Reading (and Writing) Midrash
Devorah Schoenfeld
We will examine selected midrash from The Mechilta, Midrash Rabbah, and Midrash Tanchuma. We will examine how they work and how they generate new stories from biblical verses. Then we will compose our own ‘creative midrash’ using the same techniques observed in the classical texts. (If possible, students will benefit from hevruta study outside class.)
Devorah Schoenfeld is the Ike Weiner Chair of Judaic Studies at St. Mary’s College of Maryland and has previously taught at University of California, Davis and at the Conservative Yeshiva in Jerusalem. Her doctorate is in medieval Jewish and Christian biblical interpretation, and she is currently writing a book on the history of the literal sense of scripture.
Categories
- Advanced Text
- Afternoon Course
