Where Does the Midrash Come from?

The Aish Rabbi Replies

Thank you for raising your important issue. Before I begin addressing your question, I should point out that there are two very different bodies of literature which are both referred to as the Midrash. (The word “midrash” comes from the root “darash” – which literally means to seek or inquire. In this context, it refers to the practice of analyzing the Torah’s precise wording and deriving further meanings and inferences from it, sometimes homiletical.)

The first type of Midrash are the halachic Midrashim (e.g., Mechilta, Sifra, Sifri). These deal with the legalistic parts of the Torah, generally discussing the precise meanings of the Torah’s verses in Jewish law. Such works are in essence similar to the Mishna and Talmud and do not seem to be the subject of your question. (The main difference between the Midrash and the Talmud is that the Midrash is organized according to the verses of the Torah while the Talmud is organized logically.)

There is also an extensive body of Midrashic works which is Aggadic – dealing with non-legalistic issues – aspects of the Torah not directly impacting on Jewish law. It primarily consists of elaborations on the stories of the Torah, ethical lessons, and parables. Often, the Midrash speaks in wild metaphor – in manners clearly not intended to be taken literally – yet which teaches deeper or even Kabbalistic messages. These include such classic works as the Midrash Rabbah and Midrash Tanchuma.

In terms of its origin, in essence the Midrash comes from Sinai. It is a part of the Oral Torah taught to Moses at Sinai – as the Mishna and Talmud – but not recorded in writing until much later. (As always, the Oral Torah is a combination of actual teachings passed from Sinai and extrapolations made by later scholars, based on the accepted techniques for interpreting and making deduction in the Torah.) Thus, unlike the written Torah, which was written down word-for-word shortly after the Revelation at Sinai, the Midrash consists of teachings and lessons which were preserved in a much more living, dynamic form, and only later assumed the set form it has today. It therefore does not consist of the actual words Moses was taught at Sinai, but it contains the same messages and content. This is why the Midrash will often teach lessons using metaphors suited to the times and places of the scholars of the Talmud. They were the ones who expressed the ideas of the Midrash as we have them today, employing language and intellectual constructs contemporary to their times.

Although such Midrashic works are not legalistic and seem much less rigorous and substantial than the legal parts of the Oral Torah, they too are equally a part of our tradition. Of course, as we mentioned, such Midrashim are often not meant to be taken literally (see here for a further discussion). Yet at the same time, their lessons and messages are very much a part of our eternal Torah.

Pirkei Avot is a section of the Mishna which deals almost exclusively with ethics – not with the laws and customs which are almost the exclusive focus of the entire rest of the Mishna. It begins: “Moses received the Torah from Sinai and transmitted it to Joshua…” Pirkei Avot then provides a brief outline of the Torah’s transmission from Sinai until the early period of the Mishna. One of the commentators to the Misha, Rav Ovadiah of Bartenura (Bertinoro), asks why such an introduction – tracing the Torah back to Sinai – appears at the beginning of Pirkei Avot and not at the beginning of the entire Mishna?

He answers that it is obvious and need not be stated that the legalistic parts of the Oral Law are from Sinai. They are simply the interpretations which accompanied the Written Torah, filling in the many details not recorded in the Torah itself – but which clearly must have been given at Sinai. However, the ethical advice of Pirkei Avot does not really seem like “solid” Torah. It seems no more than sage advice – surely coming from great people, but not qualitatively different from what one might read in the writings of Ben Franklin or Dale Carnegie.

This is why Pirkei Avot expressly begins with an accounting of the Torah’s transmission – to emphasize that the advice and introspections of the Sages are not just the wise musings of ancient scholars – surely less relevant and practical than contemporaries such as Jordan Peterson or Tony Robbins. Such ethics are a part of our tradition – whose origins stem directly from Sinai. Again, not every story in the Midrash is meant to be taken literally, but it must all be taken seriously – and revered to the same degree as every other part of our Torah.

It should be noted that there are in fact a very wide range of Midrashic works. Some of the classic ones – like the Midrash Rabbah and Tanchuma – are very old and considered fully authentic. (I should add that even those works were generally not compiled in their present form until much later, often well into medieval times. But they are basically collections of much older material (as seen from the fact that they consistently quote from Talmudic sages), just put into their current forms much later. In fact, what we call the Midrash Tanchuma today is actually a combination of two or three separate Midrashic works, one of which was the original Tanchuma.) Other Midrashic works have origins much less well-known, and in fact some are of more questionable authenticity. But the main ones you will generally see cited are all considered thoroughly authentic and reliable.