Summary
Date: 500-800 C.E.

Midrash Tanchuma is a midrash on the five books of the Torah, structured as sermons on the opening verses of each paragraph in the Torah. Named for the talmudic sage Rabbi Tanchuma, who features prominently in the text, it is also referred to as “Tanchuma-Yelammedenu” because of the prevalence of legal passages that start with the words “yelamedenu rabeinu” (teach us, our Rabbi). The dating and composition history of the Tanchuma are matters of scholarly debate.