The Midrash on Proverbs (Yale Judaica Series) [Hardcover]

Professor Burton L. Visotzky (Translator)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 26, 1992 | Series: Yale Judaica Series (Book 27)

The Midrash on Proverbs, a ninth-century collection of rabbinical commentary on the Book of Proverbs, is now available to English-speaking audiences for the first time. Burton L. Visotzky here provides a lucid translation of the work from his annotated critical edition of the Hebrew text, Midrash Mishle. Midrash Mishle is a watershed in midrashic literature, for it marks the point at which broader forms of classical midrash on the Scriptures gave way to verse-by-verse commentary. It is unlike most earlier midrash in that it regularly pays attention to context, relates verses to each other, provides comments on apparently simple meanings of verses, and philologically considers the meaning of specific terms. At the same time, it resembles earlier midrash by considering narrative legends--offering, for example, fanciful versions of Solomon's meeting with the Queen of Sheba, the death of Moses, and Joseph's encounter with his brothers. It also alludes to medieval Jewish law and custom, anti-Karaite polemic, and rabbinic mysticism (with its esoteric speculations on such subjects as the measurements of God's body). Visotzky's volume illuminates all these subjects for the scholar and non-specialist alike in a prose translation that mirrors the style of the original Midrash Mishle text. His introduction to the volume sets it in the wider context of Jewish hermeneutics of the Bible.

Editorial Reviews

Language Notes

Text: English (translation)
Original Language: Hebrew

Product Details

• Hardcover: 160 pages
• Publisher: Yale University Press; annotated edition edition (February 26, 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0300051077
• ISBN-13: 978-0300051070
• Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 6.5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,746,627 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Vizotksy's Midrash is a Proverbial Winner!, June 13, 2000

By 

Rabbi David Greenspoon (Pittsburgh, PA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Midrash on Proverbs (Yale Judaica Series) (Hardcover)

Dr. Visotzky's translation on the Midrash of Proverbs is first rate, as one expects from the Yale Judaica Series. The book is more than a straight translation of _Midrash Mishle_ (_The Midrash on Proverbs_). It is an English translation of Visotzky's carefully prepared critical edition of Midrash Mishle (originally published in Hebrew). _Midrash on Proverbs_ is accessible to both serious scholars and informed enthusiasts. Visotzky's clear translations are sensitive to the original Hebrew, his short commentary is succinct and helpful, and the layout of the book itself is extremely lucid and straightforward. If you do not have the Hebrew skills to study this midrash in the original, this is the book for you! It is a pleasure to own and read.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Translation; wonderful teaching tool, May 6, 2002

By 

Jason A. Miller "Rabbi Jason Miller" (rabbijason.com) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Midrash on Proverbs (Yale Judaica Series) (Hardcover)

I studied Midrash Mishle with Burt Visotzky in a class at the Jewish Theological Seminary. Rabbi Visotzky has dedicated his life to this text and it shows in this translation, which makes this particular midrash accessible to the English speaking audience. The stories in this midrash are superb and Dr. Visotzky footnotes all known manuscripts and their variations.

If you liked the Book of Proverbs, you're sure to enjoy the Midrash on Proverbs!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Midrash which contains two different kinds of 'midrash', May 15, 2006

By 

Shalom Freedman "Shalom Freedman" (Jerusalem,Israel) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: The Midrash on Proverbs (Yale Judaica Series) (Hardcover)

Two other reviewers have attested to the excellence of the translation. 'The Midrash on Proverbs' is an especially important transitional one between two different periods of Midrashic development, between one which primarily relies on mythic and legendary material and one which provides a more line- to - line straightforward commentary.