The Midrash: A Model for God's Voice in a Secular Society

Abstract

The challenges of faith moved from battling scientific perceptions to struggling with post-modern despair, rooted in a pessimistic reduction of humanity to power structures. Midrash, as a mode of charitable reading of scriptures, offers a model for wider commitment to charitable conversation with the other. Applying a Midrashic approach towards both texts and people means seeking good intentions and ethical potential in the words, deeds and thoughts of the other. Thus, trust and commitment to Midrashic dialogue is the leap of faith, arching over the seemingly forced understanding of humanity as mainly concerned with the construction of power structures. Noting that committed adherents of a religion are nurtured with the will and capacity to perform charitable reading of scriptures, but at the same time are exposed to the danger of being trapped in their distinct semantic networks, this article offers a continuous dialectic tension, moving back and forth between committed charitable reading and self-criticism.