Midrash is the Jewish term for hashing out Scripture. In other words, it is a way of finding an answer to a practical or theological question by studying the meaning of words in Torah. Midrash is used to discover halacha or how to walk out the direction of Torah commands. This method of studying the Scriptures has been used by rabbis and students of the Word of God for millennia even though it is most notably used by the Orthodox communities of the past few centuries.
Way – Hebrew: Derech
The Hebrew word derech means ‘way’ and is found 706 times in the Hebrew Scriptures. The word means path, road, distance, and journey. It also has the added meaning of ‘conduct’ and ‘action.’
‘The Way’ and the First-century Messianic Community
With so many different world religions and Christian denominations, what is ‘The Way’ that Sha’ul (Paul) mentions in his letters? ‘The Way’ is crucial to faith in the God of Israel because the earliest followers of Yeshua of Nazareth, both Jews and gentiles, did not call themselves Christians. They didn’t enjoin themselves or convert to some new religion called Christianity. In fact, the word Christian is only found three times in the new testament and ‘The Way’ at least six times in Acts alone. The first-century Messianic community referred to themselves as ‘The Way’ and followed ‘the way’ of the Messiah and the Hebrew Scriptures.
Acts 15: The Council of Jerusalem
Each of these four requirements are found in Torah and are grounded in pagan worship. Each requirement instructed a gentile to turn away from pagan worship practices in order to faithfully turn to Adonai. Embracing these four requirements was not considered legalism nor were they the end-all of living for Adonai; these requirements set forth by the Council in Jerusalem would help a gentile began a sanctified, holy life as they joined the Messianic community.