Digging Into the Sources – Midrash
Series: Digging Into the Sources Categories: Digging In | Research
Related Posts
- Digging Into the Sources: Video 2 — The Targums — Jewish scholars wrote “Messiah” into the Aramaic translation of Scripture. This is where we saw it.
The Rabbis Wrote About a Suffering Messiah — Before Christianity Said That Was Possible
One of the most common arguments against Jesus being the Jewish Messiah is that a suffering Messiah is a Christian invention — that Judaism never taught that. But there is a body of Jewish literature, written by rabbis for Jewish communities, that describes the Messiah entering the Hall of the Afflicted in the Garden of Eden, taking the sicknesses of Israel upon himself — and then quotes Isaiah 53 to explain why.
That literature is called the Midrash. And it isn’t in your Bible.
Part One: What Is Midrash?
The Word Itself
The word Midrash comes from the Hebrew root darash (דָּרַשׁ) — meaning to seek, to inquire, to dig. Midrash is what happens when Jewish scholars sit down with a text and refuse to let the surface be the whole story.
There are two main types:
- Midrash Halakha — legal interpretation. How does this Torah passage apply to daily life? What does it require of us?
- Midrash Aggadah — narrative expansion. Storytelling. Filling in the gaps the Torah leaves open. Drawing out the deeper meaning hidden beneath the surface of the text.
This video and post focus on Midrash Aggadah — the narrative and interpretive tradition — because that is where the Messianic content lives.
How It Works
Think of it this way. The Torah says God created light on day one — but the sun and moon don’t appear until day four. What was that light? A rabbi sits with that question. He prays. He studies. He makes a connection to another verse. And he writes a story — not to contradict the text, but to illuminate it.
That’s Midrash.
- 📚 My Jewish Learning — What Is Midrash?: https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/midrash/
- 📚 Jewish Encyclopedia — Midrash: https://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/10805-midrash
- 📚 Sefaria — Midrash library: https://www.sefaria.org/texts/Midrash
Part Two: A Brief History
Origins in the Synagogue
The Midrashic tradition grew out of the synagogue sermon — the weekly exposition of Torah and Haftarah portions read aloud to Jewish congregations. The earliest Midrashim (the plural of Midrash) began forming in the Tannaitic period, roughly 70 AD to 200 AD, right in the aftermath of the Temple’s destruction.
With no Temple, no priesthood, no sacrifices — the synagogue became the center of Jewish life. And the weekly exposition of Scripture became the heartbeat of Jewish worship.
The Major Collections
| Collection | Content | Compiled |
|---|---|---|
| Bereshit Rabbah | Midrash on Genesis | ~400 AD |
| Vayikra Rabbah | Midrash on Leviticus | ~400–500 AD |
| Ruth Rabbah | Midrash on Ruth | ~400–500 AD |
| Midrash Tehillim | Midrash on Psalms | ~400–700 AD |
| Tanna d’Vei Eliyahu | Teachings of the School of Elijah | ~700–900 AD |
These collections were compiled in written form between roughly 400 and 1200 AD — but they preserve oral traditions that reach back much earlier. Some scholars date specific passages to the first and second centuries AD, placing them squarely in the world of early Jewish-Christian dialogue.
- 📚 Sefaria — Bereshit Rabbah: https://www.sefaria.org/Bereshit_Rabbah
- 📚 Sefaria — Ruth Rabbah: https://www.sefaria.org/Ruth_Rabbah
- 📚 My Jewish Learning — Midrash Rabbah: https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/midrash-rabbah/
Part Three: Example 1 — The Messiah Before Creation (Bereshit Rabbah 2:4)
The Question the Text Raises
Genesis 1:2 says the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. A simple enough verse on the surface. But Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish, reading those opening words, saw something else entirely.
He saw the four great kingdoms that would oppress Israel — Babylon, Persia, Greece, Rome — each represented in the chaos and darkness of those opening verses. And then he asked: what comes after the darkness? What is the Spirit hovering over the waters?
What Bereshit Rabbah Says
“And the spirit of God was hovering — this is the spirit of the messianic king, who will follow triumphantly after the four kingdoms of subjugation. As it says: ‘The spirit of the Lord will rest upon him.’ (Isaiah 11:2). By what merit will it come? ‘Hovering over the surface of the water’ — by the merit of repentance, that is likened to water, as it is stated: ‘Pour out your heart like water before the face of the Lord.’ (Lamentations 2:19)” — Bereshit Rabbah 2:4
The Spirit hovering over the waters at the moment of creation is identified as the Spirit of the Messianic King — grounded in Isaiah 11:2, arriving after the four kingdoms of oppression, made possible by repentance.
That’s not a surface reading. That’s a rabbi seeing the entire arc of human history — exile, oppression, repentance, and the Messiah — embedded in the second verse of Genesis.
The John 1 Connection
Compare this to John 1:1 — “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” John wasn’t inventing a new theology. He was writing in a world where Jewish scholars were already asking whether the Messiah existed before creation — and answering: yes. His Spirit was there at the beginning, hovering over the waters.
- 📚 Sefaria — Bereshit Rabbah 2:4: https://www.sefaria.org/Bereshit_Rabbah.2.4
- 📚 Sefaria — Isaiah 11:2: https://www.sefaria.org/Isaiah.11.2
- 📚 Sefaria — Genesis 1:2: https://www.sefaria.org/Genesis.1.2
Part Four: Example 2 — The Suffering Messiah in Ruth Rabbah (Ruth Rabbah 5:6)
A Meal in the Book of Ruth
In Ruth chapter 2, Boaz invites Ruth to come and eat. He says: “Come here and eat some bread, and dip your morsel in the vinegar.” A simple meal. A moment of kindness toward a Moabite widow.
But the Midrash asks — what else is this pointing to? And here is what Ruth Rabbah 5:6 says:
What Ruth Rabbah Says
“He is speaking of the King Messiah. ‘Come hither’ — draw near to the throne. ‘And eat of the bread’ — that is the bread of the kingdom. ‘And dip thy morsel in the vinegar’ — this refers to his chastisements, as it is said, ‘But he was wounded for our transgressions, bruised for our iniquities.’ (Isaiah 53:5)” — Ruth Rabbah 5:6
A Jewish rabbi, reading the book of Ruth, sees a Messiah who suffers — and quotes Isaiah 53:5 to explain it. Wounded for our transgressions. Bruised for our iniquities. The same verse Christians cite when they describe Jesus.
But this rabbi isn’t describing Jesus. He’s describing the King Messiah — from the Jewish Midrash — and connecting that Messiah directly to Isaiah 53.
An Honest Note
The Messiah interpretation in Ruth Rabbah 5:6 is the fifth of six interpretations Rabbi Yonatan gives for this verse — others apply it to David, Solomon, Hezekiah, Menashe, and Boaz. The Midrash entertained multiple readings simultaneously. The Messianic interpretation is explicitly included among them.
This is not a Christian reading imposed on a Jewish text. This is a Jewish rabbi, working entirely within Jewish tradition, connecting the suffering of the Messiah to Isaiah 53.
The Rabbi Shimon ben Yochai Tradition
The 2nd century rabbi Shimon ben Yochai preserved a similar tradition in the Teachings of the School of Elijah (Tanna d’Vei Eliyahu):
“Since Messiah bears our iniquities which produce the effect of him being bruised, it follows that whosoever will not admit that the Messiah thus suffers for our iniquities, must endure and suffer for them himself.” — attributed to Rabbi Shimon ben Yochai, cited in Adolf Neubauer, The Fifty-Third Chapter of Isaiah According to Jewish Interpreters (KTAV, 1969), p. xl.
- 📚 Sefaria — Ruth Rabbah 5:6: https://www.sefaria.org/Ruth_Rabbah.5.6
- 📚 Randy’s Sefaria Research Sheet (all 3 sources): https://voices.sefaria.org/sheets/745545
- 📚 Sefaria — Isaiah 53:5: https://www.sefaria.org/Isaiah.53.5
- 📚 Jews for Jesus — Isaiah 53 and Rabbinic sources: https://jewsforjesus.org/jewish-resources/isaiah-53
- 📚 Secondary source for Rabbi Shimon ben Yochai quote: https://www.jewsforjesus.org.au/isaiah-53
Part Five: Example 3 — The Hall of the Afflicted (Zohar, Vayakhel 24:335–336)
The Most Vivid Description
The third example comes from the Zohar — Jewish mystical literature compiled in the 13th century AD but drawing on much earlier Midrashic traditions.
A note on authority: the Zohar is later than the Midrashim covered above, and its authority within Judaism is contested. Some traditions regard it highly; others less so. It is included here not as a legal authority but as a witness to how widespread the idea of a suffering Messiah was — because what the Zohar describes appears across multiple Jewish texts, not just one.
What the Zohar Says
“There is in the Garden of Eden a palace called the Hall of the Afflicted. The Messiah enters that palace, and calls for all the diseases and pains and sufferings of Israel, bidding them settle on himself, which they do. And were it not that he thus eases the burden from Israel, taking it on himself, no one could endure the sufferings meted out to Israel. So Scripture says: ‘Surely our diseases he did bear.’ (Isaiah 53:4)” — Zohar, Vayakhel 24:336
The Messiah enters the Hall of the Afflicted in the Garden of Eden. He calls every sickness, every pain — the accumulated weight of Israel’s suffering — and takes it upon himself. So that no one else has to bear it alone. And the Zohar grounds this directly in Isaiah 53:4.
What This Confirms
The idea of a Messiah who suffers for his people — who carries their pain and their sin — was not invented by Christians. It was wrestled with by Jewish scholars, in Jewish texts, read in Jewish communities, for centuries. And when Christians point to Isaiah 53 and say this is Jesus — Jewish tradition had already been asking the same question about the same verse. And some of the most respected voices in that tradition gave an answer that sounds remarkably familiar.
- 📚 Sefaria — Zohar Vayakhel 24:335–336: https://www.sefaria.org/Zohar%2C_Vayakhel.24.335
- 📚 Randy’s Sefaria Research Sheet (all 3 sources): https://voices.sefaria.org/sheets/745545
- 📚 Sefaria — Isaiah 53:4: https://www.sefaria.org/Isaiah.53.4
Part Six: How Much Authority Does Midrash Carry?
Midrash is not Scripture. It doesn’t carry the authority of Torah. It doesn’t replace the Prophets. It’s not meant to.
What it is — is the living voice of Jewish inquiry. The questions Jewish scholars asked when they sat with the text. The connections they drew. The stories they told. The wrestling they preserved.
For Messianic research, the Midrash is invaluable. It shows us how Jewish minds were already moving toward a Messiah who suffers, who was present before creation, who bears the weight of Israel’s sin — before any of that became a distinctly Christian idea.
That’s not proof. But it is evidence. And it’s evidence that came from inside the Jewish tradition — not from outside it.
Find These Sources Yourself on Sefaria
All three passages from this video are available free at sefaria.org. Randy’s compiled research sheet with all three side by side is here:
📚 Randy’s Sefaria Research Sheet: https://voices.sefaria.org/sheets/745545
| Passage | Sefaria Link |
|---|---|
| Bereshit Rabbah 2:4 | https://www.sefaria.org/Bereshit_Rabbah.2.4 |
| Ruth Rabbah 5:6 | https://www.sefaria.org/Ruth_Rabbah.5.6 |
| Zohar, Vayakhel 24:335–336 | https://www.sefaria.org/Zohar%2C_Vayakhel.24.335 |
To find Midrash on Sefaria: search the collection name (e.g., “Bereshit Rabbah” or “Ruth Rabbah”). You can also find Midrashic references through the Connections panel on any Hebrew Bible verse — Sefaria will show every Midrash that cites that passage.
Scripture References
| Reference | Connection |
|---|---|
| Genesis 1:2 | Spirit of God hovering over the waters |
| Isaiah 11:2 | Spirit of the Lord resting on the Messiah |
| Lamentations 2:19 | Pour out your heart like water |
| Ruth 2:14 | Boaz invites Ruth to eat — Messianic allegory |
| Isaiah 53:4–5 | Servant bears our griefs / wounded for our transgressions |
| John 1:1 | In the beginning was the Word |
Primary Sources & Further Reading
| Source | URL | Relevance |
|---|---|---|
| Bereshit Rabbah (full) | https://www.sefaria.org/Bereshit_Rabbah | Midrash on Genesis |
| Ruth Rabbah (full) | https://www.sefaria.org/Ruth_Rabbah | Midrash on Ruth |
| Zohar Vayakhel | https://www.sefaria.org/Zohar%2C_Vayakhel | Hall of the Afflicted passage |
| Randy’s Sefaria Sheet | https://voices.sefaria.org/sheets/745545 | All 3 sources compiled |
| My Jewish Learning — Midrash | https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/midrash/ | Jewish overview |
| Jewish Encyclopedia — Midrash | https://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/10805-midrash | Scholarly entry |
| Jews for Jesus — Isaiah 53 | https://jewsforjesus.org/jewish-resources/isaiah-53 | Rabbinic sources on Isaiah 53 |
| Jews for Jesus AU — Rabbi Shimon quote | https://www.jewsforjesus.org.au/isaiah-53 | Secondary source for Shimon ben Yochai |
| Neubauer, The Fifty-Third Chapter of Isaiah | KTAV Publishing, 1969 | Scholarly compilation of Jewish Isaiah 53 interpretations |
Discussion Questions
- Before watching this video, had you heard of the Midrash? What surprised you most?
- Bereshit Rabbah identifies the Spirit hovering over the waters in Genesis 1:2 as the Spirit of the Messianic King. How does that change how you read the opening verses of Genesis?
- Ruth Rabbah 5:6 connects Boaz’s invitation to eat with the suffering Messiah — and quotes Isaiah 53:5. What does it mean to you that a Jewish rabbi made that connection?
- The Zohar describes the Messiah entering the Hall of the Afflicted and taking Israel’s sicknesses upon himself — quoting Isaiah 53:4. If you’re Jewish, what does your tradition teach about this passage?
- Which of the three examples surprised you the most — the Messiah before creation, the suffering Messiah in Ruth Rabbah, or the Hall of the Afflicted?
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