Midrashic Literature on Creation
The creation story is replete with the mystery that befits such a profound event. This was not lost on the Sages, as they contend with the creation that begins with darkness and light and culminates with Adam and Eve. We will look at Midrashim from Bereshith Rabba, Tanchuma, and Pirkei D’Rebbe Eliezer. Much of the time will be spent on the nature of justice and mercy and how it is learned from particular verses.
Midrashic Literature on Creation: Lesson 1
Torah as blueprint or consultant of Creation: How a book chooses to introduce a subject teaches us about the book itself. Two of the most influential midrashic collections are Bereshith Rabba, and the Tanchuma. There are some similarities, and great differences on what they emphasize when teaching about the relationship between Torah and creation. It is good to begin at the beginning, no?
Midrashic Literature on Creation: Lesson 2
When were the angels created, and why?: The highlight of tonight is a look at those entities that were created but not explicitly mentioned in the Torah. Among these are: The angels,and the Torah, but others were considered prior to creation, but were not created at that time. Why the difference?
Midrashic Literature on Creation: Lesson 3
Not only the Torah preceded creation…: We already know that Torah was the blueprint of the world, but were other things also in this category? What is the purpose of having certain things precede the creation of the world? The Midrash deems this to be critical, and we are going to try to understand why.