The Brill Reference Library of Judaism80 Sing and Rejoice, O daughter Zion (Zechariah 2:14)

Presents a comprehensive analysis of Pesiqta Rabbati - a rabbinic midrashic work that follows the reading cycle of the bible and the prophetic lessons of the ancient synagogue in homilies, which display the hermeneutics of midrash and the literary form of rabbinic homilies. Pesiqta Rabbati is a midrashic collection of homilies derived from the Hebrew bible related to Jewish observance of festivals, fast days, and special Sabbaths. The book underscores the importance and purpose of Pesiqta Rabbati: to explain the centrality of midrash in the life, culture, and ethnicity of Jewish belief and practice, as well as the importance of practice sustaining the continuity of Jews and their identity. Textual details are drawn from contemporary events (5th- 11th century) and Jewish ethics. Topics include apocalyptic thought, the suffering Messiah ben Ephraim, the Jerusalem Temple, and reactions to Christianity and Islam. Methods applied are text linguistics, borderland theories, halachic discourse analysis, semiotics, and literary criticism.