The Binding of Isaac and the Gift of Midrash

Or Learning to Read More Creatively

One of the real weaknesses in the evangelical approach to reading Scripture is the lack of imagination, a lack of playfulness in how we engage the text. Turning to our Jewish neighbours to understand how they have read their own stories opens us up to the kind of creativity the Bible not only invites but probably really demands.

And one of the most interesting examples of this comes in one of the most difficult stories anywhere in Scripture: the binding of Isaac (Gen 22:1–19). There was a famous rabbi named Rashi, who lived about a thousand years ago, and I think in some ways he helps bring this story not only closer to home, but opens it up to some unexpected implications.

continuing reading on Substack.