22. The Midrash (Jewish History Lab)

[@scout2469]

Despite the fact that not many people have watched this video, the content is very good and will someday be highly relevant. Thank you Mr. Abramson.

[@HenryAbramsonPhD]

Thank you for your interest and warm feedback! Thank you for being a Public Subscriber!

[@FelonyVideos]

A year later, 17,000 views does not seem like such a small number to me. The form of most viral messages seems to reliably follow an exponential growth, a plateau, then exponential decay, down to some lower level of steady state distribution rate.

[@efstratiosfilis2290]

Absolutely amazing, Dr. Abramson. What an excellent example! I nearly wept.

[@HenryAbramsonPhD]

I appreciate your for the kind words! Thank you for being a Member and Public Subscriber!

[@Didisayhi]

Thanks so much for your work you put in to these videos!!! Please keep them coming.....

[@HenryAbramsonPhD]

Glad you enjoy them!

[@eldenmayo7145]

Thank you for yet another gracious and informative presentation

[@thurmanwatson5954]

Thank you... So informative entertaining, and such a joy to listen too that time flys by.... Great stuff

[@HenryAbramsonPhD]

Thank you for your kind words! I'm glad that you are enjoying the classes. Thank you for being a Public Subscriber!

[@cinnaco]

Nice and short explanation

[@HenryAbramsonPhD]

Thank you!

[@RavGav72]

Dr Abramson never fails to inspire me.

[@HenryAbramsonPhD]

Thanks!

[@philipmann5317]

I read the chumash weekly, and try to come up with different ways of seeing a sentence, maybe connect it to other, similar parts. I also do some creative writing, and wonder if I'm doing something similar to the early teachers who left us those midrashim.

[@HenryAbramsonPhD]

It's a beautiful way to connect with the chumash.

[@MrJoeybabe25]

I must say I am becoming addicted to your lectures. I am a Deist Jew, and I find your explanations and descriptions of Judaism easy to digest and to understand. Thank you very much!

[@HenryAbramsonPhD]

Enjoy in good health!

[@esawitz]

Thank you for your wonderful lectures, I immensely enjoyed listening to them. I would like to make two requests. I would love if your youtube lectures would be available via podcast, or some sort of mobile app where it's easily accessible on a phone with 2X speed. I would also love if you are able to compare and contrast Jewish history from jewish sources (i.e. Biblical and Rabbinical) with other contemporary sources or lack thereof. The earlier lectures, in the Jewish history Lab series, seemed to have greater emphasis on comparing the various sources. However the later lectures seem to have less time comparing the various historical sources.

[@HenryAbramsonPhD]

Thanks for the kind words, Eli. The videos can actually be played at 2x speed right KZbin, just click on the little gear on the bottom right (many of my students do so, and are surprised when they meet me in person because I speak so slowly). I haven't found a podcast modality that works for me yet. And I absolutely plan to include more discussion of sources!

[@esawitz]

Thanks I do listen with 2X, however youtube can't be used with the phone screen off. I also do enjoy listening to your daf yomi podcast.

[@steven21736]

@@esawitz youtube premium lets you listen in the background. There's also 3rd party apps like YT Vanced

[@steven21736]

You can also download MP3s with youtube-dl or other sites and just listen with a regular audio player app

[@mohamedrohtur2627]

Thank you What level do you need in modern Hebrew to understand the vocabulary of midrash ?

[@MaryamMaqdisi]

I believe Midrash is in Aramaic so there’s that

[@beliefinjustice448]

זה הסדרה האהוב עלי שהצגת! לא יכול להמתין לפרק הבא!!

[@HenryAbramsonPhD]

גם אני

[@jhonnyazul5372]

Thank you so much for your videos!

[@HenryAbramsonPhD]

Glad you like them!

[@Poppaea-Sabina]

Fascinating.

[@duddyrosenberg5701]

Who actually collected and wrote down different midrashim?

[@maxi4182]

at 3:35 reading the torah is rabbi yudi dukes who baruch hashem just finished fighting a 7 month battle with coronavirus

[@HenryAbramsonPhD]

Glad to hear he recovered!

[@kayedal-haddad]

How does the Midrash differ from the Mishnah?

[@davidjackson7675]

The idea that there could be more than one interpretation of Torah will drive a lot of Christians crazy :)

[@HenryAbramsonPhD]

Not just Christians!

[@Hambone3773]

There are always multiple possible interpretations. But that doesn't mean the authors intended multiple meanings (though they could have). The trick is putting yourself in the author's shoes.

[@leedymond6416]

In the photo of the IDF soldier wearing Tefilin, it appears that he has wrapped it along his forearm eight times, not seven. Can you explain?

[@GregSchneider]

It is wrapped seven times across the lower arm and a half wrap across the back of the hand so that the remaining strap can then be wrapped under, over, and under the knuckle on the middle finger and then back over the hand multiple times.

[@HenryAbramsonPhD]

It depends on where you count the wraps.

[@davidmarroyo1]

Maybe there’s a link between “Rabbi” and the use of the word “rabba” as used in b’reishit rabba. The rabbis have the interpretive authority to create such works

[@HenryAbramsonPhD]

There is

[@davidjackson7675]

Please provide a link to the web-site mention in this video?

[@HenryAbramsonPhD]

www.sefaria.org

[@davidjackson7675]

Thanks! I just installed the app on my phone.

[@abi_h.]

Does the Midrash explain how you know where the line is in terms of when to enact a practice vs. hold various hypothesis of the text?

[@babababad]

Could you restate your question?

[@CutieBanana09]

Personally I take the bit with Abraham and HaShem to mean Abraham had ADHD and HaShem *really* thought he was being clear there until he just had to come out and say it. I’m joking of course. Thank you for your excellent work Dr, your explanations of Jewish history and text rival that of my rabbi.

[@Alkes777]

Absolutely fascinating. It begs the question why would the Torah have been given in such a way that it needed to be interpreted and at such a late period? It seems to me that setting down the exact requirements of t'fillin for instance would have avoided the need for interpretive gymnastics and again at such a relatively late period in Jewish history. Was the practice of putting on of t'fillin only started at the beginning of the rabbinical period? If not then were they deemed to be doing it incorrectly up until then? Thank you for your lectures.

[@HenryAbramsonPhD]

Glad you enjoyed the video. Your question is more appropriate for a Rabbi, I think.

[@Alkes777]

@@HenryAbramsonPhD Thank you for your response.

[@yourthought2333]

My Rav says that Sefaria has christians that help with the translation. 😮

[@HenryAbramsonPhD]

So did Daniel Bomberg, who printed the first full Talmud.

[@yourthought2333]

@@HenryAbramsonPhD wow!

[@Hambone3773]

The beauty of shared interest.

[@jordantheriverman6143]

Proverbs 30:6 [6] Do not add to his words, lest he rebuke you and you be found a liar.

[@muslimprince4813]

Salom Alekyum Rabbi .. I want say many Evangalical Christans boldly Say about Isaiah 53 about christan messiah Yahsu ( JC ) [ not Yeshua Rabbienu] !! .. But I think it about Israel or any other person in context ...Even Reading Isaiah 41-isaiah 53 .. Like some Servent( prophets) of G-D are there like Yakub , Kurus Ha Dulqarnaym Ha meshiach , Even " am Yisrael " !! ... But i couldn't find JC any were as christans always tells Nabi Yesa'yahu As wrote about him ?? Even to point Yarmiyahu 23/5 To show JC is Davidic meshiach who is himself a manifast of Hashem Aloheka Plzz Shade some light on this topic rabbi

[@babababad]

Dr. Abramson is not a rabbi, and this question would be better answered by a rabbi.

[@claywithers523]

Interesting interpretation by the Midrash, what if G-d wanted us to keep his commandments in our minds/hearts, and follow them through the work of our hands, walking/working, and thinking in His ways, by our conscience. It is not mine to put words in G-d's mouth, but this is what my reading of the text in the Law(Torah) tells my conscience. Abraham was tested to the limit, G-d wanted to check Abraham's loyalty, and faith. You see G-d could have given Abraham and Sarah another child, I realise that Sarah was beyond child bearing genetically, but she was that way before Isaac was given, it would seem G-d had every intention of not letting Abraham sacrifice Isaac, the name meaning he laugh's/will laugh; which is what Sarah, and Abraham did when told what would happen, which really was testing G-d, but both Abraham and Sarah surely proved their loyalty. This testing is in a way what we do when we walk not by the will of G-d. I'm no scholar, just a "stranger" visiting the camp of the "sceptre" of Israel. I'm not here to offend. Thank you for your interesting lectures, I wish I had been taught these things in my younger years, but I am grateful to our Creator, who finally managed the break the wall that my younger secular years had built between us. Peace be with you.

[@HenryAbramsonPhD]

Glad you found the lectures useful!

[@marcelpacheco7878]

No has questions please? you kill me!