The Impact of Midrash is a contribution to the analysis of a major aspect of early rabbinic exegesis, the influence of Midrash on the lives and beliefs of the Jewish people in the Holy land in the opening centuries of the current era. It examines the earliest rabbinic interpretations of the opening verses of the 'Sema' (Deut. 6:4-5) with special reference to the major themes of messianic expectation and the idealisation of martyrdom and suffering. It continues to explore the significance of these ideas for the revolt against Rome (132-5 CE) and its tragic aftermath, for the midrashic interpretation of the 'Aqedah' and for the development of the benedictions associated with the recitation of the 'Sema'.