The Mekhilta takes a single Hebrew word from the Song of the Sea — "ve'anvehu" — and shows how three different rabbis derive three entirely different meanings from it, each revealing a distinct dimension of the relationship between Israel and God.
The word appears in (Exodus 15:2): "This is my God, ve'anvehu." Literally, it might mean "I will host Him" or "I will glorify Him." Rabbi Yishmael immediately challenges the literal reading. Is it really possible to "host" one's Master? Can a human being provide hospitality to the Creator of the universe?
Rabbi Yishmael's solution is elegant. He reads "ve'anvehu" as derived from the root "na'eh," meaning beautiful. The verse therefore means: "I shall beautify myself before Him with mitzvot (commandments)." How? By acquiring a beautiful lulav for Sukkot (the Festival of Tabernacles). By wearing beautiful tzitzit (fringes). By blowing a beautiful shofar. By offering beautiful prayer. The commandments themselves should be performed with aesthetic care — not the bare minimum, but with attention to beauty, quality, and devotion.
Abba Shaul offers a radically different reading. He breaks "ve'anvehu" into two words: "ani vehu" — "I and He." The verse becomes a declaration of imitation: "I will liken myself to Him." Just as God is merciful and gracious, you too must be merciful and gracious. This is the principle of imitatio Dei — walking in God's ways by embodying His attributes.
Three readings of one word. One teaches aesthetic devotion. Another teaches moral imitation. The Mekhilta preserves all of them, because all are true simultaneously.