midrash
noun
mid·rash ˈmi-ˌdräsh 
plural midrashim mi-ˈdrä-shəm
1
: a haggadic or halachic exposition of the underlying significance of a Bible text
2
: a collection of midrashim
3
Midrash : the midrashic literature written during the first Christian millennium
Examples of midrash in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
But the midrash—the Jewish rabbinic interpretive tradition—tells a different version. —
Ilana Kurshan, The Atlantic, 24 Aug. 2025 Two rabbis from the country’s large Progressive community disagreed with the remarks by Rabbi Meir Villegas Henriquez, an Orthodox rabbi and mohel from Rotterdam’s Ohel Abraham beit midrash (Jewish study center). —Canaan Lidor, Sun Sentinel, 14 Nov. 2024 Each book uses a traditional storytelling structure — lyrics, midrash, folk tales — while pushing at the edges of what a form can contain, cramming it with modern human concerns, triumphs and tragedies. —Bethanne Patrick, Los Angeles Times, 27 July 2023 The commissions will begin later this year with a beit midrash, or study period, for the writers, spearheaded by Sabrina Sojourner — herself a Jew of color who serves as a Rockville, Md.-based community chaplain promoting diversity and inclusion among Jews. —Washington Post, 7 Apr. 2022 Typically, midrash would start wherever there was something unusual in the text. —oregonlive, 5 Sep. 2021 Scripture was a performative art, such as the intensely emotional and argumentative art of Jewish midrash. —Randy Dotinga, The Christian Science Monitor, 22 Nov. 2019 Nor does the average WeWork have a beit midrash, or Jewish study hall, filled with Torah books and other religious texts. —Josefin Dolsten, sun-sentinel.com, 26 June 2019
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Ilana Kurshan, The Atlantic, 24 Aug. 2025 Two rabbis from the country’s large Progressive community disagreed with the remarks by Rabbi Meir Villegas Henriquez, an Orthodox rabbi and mohel from Rotterdam’s Ohel Abraham beit midrash (Jewish study center). —Canaan Lidor, Sun Sentinel, 14 Nov. 2024 Each book uses a traditional storytelling structure — lyrics, midrash, folk tales — while pushing at the edges of what a form can contain, cramming it with modern human concerns, triumphs and tragedies. —Bethanne Patrick, Los Angeles Times, 27 July 2023 The commissions will begin later this year with a beit midrash, or study period, for the writers, spearheaded by Sabrina Sojourner — herself a Jew of color who serves as a Rockville, Md.-based community chaplain promoting diversity and inclusion among Jews. —Washington Post, 7 Apr. 2022 Typically, midrash would start wherever there was something unusual in the text. —oregonlive, 5 Sep. 2021 Scripture was a performative art, such as the intensely emotional and argumentative art of Jewish midrash. —Randy Dotinga, The Christian Science Monitor, 22 Nov. 2019 Nor does the average WeWork have a beit midrash, or Jewish study hall, filled with Torah books and other religious texts. —Josefin Dolsten, sun-sentinel.com, 26 June 2019
Cite this Entry
“Midrash.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.grautoblog.com/dictionary/midrash. Accessed 29 Apr. 2026.
Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
