Midrash of the Ten Commandments

The Midrash of the Ten Commandments (Midrash ‘aseret ha-diberot) is an anthology of tongue-in-cheek stories rather than an exegetical interpretation of the Decalogue. Likely produced in Iraq, this text circulated in different versions, varying between thirteen and forty tales loosely connected to the Ten Commandments. This collection presents both earlier rabbinic material and other literature, including Greek, often in a derisive tone. The stories contrast the letter of the law with the comic fallibility of its human subjects.