Page:Encyclopædia Britannica, Ninth Edition, v. 16.djvu/303

Rh M 1 D M I D 285 the district. Its efforts have been particularly successful among the Santdls, and some of the earliest and most valuable works on their language have issued from the Midnapur mission press. A brisk manufacture of brass and copper utensils takes place in the town ; it is also the centre of a large indigo and silk industry. MIDRASH. Like all nouns of a similar form Midrash is the equivalent of the Niph al participle, 1 and as such yields as many modified meanings as the root Darosh (yi 1 ;!), to search, &amp;lt;fec., itself has. The practical significa tions, however, of Midrash, taken in historical order, are as follows:- (1) a book of records; (2) a recension of older, especially historical, materials ; (3) search in and explanation of the Scriptures, notably the Pentateuch (in which case the plural is invariably Midrashoth] ; (4) theory as distinguished from practice ; (5) a college for study and teaching ; (6) an Agadic (that is, a free) explanation, in contradistinction to an Ilalakhic one ; (7) a collection of such free explanations (in which case the plural is Midrashim and occasionally also Midrashoth}. Of these seven significations (1) and (2) are to be found in the Bible, 2 (3) and (4) are mentioned for the first time in the Mish- nah, 3 (5) is to be met with in the Midrash, 4 while (6) and (7) are to be found in early Rabbinic writings. 5 The subject of this article will be (1) the nature of Midrash in the sense of Agadah, to the exclusion of Halakhah (for which see MISHNAH), and (2) the develop ment of this Midrash Agadah into books (Midrashim}. The thinking reader of the Scriptures cannot have failed to observe that by the side of their ceremonial element, be it negative or affirmative, permissive or jussive, there is also often to be met with (and sometimes so as to be insepar able from it) a spiritual element. This spiritual element rests chiefly on feeling or emotion, and produces pious works only indirectly. Now the explanation or application of this element, either by the Scriptures themselves or by the rabbis, is traditionally called Midrash Haggadah (recitation, preaching) or Midrash Agadah 6 (binding the soul to God and all that is godly). This Haggadah or Agadah varies considerably both in nature and form. In its nature it sometimes humours, at other times threatens ; it alternately promises and admon ishes, persuades and rebukes, encourages and deters. In the end it always consoles, and throughout it instructs and elevates. In form it is legendary, historical, exegetic, &amp;lt;lidactic, theosophic, epigrammatic ; but throughout it is ethical. And varied as was and is the Midrash Agadah, so varied have been its fortunes. Whilst at times it stood very high in the estimation both of the teachers and the con gregations in Israel, 7 it sank at other times very low indeed. 8 Nay, at one and the same time, whilst some 1 Comp. Nehem. viii. 8, where K&quot;lpE2 evidently stands for See also Kimhi on 2 Chron. xiii. 22, and Schiller-Szinessy, Exposition, &c., Cambridge, 1882, p. 11. 2 2 Chron. xiii. 22 and xxiv. 27. 3 See Nedarim, iv. 3, and Aboth, i. 17. 4 Bereshith Rabbah, c. Ixiii. (on Gen. xxv. 22): mpn N? Npni &quot;QJX1 DK&amp;gt;) ^ 1BTTD? N^S- Midrash is used in the East to this day for Beth Hammidrash. See MS. Oo. 6, 63 (of the University Library, Cambridge), leaf 135, lower margin

5 Rashi (e.g., on Gen. iii. 8) and Tosaphoth, passim. 6 Those who identify this word as merely the Chaldaic form of the Hebrew Haggadah (and they have, certainly, some authority on their side) ought to write it Aggadah (iTl|S), which, however, is not the traditional spelling of it (iTlJN). Singularly enough, the Latin religio is similarly derived by some from religare and by others from religere. 7 Siphere on Dent. 49 : &quot;If thou wishest to know Him who but spake and the world came into being, learn Haggadah; for by so doing thou wilt recognize the Holy One (blessed be He !) and cling to His ways ! &quot; 8 T. Y., M aseroth, iii. 4: &quot; And R. Ze erah was teasing those rabbis of the Agadah.&quot; rabbis exalted it to the skies, 9 other rabbis treated it with hatred, 10 or, worse still, with contempt. 11 There have actually been teachers whose treatment of it differed with the difference of the occasion. 12 The fact is the Jews liked or disliked the Midrash Agadah according to their political condition on the one hand and their proximity to Jewish professors of Christianity on the other. In the hour of prosperity the Jews preferred the Halakhah ; 13 in that of adversity they ran to hear the consoling words of the Agadah. 14 When near Judaeo-Christians, whose religious strength and argument chiefly rested on Agadah, 15 the Jews disliked it ; when among themselves, or when dwelling among Gentiles (heathen or Christian), they showed their wonted partiality for it. But, whatever were the likings or dislikings of the Jews for the Midrashoth, it is certain that these traditions were early 16 committed to writing, and formed into special volumes, known as &quot; Books of Agadah.&quot; 17 Such were first some of the Targumim and then the Midrashim. Against writing down the traditional explanations of the Mosaic ceremonial there existed a distinct law, 18 which was observed down to near the end of the 6th century. At an earlier period isolated disciples only, in order to refresh their memory, wrote down short Halakhic notes, which, how ever, they kept in secret. 19 The Targumim and Midrashim, on the other hand, were composed very early and were numerous, while their extensive contents were circulated in public. The Midrash, from whatever point of view it may be regarded, is of the highest value. It is of the highest value, of course, to the Jew as Jew first, inasmuch as he finds there recorded the noblest ideas, sayings, and teach ings of his venerable sages of early times. In the next place it has value to the Christian as Christian, since only by these ideas, teachings, reasonings, and descriptions can the beautiful sayings of the Founder of Christianity, the reasonings of the apostles, and the imagery of the sublime but enigmatic Apocalypse be rightly understood. But its importance appeals also to the general scholar, because of the inexhaustible mines of information of all kinds it con tains. The philologist will find here numerous hints on lexi cography and grammar, chiefly, of course, of the Semitic languages, but also of other tongues, notably Greek and Latin. The historian will gather here a rich harvest on geography, chorography, topography, chronology, numis matics, &amp;lt;tc. The philosopher will find here abundant and 9 Ibid.: &quot;Then said to him R. Bo bar [son of] Kohano, Why dost thou tease them ? Ask, and they will surely answer thee ! &quot; 10 T. Y., Shabbath, xvi. 1: &quot; He who holds it forth becomes burned by it ; he who listens to it gets no reward.&quot; 11 Ibid. : &quot;I never in my life looked into Agadic books.&quot; 12 Ibid. : &quot; Let the hand of him who wrote it be cut oil &quot;; and com pare with this T. B., Bobo Bathro, 1236: &quot;goodly pearl.&quot; 13 Beginning of Pesikotho Bahodesh Hasshelishi : &quot; First when the money was at hand one desired to hear the word of the Mishnah and the word of the Talmud. ...&quot; 14 Ibid. : &quot; Now, however, when the money is not to be got, and, moreover, when we are sick in consequence of the (treatment by the) government, one pines for the word of the Bible and for the word of the A qadah.&quot; 15 T. Y., Shabbath, xvi. 1, and T. B., Shabbath, 116a : &quot; The Evan- gelia and other Christian writings.&quot; 16 See Tosephto Shabbath, xiv. : &quot; I remember that one brought before Rabban Gamliel the elder [St Paul s teacher] the book of Job (in the) Chaldaic paraphrase&quot;; and T. Y., Kilayim, ix. 4: &quot;At that time I ran (my) eyes through the whole Book of the Psalms (in the form) of the Haggadah [Agadah of the Psalms].&quot; R. Hiyya Rubboh belonged to the middle of the 2d Christian century. 17 SmiST IQD- See T. B., Beraklwth, 23a, Tcmurah, lib, and the Talmudim, passim. 13 T. B., Oittin, 606 : &quot;In the college of R. Yishm ael it was taught, These [see Exod. xxxiv. 27] thou oughtest to write down, but thou must not write down Halakhoth. &quot; 19 T.B., Shabbath, 66: &quot; I found a secret roll, &quot; that is, a roll of Halakhoth kept secret. Comp. Rashi, in loco.