Understanding Midrash

There is a quote connected with the Rebbe of Kotzk. He said, “Anyone who believes Midrashim is a fool. Anyone who doesn’t is a heretic.”

The study of Midrashim can be interesting and entertaining at the same time. It is filled with stories that embellish many of the events connected with the biblical characters of the Tanach.

However, there are many Midrashim that seem almost impossible to believe. For example, there is a Midrash that says that Pharoah was an “Amah tall, with a beard that was one Amah long.” (An Amah is about a foot and a half.)

Such Midrashim make people scoff at these teachings and do not take them seriously. The Maharal suggested that if the information that is presented is believable, we can accept it at face value. If it’s too hard to believe, assume it is a form of allegory.

The Ramchal wrote a short essay on the subject and said that this literature that is also known as the “Agadda,” was intentionally written in a non-understandable manner.

It was written in the form of code, with very deep and even esoteric meaning. This information was only available to the greatest scholars of each generation.

They needed to have been on a very high level, and had to have been taught this by their own teachers.
This comment of the Ramchal demonstrates how foolish it is for people of limited knowledge to mock and belittle this hidden treasure of information.

Similarly, it is quite audacious to feel that one has the knowledge to challenge the wisdom of our sages, and brush aside their teachings as nonsense and irrelevant.

The more one studies, the more he appreciates the incredible wisdom contained in the holy teachings of our Rabbis. Midrash literature is but one example where it is better to be considered a fool than a heretic!