Yemenite Midrash: Philosophical Commentaries on the Torah »

The fourteenth to sixteenth centuries were the most vibrant period in the intellectual history of the Yemeni Jews. By rooting themselves firmly in the tradition of the great philosopher Maimonides, they found that the Hebrew Bible contained philosophical truths that are at the core of humanity's highest goal. In this anthology of midrashim, eight Yemeni authors explore the means of ethical and intellectual achievement, the structure of the universe, the natural world, human existence, prophecy, miracles, Jewish law and practices, and the essence of allegory, parable, and symbol. The result is an extraordinary glimpse into the heart and mind of medieval Yemenite Judaism.