Palestinian origin, although the main redaction was made in Babylonia.[1]
iv. Tanḥūmā, one of the oldest on the lessons of the Pentateuch, with many proems ascribed to R. Tanḥūmā ben (“son of”) Abbā, one of the most famous haggadists of Palestine (4th century), who systematized and fixed the haggadic literature. This collection of 158–161 homilies is also known as T. Yelammedēnū, from the opening words, Yel. Rabbēnū, “our Rabbi teaches us”; on the critical questions connected with the titles and the present redaction (probably 5th century), see Jew. Ency. viii. 560 seq., xii. 44 sqq. Recent edition by Buber (Wilna, 1885).
v. Midrash Rabbah (or Rabboth), a large collection of very diverse origin and date, probably not completed before the 13th century. It covers the Pentateuch (1st ed., Constantinople, 1512) and the “Five Rolls” (Pesaro, 1519; the whole printed first at Venice, 1545); Germ. trans. by A. Wünsche, Bibliotheca rabbinica (Leipzig, 1880–1885). The several portions are named after the ordinary Jewish titles of the Old Testament books with the addition of Rabbah “great.” These are (a) Běrēshith (“in the beginning,” Gen. i. 1) Rabbah, on Genesis, the oldest and most valuable of haggadic Midrashim. Traditionally ascribed to R. Hōshaiah (3rd. century), but in the main a redaction of 6th century. Ed. J. Theodor; see Jew. Ency. iii. 62 seq.; viii. 557 seq. (b) Shēmōth (“names” Exod. i. 1) R., a composite and incomplete work of 11th and 12th century date, but valuable nevertheless for its Tanḥūmā homilies. Exod. i.–xi. is a commentary on the text in continuation of (a).[2] See Jew. Ency. viii. 562. (c) Wayyiqrā (“and he called”) R., on Leviticus, perhaps 7th century, based upon sources in 2 and 5a above. It is characterized by its numerous proverbs (e.g. on xix. 6: “do not care for the good pup of a bad dog, much less for the bad pup of a bad dog”). See Jew. Ency. viii. 560, xii. 478 seq. (d) Bemidbar (“in the desert of . . . ”) R., 33 homilies on Numbers, mainly derived from 4 above (though in an earlier text), with a later haggadic exposition, perhaps of 12th century, on Num. i.-vii. See Jew. Ency. ii. 669 sqq., viii. 562. (e) Dēbārīm (“words”) R., independent homilies on Deuteronomy, of about A.D. 900, but with a good collection of Tanḥūmās and excerpts from the old sources. See Jew. Ency. iv. 487 seq. (f) Shir (“song”) R., or (after the opening words) Aggadath Ḥazith, a late compilation of haggadah on Canticles, illustrating the allegorical interpretation of the book in reference to the relation between God and Israel (so already in the exegesis of R. Aqiba, cf. also 2 Esd. v. 24, 26, vii. 26). For this and other Mid. on this popular book, see Jew. Ency. viii. 564 seq., xi. 291 seq. (g) Mid. Ruth or Ruth Rabbah, a compilation including an exposition of 1 Chron. iv. 21-23, xi. 13–15 and interesting Messianic references. For this and similar Mid. or Ruth, see Jew. Ency. viii. 565, x. 577 seq. (h) Ēkāh (“how”) Rabbathi, a compilation of about the 7th century on Lamentations, from sources cited also in the Palestinian Talmud. Thirty-six proems precede the commentary. See Jew. Ency. v. 85 seq. (i) Mid. Koheleth or Koh. Rabbah, on Ecclesiastes; see Jew. Ency. vii. 529 sqq.; viii. 565, (j) Mid. Megillath Esther, dating, to judge from its indebtedness to Josippon (the pseudo-Josephus), after 10th century. On this and other similar works dealing with this ever-popular book, see Jew. Ency. v. 241, viii. 566, and Paton’s Comment. on Esther, p. 104.
vi. Pesiqtā (“section”) or P. de-Rab Kāhana, contains 33 or 34 homilies (on the principal festivals), the first of which opens with a sentence of R. Abba bar Kahana, who was confused with a predecessor, Rab Kahana. Although it goes back to early Haggada it has received later additions (as is shown by the technique of the proems). Edited by S. Buber (Lyck, 1868), Germ. trans. by A. Wünsche (Leipzig, 1885); see Jew. Ency. viii. 559 seq. Not to be confused with this is:—
vii. Pesiqṭā Rabbdthi.—A very similar but larger collection of 51 homilies, of which 28 have a halakic exordium prefixed to the Tanḥūmā-proems, perhaps of 9th century. Edited by M. Friedmann (Vienna, 1880). Quite another and later work is the Pēs. Zūtarta or Leqaḥ Tōb of Tobiah b. Eliezer of Mainz (trans. Ugolinus, vol. xv. seq.; ed. Buber, 1880); see Jew. Ency. viii. 561 sqq.
viii. In addition to the more prominent Midrashim mentioned above there are numerous self-contained works of greater or less interest. Some are connected with Old Testament books; e.g. Aggadath Bereshith, 83 homilies on Genesis, each in three parts connected with a section from the lectionary of the Pentateuch, and one from the Prophets, and a Psalm (ed. Buber, Cracow, 1903; see Jew. Ency. viii. 563); the Mid. Tehillīm on the Psalms (Germ. trans. A. Wünsche, Trier, 1892–1893), &c. Others are historical, e.g. Pirqe or Baraitha de-Rabbi Eliezer, a fanciful narrative of events selected from the Pentateuch, &c.; the eschatology is interesting. Though associated by name with a well-known 1st century Rabbi, it is hardly earlier than the 8th (Latin trans. by Vorstius, Leiden, 1644; see Jew. Ency. viii. 567). Further, the Megillath Ta‘anīth (“roll of fasts”), an old source with a collection of miscellaneous legends, &c.; Megillath Antiokhos, on the martyrdom under Hadrian; Seder‘Olām Rabbah, on biblical history from Adam to the rebellion of Bar Kōkba (Barcocheba); the “Book of Jashar”; the “Chronicle of Jeraḥmeel,” &c. Liturgical Midrash is illustrated by the Haggada shel Pesaḥ, part of the ritual recited at the domestic service of the first two Passover evenings. In Mid. Ta‘ame Ḥăsērōth we- Yĕthērōth, Hebrew words written “defectively” or “fully,” and other Massoretic details, are haggadically treated. Finally Kabbalah (q.v.) is exemplified in Ōthiyyōth de R. Aqība on the alphabet, and M. Tadshe (or Baraitha de-R. Phineḥas b. Yā’īr), on groups of numbers, &c.; of some interest for its relation to the book of Jubilees.
ix. Of collections of Midrash the chief are (a) the Yalqūṭ Shimeoni, which arranges the material according to the text of the Old Testament (extending over the whole of it), preserves much from sources that have since disappeared, and is valuable for the criticism of the text of the Midrashim (recent ed. Wilna, 1898) translation of the Yalqut on Zechariah by E. G. King (Cambridge, 1882; see further Jew. Ency. xii. 585 seq.). (b) Yal. ha-Makiri, perhaps later, covers only certain books, is useful for older sources and their criticism; portions have been edited by Spira (1894, on Isaiah); Buber (1899, on Psalms); Grünhut (1902, on Proverbs). (c) Midrash ha-Gādōl (“the great”), an extensive thesaurus, but later (quoting from Ibn Ezra, Maimonides, &c.); the arrangement is not so careful as in (a) and (b). See further Jew. Ency. viii. 568 seq.
Of modern collections special mention must be made of A. Jellinek’s Bet ha-Midrasch (Leipzig, 1853) and A. Wünsche’s valuable translations; to those already mentioned must be added his Aus Israels Lehrhallen (excerpts of a more miscellaneous character (Leipzig, 1907 sqq.).
Besides dictionary articles on this subject (S. Schiller-Szinessy, Ency. Brit., 9th ed.; H. L. Strack, Real-Ency. f. Protest. Theol. u. Kirche; and especially J. Theodor and others in the Jew. Ency.), see D. Hoffmann, Zur Einleitung in die halachischen Midraschim (Berlin, 1888), and the great work by Zunz, Die gottesdienstlichen Vorträge der Juden, 2nd ed. by N. Brüll (Frankfort on Main, 1892). These, as also the citations in the course of this article, give fuller information. (See further Talmud.) (S. A. C.)
MIDSHIPMAN, the title in the British and American navies of the “young gentlemen” who are serving in order to qualify themselves to hold a commission as lieutenant. The English midshipman was originally a petty officer, one of the crew under the immediate orders of the boatswain. After the restoration of King Charles II., in 1660, the king and his brother, James Duke of York, lord high admiral, decided to train officers for the sea service. They therefore decided to send a volunteer to each ship of a squadron in commission, with a “letter of service,” which instructed the admirals and captains that the bearer was to be shown “such kindness as you shall judge fit for a gentleman, both in accommodating him in your ship and in furthering his improvement.” He was to receive the pay of a midshipman, and one midshipman less was to be borne in the ship. Until 1729 the young gentlemen who entered the British navy were known as “king’s letter boys.” In that year the system was altered. A school, known as the naval academy, was founded at Portsmouth in which forty lads were to be trained for the sea service. In 1773 the school, having proved unsatisfactory, was reorganized and the number of boys to be trained there increased from forty to seventy. In 1806 it was again reorganized, under the name of the naval college, and was finally suppressed in 1837, when the practice of training the boys under instructors in the ships was introduced. A special school was re-established in 1857, and was finally placed in the “Britannia.” In the meantime the number of midshipmen had increased far beyond one for a ship. A line-of-battle ship in the 18th century carried as many as twenty-four, and the title had come to be confined entirely to those who were being trained as officers. The immense majority of officers of the British navy never passed through the academy or the college. They entered the ships directly as “captains’ servants” or “volunteers,” and were rated midshipman, if there was a vacancy, at the age of fifteen. As they were expected to learn navigation, they were instructed by the master, and at the age of seventeen were supposed to be qualified to be masters’ mates. To-day the midshipman is the officer of the British and American navies who has passed through the
- ↑ They contain (as I. Abrahams has pointed out to the present writer) a good deal of haggada, but far more halakic material than those which follow. The latter (nos. 4 sqq.) also contain halaka, but the chief contents are haggadic and homiletical.
- ↑ I. Abrahams points out to the writer that the rest is more summary. This difference is accounted for by the fact that Exod. xii. onwards and the rest of the Pentateuch have independent Midrashim: the Law proper was held by the Rabbis to begin at Exod. xii.
