and daemons, paradise and heU, Messiah and the Prince of Darkness ; poetical allegories, symbolical interpretations of all the feasts and fasts, charming parables, witty epithalamiums, touching funeral orations, amazing legends, biographic- al and characteristic sketches of Biblical persons and national heroes ; popular narratives, and historical no- tices of men, women, and events of by-gone days ; phil- osophical disquisitions, satirical assaults on the heathen and their rites, able defences of Judaism, etc., etc., it will be readily understood why the Jewish nation grad- ually transferred to this storehouse of Biblical and na- tional lore the name Midi-ash = the composition, kut
MTORASH
242
MIDRASH
i^oxhv. This branch of public and popular exposition, in which the public at large naturally felt far more in- terest than in the dry distjuisitions about legal enact- ments!, being thus called by them T/ie Midrash, the col- lection of works which contain this sacred and national lore obtained the name Midrashim (DiUJIlTi), Covi- tnentaries, in the sense of Cajsar's Commentaries. Hence the term Midrashic or Jlagadic exegesis, so commonly used in Jewish writings, by which is meant an interpre- tation effected in the spirit of those national and tra- ditional views. The following are the principal Mid- rashim, or commentaries, hi the more restricted sense of the word, which contain the ancient Hagadic expo- sitions. (It must here be remarked that as this branch of the !\Iidrash embraces the whole cycle of ethics, met- aphy.-<ics, liistory, theosophy, etc., as well as Biblical ex- position, it has been divided into — I, General Ifac/adak or Jlaijadah Midras/i, in its wider sense, treating almost excliisivGly on morals, history, etc. ; and, 2, into Speci(d I/(if/(iil(i/i or lla(/(td(ih Midras/i, in its narrower, and Mid- racli in its narrowed sense, occupying itsi-lf almost en- tirely with Biblical exposition, and making the elements of tlie general Hagada subservient to its purpose. It would be foreign to the design of this article were we to discuss anything more than the Midrash in its nar- rowest sense.)
(1.) Midrash Rahhoth (niai ^mT:),or simply 7?«6- hoth (ri2"i), which is ascribed to Oshaja b.-Nachmani (fl. A.D. 278), and derives its name from the fact that this collection begins with a Ilnrjadah of Oshaja Rahha, contains ten Midrashim, which bears the respective names of— 1. Bereshith Rahha (Nni niU;it-i2), abbre- viated from Bereshith d'Rabbi Oshaja Rahha (n^'^xna XS"! i<"'"51"!S "'S'l), on Genesis, divided into a hun- dred sections (r.V:j-i£). 2. Shemoth Rabhah (rT^TSlU n-"i), on Exodus, in fifty-two sections. 3. Va-jikra Rahhah (tlil X'npil), on Leviticus, in thirty-seven sec- tions. 4. Ba-midbar Rahbah (nS"l "I3TS3), on Num- bers, in twenty -three sections. 5. Debarim Rabhah (il2T C"'~i3'l), on Deuteronomy, in eleven sections. 6. Shir Ila-Shirim Rahhah (nm Di-l^irn "liffi), also called Agadath Chasith (p''\n n"15X), because the text begins with the word Chasith, on the Song of Song-s. 1. Midrash Ruth Rabhah {lizn mi ^ym^), on Kuth. 8. Midrash Eichah Rahbathi (inn"l ns'^X), on Lamen- tations. 9. Midrash Coheleth (Tbin-p DITa), on Ec- clesiastes. 10. Midrash Mer/illath Esther (rb^^.-C UJITa -inOX), also called Ilagudath MegiUah (ilbsia m:n), on Esther. This entire collection, which was first pub- lished at Venice in 1545, has been reprinted many times since (l)cst edition by Schrcntzel, with the different commentaries, Stettin, 180:$, 2 vols.). Excerpts of the Jlidrash on Bnth. Estlier, and Lamentations have been pul)lishcd in Latin by Schnell (Altdorf, 1050). The age of the compilation of tlie separate IVIidrashim constitu- ting this collection is critically and elaborately discussed by Ziniz. I)ie Gottesdimstlichen Vortrdge der Juden, p. 174-184, 203 sq.