MIDRASH

Classical compilations

 Tannaitic. Alphabet of Rabbi Akiva. This book is a midrash on the names of the letters of
the hebrew alphabet.
 Mekhilta. The Mekhilta essentially functions as a commentary on the Book of Exodus.
There are two versions of this midrash collection. One is Mekhilta de Rabbi Ishmael, the
other is Mekhilta de Rabbi Simeon bar Yohai. The former is still studied today, while the
latter was used by many medieval Jewish authorities. While the latter (bar Yohai) text
was popularly circulated in manuscript form from the 11th to 16th centuries, it was lost
for all practical purposes until it was rediscovered and printed in the 19th century.
 Mekhilta of Rabbi Ishmael. This is a halakhic commentary on Exodus, concentrating on
the legal sections, from Exodus 12 to 35. It derives halakha from Biblical verses. This
midrash collection was redacted into its final form around the 3rd or 4th century; its
contents indicate that its sources are some of the oldest midrashim, dating back possibly
to the time of Rabbi Akiva. The midrash on Exodus that was known to the Amoraim is
not the same as our current mekhilta; their version was only the core of what later grew
into the present form.
 Mekhilta of Rabbi Shimon. Based on the same core material as Mekhilta de Rabbi
Ishmael, it followed a second route of commentary and editing, and eventually emerged
as a distinct work. The Mekhilta de Rabbi Simeon bar Yohai is an exegetical midrash on
Exodus 3 to 35, and is very roughly dated to near the 4th century.
 Seder Olam Rabbah (or simply Seder Olam). Traditionally attributed to the Tannaitic
Rabbi Yose ben Halafta. This work covers topics from the creation of the universe to the
construction of the Second Temple in Jerusalem.
 Sifra on Leviticus. The Sifra work follows the tradition of Rabbi Akiva with additions from
the School of Rabbi Ishmael. References in the Talmud to the Sifra are ambiguous; It is
uncertain whether the texts mentioned in the Talmud are to an earlier version of our
Sifra, or to the sources that the Sifra also drew upon. References to the Sifra from the
time of the early medieval rabbis (and after) are to the text extant today. The core of
this text developed in the mid-3rd century as a critique and commentary of the
Mishnah, although subsequent additions and editing went on for some time afterwards.
 Sifre on Numbers and Deuteronomy, going back mainly to the schools of the same two
Rabbis. This work is mainly a halakhic midrash, yet includes a long haggadic piece in
sections 78-106. References in the Talmud, and in the later Geonic literature, indicate
that the original core of Sifre was on the Book of Numbers, Exodus and Deuteronomy.
However, transmission of the text was imperfect, and by the Middle Ages, only the
commentary on Numbers and Deuteronomy remained. The core material was redacted
around the middle of the 3rd century.
 Sifre Zutta (The small Sifre). This work is a halakhic commentary on the book of
Numbers. The text of this midrash is only partially preserved in medieval works, while
other portions were discovered by Solomon Schechter in his research in the famed Cairo
Geniza. It seems to be older than most other midrash, coming from the early 3rd
century.