Did God lust after the Matriarchs? Did Jacob think he was Divine? Did Mordechai breastfeed Esther? The Midrash (the rabbinic expansion on Biblical stories) is too often read as a set of fables or children's stories. But in truth, the Midrash contains some of the most twisted, radical, dirty, imaginative, and philosophically astute readings of the Bible in our Tradition. Together we will explore five midrashim that have yet to enter the popular Jewish conscience, but probably should.
Ben Greenfield is a rabbinical student at Yeshivat Chovevei Torah and former Tikvah Fellow, whose presentation is based on funded research at Oxford's Bodleian Library.
Friday February 14, 2014 10:25pm - 11:40pm EST
Long Ridge