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MICHAELIS, JOHANN DAVID – Christian Orientalist and polyhistor; born at Halle Feb. 27, 1717; died at Göttingen Aug. 22, 1791; grandnephew of Johann Heinrich Michaelis. He was educated at the university of his native city, and made scientific journeys in...
MICHAELIS, JOHANN HEINRICH – German Christian theologian and Hebraist; born at Kletterberg July 26, 1668; died at Halle March 10, 1738. He studied Ethiopic under Ludolf at Frankfort-on-the-Main, and became assistant professor of Oriental languages at Halle...
MICHAELMAS GEESE – See Barnacle-Goose.
MICHAL – The younger of the two daughters of Saul, probably by Ahinoam (I Sam. xiv. 49-50). David, then a boy of about sixteen, was to have married her sister Merab; but the latter having been given to another, and Michal having fallen...
MICHEL JUD – A public character prominent in his day for wealth and influence; born about the end of the fifteenth century at Derenburg, near Halberstadt; died in 1549. He was described as of imposing appearance and eloquent of speech, and...
MICHELSON, ALBERT A. – American physicist; born at Strelno, in the district of Bromberg, Prussia, Dec. 19, 1852. His father, Samuel Michelson, emigrated to the United States and settled inSan Francisco, where Albert Michelson received his early...
MICHIGAN – One of the Western states of the United States of America. There are no records of the settlement of Jews in Michigan prior to the year 1848, when about a dozen families of Bavarian Jews settled in Detroit. Within a decade a few...
MICHMASH – A town of Benjamin, east of Beth-aven (I Sam. xiii. 2 et passim; Neh. xi. 31). The form "Michmas" ( ) occurs in Ezra ii. 27 and in Neh. vii. 31, according to which the name may mean "hidden." Michmash is particularly known as...
MICROCOCCUS PRODIGIOSUS – A microscopical organism, first mentioned in 1819 by an Italian doctor, Vincenzo Sette, who observed it on polenta, a sort of Italian maize pudding, and gave it the strange name of Zaogalactina imetropha (from ζάω = "I live";...
MICROCOSM – Man a Universe in Little. Philosophical term applied to man when contrasted with the universe, which, in this connection, is termed the macrocosm. The idea of an analogy between man and the universe was expressed by the ancient...
MIDDLEMAN, JUDAH – English rabbi of the first half of the nineteenth century. He was the author of "Netibot Emet," a work written in defense of the traditions of the Talmud against the attacks, in "Old Paths" ("Netibot 'Olam"), of the Rev....
MIDDOT – Treatise in the Mishnah; tenth in the order Ḳodashim. It deals with the dimensions and the arrangement of the Temple, and is divided into five chapters containing thirty-four paragraphs in all.Ch. i.: The night-watches in the...
MIDDOT: THE SEVEN, OF HILLEL – See Talmud Hermeneutics.
MIDDOT, SHELOSH-'ESREH – Division. The thirteen forms of mercy, enumerated in Ex. xxxiv. 6-7, whereby God rules the world. According to the explanation of Maimonides ("Moreh Nebukim," i. 52), which is confirmed by the Sifre (Deut. 49 [ed. Friedmann, p....
MIDDOT: THE THIRTEEN, OF R. ISHMAEL – See Talmud Hermeneutics.
MIDIAN AND MIDIANITES – Geographical Position. Midian was the son of Abraham and Keturah. His five sons, Ephah, Epher, Hanoch, Abidah (R. V. "Abida"), and Eldaah, were the progenitors of the Midianites (Gen. xxv. 1-4; I Chron. i. 32-33). The term...
MIDRASH – A term occurring as early as II Chron. xiii. 22, xxiv. 27, though perhaps not in the sense in which it came to be used later, and denoting "exposition," "exegesis," especially that of the Scriptures. In contradistinction to...
MIDRASH HAGGADAH – The subject will be treated under the following headings:General Statement.Special Divisions:A. Midrash Haggadah in the tannaitic midrashim, etc.1.Mekilta.2.Sifra.3.Sifre to Numbers.4.Sifre to Deuteronomy.B. The purely haggadic...
MIDRASH HALAKAH – The Term. Strictly speaking, the verification of the traditionally received Halakah by identifying its sources in the Bible and by interpreting these Scriptural passages as proofs of its authenticity. The term is applied also to...
MIDRASH MISHLE – See Proverbs, Midrash to.
MIDRASH SHEMUEL – See Samuel, Midrash to.
MIDRASH TANḤUMA – See Tanḥuma.
MIDRASH TEHILLIM – See Psalms, Midrash to.
MIDRASHIM, SMALLER – A number of midrashim exist which are smaller in size, and generally later in date, than those dealt with in the articles Midrash Haggadah and Midrash Halakah. The chief of these are:1. Midrash Abkir: This midrash, the extant...
MIDWIFE – Biblical Data: Midwives are referred to in the Bible as having been employed among the Hebrews at an early period; thus Rachel and Tamar were assisted by midwives (Gen. xxxv. 17, xxxviii. 28). They were called in, however, only...

MICHAELIS, JOHANN DAVID – Christian Orientalist and polyhistor; born at Halle Feb. 27, 1717; died at Göttingen Aug. 22, 1791; grandnephew of Johann Heinrich Michaelis. He was educated at the university of his native city, and made scientific journeys in...

MICHAELIS, JOHANN HEINRICH – German Christian theologian and Hebraist; born at Kletterberg July 26, 1668; died at Halle March 10, 1738. He studied Ethiopic under Ludolf at Frankfort-on-the-Main, and became assistant professor of Oriental languages at Halle...

MICHAELMAS GEESE – See Barnacle-Goose.

MICHAL – The younger of the two daughters of Saul, probably by Ahinoam (I Sam. xiv. 49-50). David, then a boy of about sixteen, was to have married her sister Merab; but the latter having been given to another, and Michal having fallen...

MICHEL JUD – A public character prominent in his day for wealth and influence; born about the end of the fifteenth century at Derenburg, near Halberstadt; died in 1549. He was described as of imposing appearance and eloquent of speech, and...

MICHELSON, ALBERT A. – American physicist; born at Strelno, in the district of Bromberg, Prussia, Dec. 19, 1852. His father, Samuel Michelson, emigrated to the United States and settled inSan Francisco, where Albert Michelson received his early...

MICHIGAN – One of the Western states of the United States of America. There are no records of the settlement of Jews in Michigan prior to the year 1848, when about a dozen families of Bavarian Jews settled in Detroit. Within a decade a few...

MICHMASH – A town of Benjamin, east of Beth-aven (I Sam. xiii. 2 et passim; Neh. xi. 31). The form "Michmas" ( ) occurs in Ezra ii. 27 and in Neh. vii. 31, according to which the name may mean "hidden." Michmash is particularly known as...

MICROCOCCUS PRODIGIOSUS – A microscopical organism, first mentioned in 1819 by an Italian doctor, Vincenzo Sette, who observed it on polenta, a sort of Italian maize pudding, and gave it the strange name of Zaogalactina imetropha (from ζάω = "I live";...

MICROCOSM – Man a Universe in Little. Philosophical term applied to man when contrasted with the universe, which, in this connection, is termed the macrocosm. The idea of an analogy between man and the universe was expressed by the ancient...

MIDDLEMAN, JUDAH – English rabbi of the first half of the nineteenth century. He was the author of "Netibot Emet," a work written in defense of the traditions of the Talmud against the attacks, in "Old Paths" ("Netibot 'Olam"), of the Rev....

MIDDOT – Treatise in the Mishnah; tenth in the order Ḳodashim. It deals with the dimensions and the arrangement of the Temple, and is divided into five chapters containing thirty-four paragraphs in all.Ch. i.: The night-watches in the...

MIDDOT: THE SEVEN, OF HILLEL – See Talmud Hermeneutics.

MIDDOT, SHELOSH-'ESREH – Division. The thirteen forms of mercy, enumerated in Ex. xxxiv. 6-7, whereby God rules the world. According to the explanation of Maimonides ("Moreh Nebukim," i. 52), which is confirmed by the Sifre (Deut. 49 [ed. Friedmann, p....

MIDDOT: THE THIRTEEN, OF R. ISHMAEL – See Talmud Hermeneutics.

MIDIAN AND MIDIANITES – Geographical Position. Midian was the son of Abraham and Keturah. His five sons, Ephah, Epher, Hanoch, Abidah (R. V. "Abida"), and Eldaah, were the progenitors of the Midianites (Gen. xxv. 1-4; I Chron. i. 32-33). The term...

MIDRASH – A term occurring as early as II Chron. xiii. 22, xxiv. 27, though perhaps not in the sense in which it came to be used later, and denoting "exposition," "exegesis," especially that of the Scriptures. In contradistinction to...

MIDRASH HAGGADAH – The subject will be treated under the following headings:General Statement.Special Divisions:A. Midrash Haggadah in the tannaitic midrashim, etc.1.Mekilta.2.Sifra.3.Sifre to Numbers.4.Sifre to Deuteronomy.B. The purely haggadic...

MIDRASH HALAKAH – The Term. Strictly speaking, the verification of the traditionally received Halakah by identifying its sources in the Bible and by interpreting these Scriptural passages as proofs of its authenticity. The term is applied also to...

MIDRASH MISHLE – See Proverbs, Midrash to.

MIDRASH SHEMUEL – See Samuel, Midrash to.

MIDRASH TANḤUMA – See Tanḥuma.

MIDRASH TEHILLIM – See Psalms, Midrash to.

MIDRASHIM, SMALLER – A number of midrashim exist which are smaller in size, and generally later in date, than those dealt with in the articles Midrash Haggadah and Midrash Halakah. The chief of these are:1. Midrash Abkir: This midrash, the extant...

MIDWIFE – Biblical Data: Midwives are referred to in the Bible as having been employed among the Hebrews at an early period; thus Rachel and Tamar were assisted by midwives (Gen. xxxv. 17, xxxviii. 28). They were called in, however, only...