Derash
/dəˈrɑːʃ/noun
A homiletical or interpretive reading of a biblical text, especially one drawing out an ethical or spiritual lesson.
Did you know?Derash belongs to the same Semitic root as Hebrew darash, “to seek,” linking interpretation with an active search rather than passive reading.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Semitic
Proto-Semitic
*darash
“To seek, inquire, investigate, or pursue knowledge”
Biblical Hebrew
Hebrew
דָּרַשׁ (darash)
“To seek, inquire of, study, or interpret”
Rabbinic Hebrew
Mishnaic Hebrew
דְּרָשׁ (derash)
“Interpretive exposition or a meaning drawn from Scripture”
Late Antiquity–Middle Ages
Jewish Aramaic/Hebrew
דְּרָשָׁא (derasha)
“A sermon or homiletical interpretation delivered publicly”
20th Century
English
derash
“A Jewish interpretive or homiletical method, often contrasted with literal or historical reading”