Tannaitic Midrash on Exodus, beginning with an exposition of Exodus 12:2. The term Mekhilta ("measure" or "method") is found for the first time in the literature of the ge'onim. Although classed with the halakhic midrashim, slightly more than half the work is aggadic in character. It is divided into nine tractates. Most of the sages quoted were pupils of R. Ishmael, although some of the interpretations emanated from the School of R. Akiva and a fairly large number of Babylonian sages are cited. A number of statements quoted in the Talmud in the name of R. Johanan Ben Nappaḥa are found as anonymous statements in the Mekhilta. This points to R. Johanan ben Nappaḥa as having been one of the last editors of the work.
The method of interpretation is distinguished by its exceptional simplicity, with a strong preference for using an argument a fortiori rather than a forced interpretation of a verse or a word. Also characteristic is its tentative suggestion of an interpretation, followed by its rejection in favor of another interpretation. The rejected opinions are largely those of other contemporary academies.
The Mekhilta is distinguished by its broad universalistic spirit. It preserves a number of ancient legends not found elsewhere, a fact that reflects the antiquity of the original version.
