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Acknowledgments
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ix Acknowledgments This publication is not only the realization of my efforts, but also the result of the interest, dedication, and investment of many people. Given the range of resources and level of commitment required to produce a publication of this complexity, this project could not have come to fruition without such support. I will not be able to acknowledge by name everyone who contributed to this publication, so I begin by expressing my deep indebtedness and gratitude for the assistance of so many, whose care and concern was a wellspring from which I drew the strength and sustenance necessary to complete this endeavor. Over a period of many years, I have benefited from the expertise, energy, and mentoring of teachers who embody the best ideals of the professional guild I have recently joined. This project has been particularly shaped by the contributions of three such individuals. Professor Martin S. Jaffee generously volunteered his intellectual interest, effort and time to this project, particularly at its earliest stage of development. For this I am deeply grateful, as well as for his willingness to shape and influence my professional development in many ways over a span of more than twenty years. Over the past three years, Professor Avigdor Shinan lent his critical eye, vast knowledge, and keen advice to this project. In addition to his scholarly assistance, I have benefited from his joyful countenance, generosity of spirit, and love of learning—a greater model of supportive mentoring and positive collegiality cannot be found. Finally, to my mentor, Professor Richard Sarason I express the appreciation of a student, the admiration of a colleague, and the emotion of a friend. This project has been influenced by his intellect, wisdom, and exhaustive efforts in ways simply too numerous to delineate. The work of a mentor is never complete; the gratitude of a student has no limits. All should have the fortune to be blessed with a teacher such as he. X MEKHILTA DE-RABBI SHIMON BAR YOḤAI I thank the Yad Hanadiv/Beracha Foundation for granting me a Visiting Research Fellowship in Jewish Studies at The Hebrew University in Jerusalem for the 2004–2005 academic year. Under the sponsorship of this generous fellowship, I was affordedtheopportunitytodevoteayearofuninterruptedattentiontothispublication in an unparalleled scholarly environment dedicated to the study of Judaism. I extend appreciation to Brite Divinity School and Texas Christian University for granting me both a semester research leave and a semester leave of absence, which facilitated my ability to accept this fellowship opportunity. I have had the good fortune of working with The Jewish Publication Society on this project. I know of no other publisher in the United States devoted to Jewish scholarship that can marshal the resources required for a publication such as this, and I am honored that JPS designated this book to be the initial publication in its new ElsonClassicsSeries.IthankDr.EllenFrankelforhersteadfastdevotiontothisproject, and to both Carol Hupping and Janet Liss for their extensive production expertise and assistance. I also extend my deep appreciation to Michele Alperin for the tremendous skill, keen eye, and meticulous concern she brought to this publication as its primary proofreader. Finally, words cannot express my gratitude for the love, encouragement, and support I have received from the members of my family over the many years of work I have devoted to this endeavor. My reverence for the past, passion for the present, and hope for the future stems from all they have brought into the world. They are the truest blessing of them all. W. David Nelson Fort Worth, Texas 29 Chesvan 5766 ...