cover image Midrash for Beginners

Midrash for Beginners

Edwin C. Goldberg. Jason Aronson, $30.95 (96pp) ISBN 978-1-56821-599-0

One of the enduring features of Judaism are the midrashim, or stories, told by the Rabbis as they interpreted biblical tales for a new generation. According to Rabbi Goldberg, the word ""midrash"" has two meanings. It may refer to any comment made about a scriptural passage, or it may refer to a particular body of classic rabbinic commentary (Midrash) on scripture collected and edited between the second and ninth centuries. In this brief study, Goldberg uses the term in both senses to introduce the reader to the power of interpretation to expand and extend the meaning of biblical stories. Focusing on the story Joseph (Genesis 37-50), Goldberg sets his own midrashim against both the biblical narratives and the Genesis Rabbah, or Midrash to the Book of Joseph, to explore the depth and complexity of the character of Joseph. Goldberg's exercise in close reading and interpretation yields a harvest of bountiful insights into a familiar biblical story. (Aug.)