Contemporary Midrashim

Interpreting the Bible can be difficult, especially when facts contradict or are missing. The Midrash are a collection of Jewish commentaries on Hebrew scriptures that attempt to fill in some of the gaps and iron out some of the wrinkles. Usually thought of as having been written between 400 and 1,200 C.E., some scholars engage in Contemporary Midrash.

This new form of biblical examination goes a long way to breathing life into a document some consider irrelevant to modern life. Contemporary Midrash can include dance, poetry, painting, music, etc. It is being used by students and teachers, young and old, men and women, scholars and lay people to cast ancient stories in a modern context. This art form also aims to include those otherwise disenfranchised from the Hebrew Bible, including women and sexual minorities.

Examples include imaginary conversations between Bible characters, painting using contemporary techniques to convey the emotions of Bible scenes, modern dance depicting Bible stories, etc.

To avoid any copyright problems, try visiting the following link to read a little more about Contemporary Midrash and see some art that fits the mold: http://www.jewishpress.com/Content.cfm?contentid=37866