By Rabbi Simcha Feuerman, LCSW and Chaya Feuerman, LCSW

The proper and meaningful study of Midrashim is in general a vastly unexplored area of learning. In addition, Midrashim are a great opportunity for reaching all students, intellectually and emotionally. Unfortunately, Midrashim are often relegated to the status of Jewish fairy tales told to entertain children without any thought being given to their deep meanings.

Midrashim have been explained and interpreted throughout the ages in accordance with various Jewish exegetical and philosophical approaches. Many accept the literal meanings of the stories, treating them as an authoritative augment to the written text of the Torah. (This approach is what Ibn Ezra refers to as "the fourth path" in his introduction to his commentary on the Torah.) Others maintain Midrashim contain stories which are allegorical in nature, and hint at lofty concepts such as mystical and kabbalistic teachings which the rabbis were reluctant to state explicitly. (See for example Rabbi Moshe Chaim Luzzato's introduction to Aggadah, found in the beginning of most editions of the Ein Yaakov, and Rambam, in his commentary on Mishna Sanhedrin, introduction to chapter 10, "the third group", p. 137, Kapach Edition.)

However, sophisticated philosophical disputes aside, in point of fact for hundreds if not thousands of years, the stories in the Midrash have been told and retold by Jewish teachers of almost every grade level in the education of children. Perhaps some teachers relate these stories because they feel they liven up the Chumash and parshiyos for the children, and others may even feel the stories represent an essential historical part of the Jewish tradition, which must be taught concomitant with the text. However, for whatever the reason, practically no Jewish child goes through his religious education without hearing dozens of these popular stories about people and events that appear in a very limited form in the actual text of the Chumash. This seems to be equally true in all sects of Judaism; from the Sunday afternoon Hebrew schools to the Cheders. For example, every child who has received even the most minimal Jewish education knows the story about how Avraham smashed his father's idols and was thrown into Nimrod's fiery furnace. The fact that this incident took place is considered by many to be a key element of our faith, however there is no mention of these significant occurrences within the text of the Torah. In fact, Ibn Ezra rejects this story about Avraham because such a great miracle, if it indeed took place, should have been mentioned explicitly in the text of the Chumash. Notwithstanding this, he still declares that one of the purposes of Midrash is to inspire and guide youth. (For further research see Ibn Ezra's introduction to his commentary on the Torah. Also see his comments on Bereishis 33:4. For a defense of the more traditional viewpoint that these stories did take place, and an in-depth account of the various opinions regarding this matter, see Ramban Bereishis 11:28.) In a similar vein, Rambam in his introduction to his commentary on the Mishna states that Midrash was taught to a general audience, which included children and those who were not scholars. He therefore explains: "One cannot teach the general public except by means of parable and riddle so as to include...the youth, in order that when their intellect reach a more complete level, they will understand the meaning of the parables." (It should be noted, there is a key difference between the Rambam's view and Ibn Ezra's. The Rambam implies that in each parable there are deep meanings that the youth who hear them can extract over time, as their intellect develops. On the other hand, Ibn Ezra relates a more simplistic viewpoint. That is, certain Midrashic stories are merely moral tales for children, and that is the extent of their depth. In any case, we believe both of these exegetical theories can be applied in practice, as we shall explain.)

Let us consider for a moment Ibn Ezra's question: Why are so many midrashic stories left out of the text of the Torah? Why do they end up in the Torah Shebaal Peh (Oral Tradition)? One answer may be that Torah Shebaal Peh was reserved for personal, face-to-face teaching. Its nuances and complexities require it to be given over within the context of a master student relationship. Indeed, Rambam asserts in his introduction to his commentary on the Mishna that disagreements and confusion of the halacha began only after the Oral tradition was recorded in writing. This is because what was written became open to the interpretation of the reader. The true Oral Tradition relied on the complete dedication and lifelong study with the same teacher. It was intended that the students studied the law and then observed how his Rebbe practiced it. Therefore, since midrashim are part of the Torah Shebaal Peh, it behooves educators and parents to utilize them to transmit the subtleties of Torah values which cannot be easily written or summarized in any one single text.

Since these midrashic stories have been told by so many Jewish teachers and parents for so many years, we must ask ourselves how can these stories be best utilized to enhance children's moral development? How can we engage students to explore the meanings within these stories and not just see them on a superficial level?

The Sun and the Moon

Let us consider the well-known Midrashic story about the Sun and the Moon, (found in Gemara Chulin 60b,) and see how this story can be used to help children emotionally and educationally. The Midrash, as best as we can translate it into the vernacular, goes as follows:

In the beginning of the creation of the world, Hashem made the Sun and the Moon to be the same size and equally bright. After they were created, the Moon approached Hashem and said to him, "It does not make sense that two rulers should wear the same crown." Hashem answered, "Okay, then you be the one who is shrunken to a smaller size and the Sun shall rule!" The Moon then replied, "Because I said one smart thing you punish me so severely?" Hashem answered the Moon, "I'll tell you what. Go, and you shall rule over day and night." The Moon then replied, "What purpose is there in my ruling over the day, when there is plenty of light and no one needs my light?" Hashem replied, "Go, and through you the Jewish people will measure the days and the years, and thereby establish the dates of the holy days. After some additional give and take, Hashem saw that the Moon still was not satisfied, and in response he made following request of the Jewish people: "On every Rosh Chodesh bring a sacrifice on my behalf in order that I obtain forgiveness for having reduced the light of the Moon."

If encouraged to do so, even young students will have no problem finding the obvious lessons in the story, such as how the Moon's greed and grandiosity did not pay in the end. But what about the other ideas in the story? What can the students make of this give and take between the Moon and Hashem? Not only does the Moon gain concessions, in the end, Hashem even asks the Jewish people to seek forgiveness on his behalf!

The Maharsha interprets this dialogue to be about the Jewish people. In order for them to achieve their spiritual goals they must undergo great suffering in this world. Ultimately, they will reap the reward in the world to come. Nevertheless, the fact that the Jewish people must suffer so much in exile is, so to speak, painful to Hashem, and he therefore tries to console the Jewish people. First, by giving them the Yomim Tovim, but ultimately by reminding them that just as the Moon waxes and wanes through its cycles, so too the Jewish people will have moments in history when they are powerful and others when they are weak.

Given some chance to discuss this, children can easily be led to see these deeper meanings. It also gives the rebbe an opportunity to discuss the ways in which the Torah presents Hashem with human emotions. Though Hashem is not subject to emotional whims, he chooses to reveal himself in such a manner so humans can relate to him. (See Rambam, Yad, Yesodei Hatorah 1:9.) Within that light, from this story we see a willingness by Hashem to enter into a dialogue with the sinner, to make accommodations, adjustments, and surprisingly, even to regret the harshness of the punishment he enacted. From this story, any chutzpadik and misbehaving child could surely draw comfort. Studied and explored in this manner, we have combined intellectual analysis with an emotional component to inspire internalization and practice of Torah values.

Just as a sample of what can be achieved, let us look at some Midrashic stories and their possible deeper educational meanings:

The Plague of Frogs

Consider the Midrash which contains a strange twist to the plague of Frogs.

The verse (Shemos 8:2) states: "And the frog went up and covered all of Egypt." The text uses the singular form when referring to the frogs. Of course, the simple explanation (poshut peshat) is that in Hebrew as in many languages, an entire group or species is labeled in the singular form. However, the Midrash derives from this choice of words that actually one frog rose out of the Nile. However, each and every time an Egyptian tried to hit the frog, instead of it being squashed and killed, it split into several new frogs. Thus, as the frogs began to jump all over, and Egyptians encountered and hit them, the plague grew worse and worse. (See Rashi, Op. Cit.)

To our thinking, there is no question that any classroom of children who were encouraged to ponder what they real lesson behind this Midrash is, would draw powerful insights into the nature of problems and how people get further into them. The inescapable lesson of this Midrash is that when you try to stubbornly and pig-headedly fight a problem, as the Egyptians did, instead of thinking about what has gone wrong you will end up panicking and making things far worse. The more the Egyptians fought the frogs, the worse it got. Who among us in life has not panicked and made a situation far worse instead of staying calm and using problem-solving skills? In addition, from a moral perspective, this Midrash echoes the sentiment of Rambam, Hilchos Taanis 1:1-3:

"It is a positive commandment to cry out [in prayer]...in response to any communal tragedy...and this is one of the ways of repentance...and will cause the suffering to be removed. But if the community does not cry out [in prayer]...rather they say it is just a natural occurrence...[this will cause] the suffering and tragedies to increase."

Yeravam ben Nevaat

As one final example, consider the Midrashic view about the inner life of one of the villains of the Torah, Yeravam ben Nevat, about whom the Talmud (Sanhedrin 102a) relates the following astounding story:

Hashem grabbed Yeravam by his clothes and offered the following deal: "Repent, and you and I and the son of Yishai (Dovid Hamelech) will stroll together in the Garden of Eden." Yeravam then asks, "Who will go first?" Hashem replied, "The son of Yishai." Yeravam responds, "If so, I do not want any part of it."

On a simple level, as strange as this may seem to us, Yeravam's personal qualities and potential must have been such that in his own way, he was as close to Hashem as he was far away -- if only he had actually repented. This is in consonance with the adage of Chazal, "Whoever is greater [in spiritual stature] than his peer, also has a stronger evil inclination." (Succah 52a)

But there may be a deeper psychological message here as well; one that many oppositional children will appreciate. Yeravam was clearly a bright fellow and certainly made demands upon himself. You don't get to be a powerful king by "goofing off". However, it appears as if he was angry and frustrated with the process of achieving greatness in Torah. He figured, it takes too much time and effort, and in the end he wouldn't even be as good as Dovid Hamelech. Chazal may be telling us that on some level Yeravam, every single day, had this subconscious dialogue with himself. Unfortunately, like many children who act out and go off the derech, he would rather be competent and achieve notoriety and negative attention instead of working hard and risking failure or mediocrity.

Ó 2005 Rabbi Simcha Feuerman, LCSW Chaya Feuerman, LCSW 718 793-1376 [email protected]. Material may be copied and distributed freely provided that the articles are printed in their entirety and this note is printed on all pages.