midrash, n.Definitions

Midrash (n.) was ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠the Rabbis plainly letting their fancy run wild — wresting Scripture from its evident meaning.

Midrash (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠a master of anachronism — that is to say, of eternity — confusing times and places and wary of abstractions always prematurely rigid and clear.

Midrash (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠a freedom of the spirit willfully misunderstood when called "prisoner to the letter", each word of Scripture resonating further the longer the reading goes, like chords forming a thought that tests itself by reason.