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Midrash Interpretation

What is the best way to explain midrashim such as the one in Niddah about the angel hitting the baby in the mouth just prior to birth causing him to forget his Torah that he learned while in the womb? Is Chazal trying to teach a value? How are we to understand these types of midrashim if not literally?
Thank you.

Answer:

There are different approaches to Midrashim such as these, many of which are very difficult to accept literally.

One of the most popular approaches is that taken by the Maharal, who writes that Chazal are trying to teach us different eternal truths by means of their tales and anecdotes. He generally translates the aggados into his own philosophical system, while others translate them into other terms and concepts.

The fundamental idea is that words of Chazal are laden with meaning (and not mere prose or literature, an approach the Maharal firmly rejects), which we must strive to extract by pondering the deeper layer of the text. For instance, in the case of the Midrash you mention, the Maharal explains that the “slap on the mouth” is a simile, and the intended meaning is that the Malach gives the child a power of chisaron (lack).

Of course, the subject of Midrash interpretation is very broad, and we have only touched it.

Best wishes.

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