Menachem Mendel

The midrash Sifre be-Midbar (Sifre on Numbers) has been added to Accordance. The text is from MS Oxford Bodleian 151.

Posted on September 23rd, 2009 under Apple, Computers, Midrash. Comments Off

There’s a new book, דרשוני, of midrashim by women. Here are a few. I particularly liked this one. מצווֹת הבן והבת/ נעמה שקד “כל מצות הבן המוטלות על האב לעשות לבנו – אנשים חייבין, ונשים פטורות. תנינא להא, דתנו רבנן: האב חייב בבנו למולו, ולפדותו, וללמדו תורה, ולהשיאו אשה, וללמדו אומנות. ויש אומרים: אף להשיטו [...]

Posted on July 16th, 2009 under Midrash. Comments: 6

I have come across a synoptic edition of Midrash Esther Rabbah by Prof. Joseph Tabory and Dr. Arnon Atzmon.

Posted on January 13th, 2009 under Manuscripts, Midrash, Purim. Comments Off

In the Middle has some comments on Eric Lawee’s article, “The Reception of Rashi’s Commentary on the Torah In Spain: The Case of Adam’s Mating with the Animals,” Jewish Quarterly Review 97.1 (2007): 33-66. See here for Hirhurim’s summary of some of the article.

Posted on November 17th, 2008 under Bible Studies, Middle Ages, Midrash. Comments Off

A while ago I posted here on the folk tale about Two Brothers, a Field and the building of the Temple. Recently, Admiel Kosman has published an article about this folk tale with a different approach and conclusion than most of those scholars whom I quoted in my earlier post. Using Bible scholar Yair Zakovitch’s [...]

Posted on October 7th, 2008 under Midrash, Rabbinic Literature. Comments Off

A quick midrash which I love from this past week’s parashah from Sotah 35a. ויאמרו כל העדה לרגום אותם באבנים וכתיב (במדבר יד) וכבוד ה’ נראה באהל מועד אמר רבי חייא בר אבא מלמד שנטלו אבנים וזרקום כלפי מעלה “But the entire community of Israel thought to pelt them with stones” and it is written [...]

Posted on June 23rd, 2008 under Midrash, Talmud. Comments: 3

From Machon Schechter (here in Hebrew): Faculty Forum Volume 6, Number 7 March 2008 Queen Vashti’s Costume Party By Dr. Tamar Kadari The article is part of the entry “Vashti”, written by the author for the Encyclopedia, Jewish Women: A Comprehensive Historical Encyclopedia, Eds. Paula E. Hyman and Dalia Ofer, Shalvi Publishing Ltd. Jerusalem 2006 [...]

Posted on March 19th, 2008 under Midrash, Purim. Comments Off

In response to a post on Ben Sira at Ancient Hebrew Poetry, Iyov brought a story found in the Alphabet of Ben Sira which describes Ben Sira’s lineage. One should read it to get the full story. What is interesting from the viewpoint of the history of halakhah is the role which this story played [...]

Posted on January 10th, 2008 under Halakhic Literature, Jewish Law, Midrash, Rabbinic Literature. Comments: 1

In one of the many dramatic moments of the Joseph narrative we read about the moment when Joseph reveals himself to his brothers. וַיֹּאמֶר יוֹסֵף אֶל אֶחָיו גְּשׁוּ נָא אֵלַי וַיִּגָּשׁוּ וַיֹּאמֶר אֲנִי יוֹסֵף אֲחִיכֶם אֲשֶׁר מְכַרְתֶּם אֹתִי מִצְרָיְמָה “And Joseph said unto his brothers, “Come near to me,” and they came near. And he [...]

Posted on December 20th, 2007 under Bible Studies, Midrash, Uncategorized. Comments Off