midrash

This term functions both as a technical process of interpretation and as the resulting literary product. When referring to the method of exegesis, it describes a creative and scholarly approach to filling gaps in the biblical narrative, often blending legal analysis with storytelling to derive moral or spiritual lessons.

In a literary context, it refers to the actual texts produced through this method. While the term is rooted in Jewish scholarship, it is occasionally used in broader theological or academic discussions to describe any interpretive narrative that expands upon a foundational text.