Halakhic midrash to the Book of Exodus
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). Other important mekhiltas were those of Shimon bar Yochai and on Book of Deuteronomy. The latter work was also associated with Rabbi Ishmael's teachings.
According to Steven Fine, both Sifra and the Mekhilta I. were concerned with the sanctification of early study houses after the destruction of the Second Temple.[1]