The JPS Classic Midrash Collection brings together three ancient anthologies of Midrash. The two Mekhilta titles deal exclusively with the book of Exodus, acting as commentaries that exegetically illuminate both the legal (Halakhic) and moral (Aggadic) aspects of the text. The Pesikta de-Rab Kahana presents a collection of discourses for special Sabbaths and festival days. It operates as an almanac of sorts, filled with all manner of spiritual and intellectual material in many midrashic forms. These range from puns and verse juxtapositions to stories and dramas, and from there to high theology.
Composed during the 3rd and 5th centuries, the JPS Classic Midrash Collection opens a door to the practices and beliefs of the Jews living in the early centuries of the Common Era and considers the common Judeo-Christian holy scripture from uncommon angles. Much of this midrashic material has at points become lost for centuries, then miraculously recovered only to have their print editions lapse out of print. With the JPS Classic Midrash Collection these vital masterpieces of midrashic literature, appropriate for the scholar and novice alike, are given new – and technologically advanced – existence.
