derash

Derash is a transliteration of the Hebrew verb darash, meaning to seek, inquire, or study. In Jewish rabbinic literature, derash or derashah refers to a class of homiletic interpretation that explains biblical texts beyond their plain sense. The term is related to midrash and is sometimes used to indicate a particular interpretive approach rather than a fixed body of writings.

In rabbinic usage, derashah covers aggadic and exegetical expansions, ethical exhortations, and legal hermeneutics, often connecting verses to moral, liturgical, or communal lessons. It contrasts with peshat, the literal reading, and with halakhic analysis that yields rulings. Derash is commonly employed by sages in sermons, study dialogues, and rulings, and forms a core aspect of classical Midrashic literature as well as some medieval and modern biblical commentaries.

Outside Jewish contexts, derash may appear as a transliteration in names or place-names and, in English-language scholarship, may refer to the method of interpretation or to works that employ it. Because transliteration varies, derash can be rendered as drash, derashah, or derashim in different sources, and its precise sense depends on historical and linguistic context.