Midrash is commonly defined as the process of interpretation by which the rabbis filled in “gaps” found in the Torah. It is a literature that seeks to ask the questions that lie on the tips of our tongues, and to answer them even before we have posed them.
What made Cain kill Abel: Was it jealousy over his own rejected sacrifice? Why would God choose the sacrifice of one brother over another? Did Isaac know that his father intended to sacrifice him on that altar? Did Sarah know what was going on? These are only a few out of thousands of questions for which the rabbis searched for answers.
But is exegesis—the attempt to understand, most accurately, the meaning of a sacred text—what midrash is about? In the world of midrash, can there be only one answer to these questions?
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Author: Iscah Waldman
Keywords: Cain Abel, Cain, Abel, Abel's offering, Abel's sacrifice, Cain's offering, Brothers, Murder, Evil inclination, Yetzer hara, Yetser hara, Yetzer ha ra, Yetser ha ra
Bible reference(s): Genesis 4:1-17
Source: Rabbi “Filling in the Gaps,” My Jewish Learning, myjewishlearning.com
Page indexed by: inWORD Bible Software.