5783/2023
A Well-Known Question
The following is a most often asked question regarding the
story we recount in the Hagadah of the five great Tana’im who
convened in Bnei Brak for a Pesach Seder. The Seder taking
place in Bnei Brak, the hometown of Rabi Akiva (see Sanhedrin
32b) and it lasting until dawn in accordance with Rabi Akiva’s
view (unlike the view of Rabi Elazar ben Azaria, one of the
participants in the Bnei Brak Seder; see Pesachim 120b)
indicates that the Seder was conducted at Rabi Akiva’s home.
The problem is that two of Rabi Akiva’s Rebbeim, Rabi
Eliezer and Rabi Yehoshua, attend the Seder at Rabi Akiva’s
residence. Their attendance is most unusual since students
typically come to their Rebbeim’s home for the Seder, rather
than the Rebbeim visiting the Talmid’s home. Many answers
are offered to resolve this problem.
Makkot 24b – Foxes on Har HaBayit
One source often cited to solve the problem is the famous story
of Rabi Akiva and a group of great Tanna’im who view the
depressing sight of foxes scurrying about Har HaBayit. Three
of the Tannaim that were at the Bnei Brak Seder were
participated in this iconic event. Rabi Akiva demonstrates a
unique ability to envision the future Geulah even when
encountering a terribly depressing sight (Makkot 24b; William
Davidson edition of the Talmud):
On another occasion they were ascending to Jerusalem
after the destruction of the Temple. When they arrived
at Mount Scopus and saw the site of the Temple, they
rent their garments in mourning, in keeping with
halakhic practice. When they arrived at the Temple
Mount, they saw a fox that emerged from the site of
the Holy of Holies. They began weeping, and Rabi
Akiva was laughing. They said to him: For what reason
are you laughing? Rabi Akiva said to them: For what
reason are you weeping? They said to him: This is the
place concerning which it is written: “And the
non-priest who approaches shall die” (Numbers 1:51),
and now foxes walk in it; and shall we not weep?
Rabi Akiva said to them: That is why I am laughing, as
it is written, when God revealed the future to the
prophet Isaiah: “And I will take to Me faithful witnesses
to attest: Uriah the priest, and Zechariah the son of
Jeberechiah” (Isaiah 8:2). Now what is the connection
between Uriah and Zechariah? He clarifies the
difficulty: Uriah prophesied during the First Temple
period, and Zechariah prophesied during the Second
Temple period, as he was among those who returned
to Zion from Babylonia. Rather, the verse established
that fulfillment of the prophecy of Zechariah is
dependent on fulfillment of the prophecy of Uriah.
In the prophecy of Uriah it is written: “Therefore, for
your sake Zion shall be plowed as a field, and
Jerusalem shall become rubble, and the Temple Mount
as the high places of a forest” (Micah 3:12), where
foxes are found. There is a Rabinic tradition that this
was prophesied by Uriah. In the prophecy of Zechariah
it is written: “There shall yet be elderly men and
elderly women sitting in the streets of Jerusalem”
(Zechariah 8:4). Until the prophecy of Uriah with
regard to the destruction of the city was fulfilled I was
afraid that the prophecy of Zechariah would not be
fulfilled, as the two prophecies are linked. Now that
the prophecy of Uriah was fulfilled, it is evident that
the prophecy of Zechariah remains valid. The Gemara
adds: The Sages said to him, employing this
formulation: Akiva, you have comforted us; Akiva, you
have comforted us.
A New Approach
Rabi Akiva’s Rebbeim choose to attend their
Talmid’s Seder due to Rabi Akiva’s special ability to
visualize the future redemption. Vision and imagination
is a crucial component of the Seder night. The Mishnah
(Pesachim 116b) famously teaches us that in each
generation each Jew must view himself as if he left
Mitzrayim. Rabi Akiva adds that we must envision the
future redemption as well. Who better than Rabi Akiva
to envision the glorious future?! For this reason, it is the
home of Rabi Akiva where his colleagues and even
Rebbeim wish to gather for the Seder.
Mishnah Pesachim 116b
The Mishnah (Pesachim 116b) records a dispute between
Rabi Tarfon and Rabi Akiva as to the text of the
concluding Berachah of the Maggid section of the
Haggadah:
רבי טרפון אומר, אשר גאלנו וגאל את אבותינו ממצריים, והגיענו ללילה
הזה לאכול בו מצה ומרור; ואינו חותם. רבי עקיבה מוסיף, כן ה' אלוהינו
ואלוהי אבותינו יגיענו לרגלים ולמועדים אחרים הבאים לקראתנו בשלום,
שמחים בבניין עירך וששים בעבודתך, לאכול מן הזבחים ומן הפסחים
שיגיע דמם על קיר מזבחך לרצון, ונודה לשמך שיר חדש על גאולתנו ועל
.פדות נפשנו; ברוך אתה ה', גאל ישראל
Rabi Tarfon believes we focus solely on Yetzi’at
Mitzrayim and not on the future Geulah. Otherwise we
detract from our obligation of Sippur Yetzi’at Mitzrayim.
Rabi Akiva, on the other hand, insists that part and parcel
of Sipur Yetzi’at Mitzrayim is addressing the future
Ge’ulah as well.
Rabi Akiva’s view has prevailed and been
accepted in practice. Even Rabi Tarfon attended Rabi
Akiva’s Seder. No wonder the Haftarah for Shabbat
HaGadol and the eighth day of Pesach (in Chutz La'Aretz)
focuses on Eliyahu HaNavi and the Yemot HaMashi’ach.
Thus, just as we visualize ourselves leaving Mitzrayim, we
must visualize ourselves in Yerushalayim HaBenuyah as
an essential ingredient of the Pesach experience.
Rabi Akiva’s Positivity Bias
Even when the Romans were executing him in the most
horrifying manner, Rabi Akiva managed to find the good
in the situation. Berachot 61a records (William Davidson
edition of the Talmud):
When they took Rabi Akiva out to be executed, it
was time for the recitation of Shema. And they
were raking his flesh with iron combs, and he was
reciting Shema, thereby accepting upon himself
the yoke of Heaven. His students said to him: Our
teacher, even now, as you suffer, you recite
Shema? He said to them: All my days I have been
troubled by the verse: With all your soul,
meaning: Even if God takes your soul. I said to
myself: When will the opportunity be afforded me
to fulfill this verse? Now that it has been afforded
me, shall I not fulfill it? He prolonged his uttering
of the word: One, until his soul left his body as he
uttered his final word: One. A voice descended
from heaven and said: Happy are you, Rabi Akiva,
that your soul left your body as you uttered: One.
Psychologists have discovered that human beings
are naturally more inclined to the negative than to the
positive. This “negativity bias” however, can be overcome
with great effort. No one was better than Rabi Akiva in
developing a positivity bias than Rabi Akiva. He clearly
discovered the good even in the most dire of situations.
There is much to learn from the Chachamim
assembling at Rabi Akiva’s home for the Seder. Besides
endorsing Rabi Akiva’s view of incorporating the future
Geulah into the celebration of Yetzi’at Mitzrayim, the
gathering is a rousing celebration of Rabi Akiva’s
positivity bias. Even at a time of the brutal Roman
occupation of Eretz Yisrael, the Chachamim wanted to
bask in the positivity of Rabi Akiva. Certainly we who live
in far better times must follow their example by beating a
path to Rabi’s Akiva’s perspective on life.
Rabi Akiva’s Personal Example
Rabi Akiva is the perfect person to envision greatness in
the midst of ruin for he is the beneficiary of such vision.
Ketuvot 63b-64a beautifully recounts how Rabi Akiva’s
wife saw him as an ignorant shepherd who had the
potential to emerge not only as a great Torah scholar but
as one of the leading lights of the Jewish people of all
generations. Just as the vision of Rachel, Rabi Akiva’s wife, was realized, Rabi Akiva shared a vision for the
future greatness of Am Yisrael as well.
The five Chachamim were drawn to Rabi Akiva’s
Seder because he not only expressed the future
rebuilding; he also embodied and exemplified it.
Conclusion
Following in the footsteps of the Chachamim who flocked
to Rabi Akiva’s Seder, the Jewish People have lovingly
embraced Rabi Akiva’s wholesome attitude. How else
could a people who suffered a loss of a third of its people
manage to less than three years later retain control of
part of Eretz Yisrael for the first time in almost two
thousand years? Even more important, how else could
our people survive and even thrive despite the never
ending physical and psychological torment and suffering
our enemies seek to inflict upon us until this very day?
Where would we be without our beloved Rabi Akiva?!