The Mekhilta of Rabbi Ishmael (Jewish Babylonian Aramaic: מְכִילְתָּא דְּרַבִּי יִשְׁמָעֵאל IPA /məˈχiltʰɑ/, "a collection of rules of interpretation") is midrash halakha to the Book of Exodus.
The Aramaic title Mekhilta corresponds to the Mishnaic Hebrew term מדה middā "measure," "rule", and is used to denote a compilation of exegesis (מדות middoṯ; compare talmudical hermeneutics).
Nissim ben Jacob[2] and Samuel ibn Naghrillah[3] refer to it as the Mekhilta de-Rabbi Yishmael, thus ascribing the authorship to Ishmael.
[8] A later editor, intending to compile a halakhic midrash to Exodus, took Ishmael's work on the book, beginning with ch.
[9] He even omitted passages from the portion which he took, but (by way of compensation) incorporated much material from the other halakhic midrashim, Sifra, the Mekhilta of Rabbi Shimon ben Yochai, and the Sifre to the Book of Deuteronomy.
Since the last two works were from a different source, he generally designated them by the introductory phrase, "davar aḥer" = "another explanation," placing them after the sections taken from Ishmael's midrash.
[23] Although the redactor intended to produce a halachic midrash to Book of Exodus, the majority of the Mekhilta is aggadic in character.
[25] The aggadic expositions in the Mekhilta, which are found chiefly in "Beshallah" and "Yitro" are in part actual exegesis, but the majority of them are merely interpretations of Scripture to illustrate certain ethical and moral tenets.
[28] Especially noteworthy are the aggadot relating to the battles of the Ephraimites[29] and to Serah, Asher's daughter, who showed Joseph's coffin to Moses,[30] besides others, which are based on old tales and legends.
[37] On the other hand, this midrash, apparently in written form, is mentioned several times in the Talmud under the title She'ar Sifre debe Rav "The Other Books of the Schoolhouse".
Yet there are many barayata in the Talmud which contain comments on Book of Exodus introduced by the phrase Tana debe R. Yishmael but which are not included in the Mekhilta under discussion.