The Study of Midrashim

The story of the Exodus from Egypt, carries with it many strange Midrashim that are difficult to accept in a literal sense.

For example, if the two midwifes named Shifra and Puah, were really Yocheved and Miriam, then Yocheved would have been 130 years old at that time, and Miriam, six years old!

The Midrash describes Moshe and Aharon as being extremely tall. Pharoah, on the other hand, was described as a בריה משונה, “a strange creature,” who was so short that his beard was as long as he was tall.

The Jewish women multiplied to such an extent that they each had sextuplets in only six months. When the Red Sea split, all of the waters in the world also divided.

It goes on and on with hard to believe descriptions. There is a famous quote regarding Midrashim, “Anyone who believes them is a fool. Anyone who does not, is a heretic.

The Ramchal suggested that we should approach Midrashim in such a way, that if they are plausible, we should accept them. If they are difficult to believe, then we should see them as symbolic of something else. They must be trying to teach us a deeper lesson.

The study of Midrashim is certainly entertaining. The study of other subjects in the Torah may be more tedious, but they are more necessary.

I tell my students that after working hard at learning the basics of Judaism, they can treat themselves to a Midrash, as a kind of “desert” as a reward for a job well done.

There are so many aspects to the study of Judaism. Midrashim are one type of fascinating study, but must be approached with caution, so that they increase our faith, rather than diminish it.