Project Updates #3: Textual Sources (recommendations welcome)

[sjw82]

We have found one possible avenue by which to select texts:

We might first collect a large list of possible Biblical verses and then sort through them to find those with the most robust Midrash. We can then choose which Midrash appear frequently and begin to narrow down which collections on which to focus (for example, looking only at passages from Bereishit Rabbah, Esther Rabbah, and Midrash Tanchuma relating to each verse) or alternatively if we would rather restrict to a certain number of texts per verse and analyze only those most rich rather than those from specific collections (that is to say looking at 5 midrashim for each verse which could mean drawing from 5 different texts each time note that this is wildly unlikely as there are a few major texts that deal with almost every verse and would be unavoidable). The second option will require more historical research but would ensure more opportunities for XML.

Professor Birnbaum found an excellent online library (https://www.sefaria.org/?home) which neatly finds the references to each verse in all of the Midrash in the archive, allowing us to handle more text by reducing the amount of time we will need to spend searching through and for digitized texts.

So if you have a favorite verse from the old testament or a verse that you find interesting or would like to see analysis of, please feel free to send it to us!

[AncientGreekGeek]

It might be cool to work with Exodus or the story of Joseph which I think is in Genesis!

[sjw82]

I'm interested in conversion, particularly in the neighborhood of Ruth 1:16

[sjw82]

I've switched my focus to social justice in the Torah.