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exodus rabbah
EXODUS RABBAH (Heb. הָ ּבַ ר תֹ ומְ ש, ׁ Shemot Rabbah), aggadic
Midrash on the Book of Exodus (for the designation
“Rabbah,” see *Ruth Rabbah).
The Structure
Exodus Rabbah, which is divided into 52 sections, consists of
two different Midrashim (see Esther Rabbah; and Numbers
Rabbah): Exodus Rabbah I (sections 1–14) and Exodus Rabbah
II (sections 15–52).
Exodus Rabbah I
An exegetical Midrash to Exodus 1–10, Exodus Rabbah I interprets
successively, each chapter, verse, and, at times, each
word. The division into sections generally follows the early
Ereẓ Israel triennial cycle (see *Torah, Reading of the). Each
section begins with one or more proems (*Derashah; *Midrash),
of which there are more than 20 in Exodus Rabbah.
Except for one which opens with the name of an amora and
a verse from Isaiah, all the proems are anonymous and begin
with a verse from the Hagiographa (mainly from Psalms,
Proverbs, and Job). The structure of some proems is defective,
particularly in their ending and in their connection with the
beginning of the section. The sections have no epilogues. Exodus
Rabbah I is written for the most part in Hebrew, in part
mishnaic, and in part Hebrew of the early Middle Ages. *Aramaic
(also Babylonian Aramaic) is only sparingly used and
there is a sprinkling of Greek and Latin words. In style and
content Exodus Rabbah I often resembles later medieval Midrashim
and aggadot, such as Sefer ha-Yashar. The redactor of
Exodus Rabbah drew upon tannaitic literature, the Jerusalem
Talmud, *Genesis Rabbah, *Leviticus Rabbah, *Lamentations
Rabbah, and other early aggadic Midrashim of the amoraic
period, and he made extensive use of the Babylonian Talmud
and of Midrashim of the *Yelammedenu-Tanḥuma type. Such
Midrashim were the chief source of the work, and many of its
homilies occur in the various editions of the Tanḥuma, mostly
in the printed one. The redactor of Exodus Rabbah broke the
lengthy expositions of the Yelammedenu-Tanḥuma type, which
included halakhic material as well, linking the shorter units to
appropriate biblical verses, at the same time incorporating additional
material from numerous other sources. In using legends
of the Babylonian Talmud, the redactor tried, often not
very successfully, to change their language from Babylonian
to Galilean Aramaic. His intention apparently was to compile
a Midrash, in continuation of Genesis Rabbah, on the Book of
Exodus up to the point where the *Mekhilta begins. The redaction
of Exodus Rabbah I took place, it seems, not earlier
than the tenth century c.e.
Exodus Rabbah II
Exodus 12–40 is a homiletical *Midrash of the Yelammedenu-
Tanḥuma type. The division into sections is based on the triennial
cycle. Introduced by proems characteristic of the Yelammedenu-Tanḥuma
Midrashim, some of which are quoted in
the name of R. *Tanḥuma, the sections frequently conclude
with epilogues referring to redemption and the promise of a
happier future. Exodus Rabbah II, which contains some Greek
and Latin words, is mainly in mishnaic Hebrew, with an admixture
of Galilean Aramaic – the original language from
which some of the aggadot, taken from an earlier Midrash,
were translated into Hebrew. Exodus Rabbah II makes use of
tannaitic literature, the Jerusalem Talmud, and early amoraic
Midrashim, but not entire themes from the Babylonian Talmud.
Many of its homilies also occur in the known editions of
the Tanḥuma. It contains several halakhic expositions, numerous
parables, and some aggadot of a comparatively late type.
For the most part, however, it exhibits features which place it
earlier than Exodus Rabbah I, and it was apparently compiled
in the ninth century C.e. It is probably the second part of a
Midrash, the first part of which, no longer extant, served as the
main source of Exodus Rabbah I. Exodus Rabbah I and II were
apparently combined by a copyist in the 11th or 12th century
c.e. The first scholar known to have been acquainted with the
entire work in its present form was *Naḥmanides, who quotes
it in his commentary on the Pentateuch.
Editions
Exodus Rabbah was first printed in Constantinople, together
with the four other Midrashim on the Pentateuch (see *Genesis
Rabbah) in 1512. This edition, on which all subsequent ones are
based, contains many mistakes and often gives only abbreviated
texts of other Midrashim where a parallel homily occurs
in full. Several manuscripts of the work are extant but have
not yet been fully investigated. Until a scholarly edition is published,
no thorough study of Exodus Rabbah is possible.
Bibliography: Zunz-Albeck, Derashot, 124f.; Lehrman, in:
Soncino Midrash (1939), Eng.; J. Mann, The Bible as Read and Preached
in the Old Synagogue, 1 (1940); S. Lieberman, Midrash Devarim Rabbah
(19642), xxii. add. bibliography: Shinan, Midrash Shemot
Rabbah, Chapters I–XIV (1984); M. Bregman, The Tanḥuma-Yelammedenu
Literature (2003).
[Moshe David Herr]
EXPULSIONS, The Jews underwent expulsions during the
time of the Assyrian and Babylonian kingdoms (see Assyrian
*Exile; Babylonian *Exile). Pagan *Rome also adopted on
rare occasions a policy of removing the Jews from the capital,
considering them an undesirable element: there is some
vague information on the expulsion of the Jews from Rome
in 139 B.C.E. among the other “Chaldeans.” In 19 C.E. Tiberius
ordered the expulsion of all the Jews in Italy if they would not
abandon their faith. In 50 C.E. Claudius expelled them from
Rome. From the end of the Bar Kokhba Revolt (135 C.E.) until
the capture of Jerusalem by the Muslims (638), the Jews were
prohibited from entering that city and its boundaries. The policy
of expelling Jews was however only adopted by victorious
Christianity from the fourth century C.E., in implementation
of its objectives to separate the Jews from the rest of society,
and degrade and oppress them so that they would convert to
Christianity. Individual expulsions from Islamic countries,
such as the expulsion from *Tlemcen (N. Africa), are also
recorded during the tenth century (see J. Miller (ed.), Teshu-
624 ENCYCLOPAEDIA JUDAICA, Second Edition, Volume 6