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Photo by Paul J. Lebens in honor of Rachel Held Evans (pictured) through whom the Spirit brings us together, even now.

Mid·rash /ˈmidˌräSH/

I don’t know about you, but I love words. As an attorney with an obsessive love of reading, words are life for me. So, you can imagine my joy when I met the word “midrash” during my theology studies. Say it out loud. Midrash. I mean, truly, hit that big “SH” at the end of the word. Midrash. From Hebrew miḏrāš for “commentary” and dāraš for “expound.” Midrash is the perfect descriptor for this blog, but it is also onomatopoetic, meaning it sounds like what it is. What do I mean?

Well, Midrash is basically how people, especially the Hebrews and early Christians – including Jesus – handled the Scriptures. According to Merriam Webster, Midrash is:

an ancient commentary on part of the Hebrew scriptures, attached to the biblical text;
an exposition of the underlying significance of a Bible text;
a collection of midrashim; or
the midrashic literature written during the first Christian millennium.

In other words, Midrash, generally, is the Hebrew word for our discussions, arguments, expansions, and stories of the Bible, including its texts and interpretation. So much better than “theology” or “hermeneutics,” (we will get to those later), Midrash means, in plain English, that people (Jews, Christians, and the like) used to discuss, argue, write, and talk about the Scriptures by chewing (Midrash) the Word. Reading it aloud. Talking about it. Applying it.

Reading the Bible (and we will talk about what I mean by “Bible” later too) was about reading and chewing the text. Arguing, expounding, applying, and wait for it, rejecting interpretations of the Bible. Really having the Word in your mouth and chewing on it. Isn’t that a great image? Chewing on the Word. Not spouting it. Not yelling it on a protest line. Not throwing the Word in someone’s face on social media. But, really having it in your mouth and chewing it until you get sustenance. That is why I love Midrash, the word and the act. It frees us from a fixed meaning and static understanding of the Bible. And it is much more in tune with the practices of the Hebrews and the early Christians.

So, our studies and discussions on this blog will be an exercise in Midrash. It is challenging because all ideas are welcome for discussion. This is a safe place to chew on a difficult topic with an open heart and a curious mind until your knowledge of God expands. For my part, I am just one of many who hope to feast on the Word, so thanks for joining me for the Midrash supper.

About Heather Wright

How did I get here? A religion blog? No one could have predicted this one. But, that is why God is fun. Yep, I said that, God is fun. I know that isn’t what most people think, but seriously, if you can look at a platypus and not think that God has a sense of humor, then maybe you are getting exactly the God that you deserve. But I digress.

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