An article about midrash

I found this article helpful in thinking about midrash, the Jewish "family conversation" about the scriptures, the "extra-Biblical" interpretations that seek to fill in the gaps - gaps in the stories and gaps in our understanding:

Is Your Bible as Incomplete as Mine? Participating in a Midrashic Conversation.

Some quotes to spark your interest:

"It [midrash] lives in the thought that there is not “one true meaning” in what is being read; that the text has never been able to communicate itself quite clearly; that there is still an openness in what is being read, to something (anything) “new.” The text, it is thought, gains its life in this gap, flux, ambiguity, and ebb and flow, which history instils in everything..."

 A question I continue to wrestle with is, "What is the role of the community, of the church, and of church tradition in understanding and interpreting scripture, and, moreover, in understanding God?" This article about midrash begs that question yet again.