The Midrash of R. Tanḥuma: On Noah

The Midrash of R. Tanḥuma, named for the rabbinic figure most frequently cited in it, is also known as Yelammdenu (teach us) and collects midrashim on the entire Torah. Tanḥuma is organized around the triennial cycle of Torah reading, indicating a Palestinian origin and suggesting that the text provided homiletical material for preachers. It appears likely that a stable version of Tanḥuma was fixed in around the ninth century, although some scholars have proposed a much earlier date. Either way, much of the material predates the ninth century. The work circulated in many different versions. Some medieval authors even knew Tanḥuma and Yelammdenu as two separate works. Surviving versions of Tanḥuma contain both legal and nonlegal materials. This excerpt begins with the blessing over rainbows enacted by the talmudic rabbis (see b. Berakhot 59a), which evokes the postdiluvian covenant (Genesis 9:13). Next, in typical midrashic fashion, the text contrasts God “remembering” Noah (Genesis 8:1) with the ways that humans recall their own loved ones.