Mekhilta de-Rabbi Simeon bar Yoḥai

A halakhic midrash to Exodus compiled in the third century CE, this collection of commentaries is attributed to the school of R. Akiva. Although fragmentary, it begins with Exodus 3:1 and contains aggadic expositions on narrative portions of the text. Section 61:1 is a halakhic unit exemplifying the methods of the Akivan school—particularly the unrestrained use of verbal analogies (gezerot shavot; sg., gezerah shavah)—whereas 1:1–2 presents a series of aggadic reflections on the reasons God chose to reveal God’s self to Moses in a lowly bush. The passage as a whole emphasizes God’s intimacy with Israel and constant presence even in the midst of Israel’s suffering.