Akiva the Shepherd. English edition

Akiva the Shepherd

English edition

Gertcel Davydov

Illustrator

 Alexander Lebedev

Translator

 Keren Applebaum

© Gertcel Davydov, 2023

© Alexander Lebedev, illustrations, 2023

© Keren Applebaum, translation, 2023

ISBN 978-5-4485-0177-7

Created with Ridero smart publishing system

Akiva The Shepherd

Before the Second Temple was destroyed, Akiva lived in the Galilee – a region in northern Israel. He was born into a poor family and worked as a simple shepherd in his youth, not knowing how to read or write. He had to work hard from early morning till late evening to earn his daily bread. When Akiva wasn’t tending sheep, he chopped wood and sold it at the market.

In the year 66 of the Common Era, the Jews rose up against the Roman Empire, only to be suppressed. The Second Temple in Jerusalem was destroyed soon after, and the Romans levied exorbitant taxes on the people of Judea. Life became very difficult for the Jews. That is when Akiva decided to move to Jerusalem. Once there, he continued chopping wood and selling it at the market until he finally secured a job as a shepherd at an estate belonging to a very wealthy resident of Jerusalem, a man named Kalba Savua, which means “satisfied dog” in Hebrew. His hospitality was so great that even dogs that wandered into his yard would leave well fed and satisfied. He strived to emulate the forefather Abraham, who together with his wife Sarah had set up a tent to welcome wayfarers.

Kalba Savua had a beautiful daughter named Rachel. Young and educated, she was fond of reading and, despite being a lady of good society, always eager to help out with the housework.

Akiva took a strong liking to Rachel, but he could not muster up the nerve to tell her. She was, after all, the daughter of the esteemed Kalba Savua, while he was just a simple shepherd.

Rachel often watched Akiva carefully tending to the sheep, taking care of each one. She thought to herself that if this shepherd became a well-read man, with time he would become a fine rabbi.

Finally, overcoming his many doubts, Akiva asked for Rachel’s hand in marriage. Seeing how humble and honest the shepherd was, the young heiress to the estate accepted his marriage proposal, but on one condition:

Akiva, I will marry you if you learn to read and write. I am deeply convinced that you will make a fine rabbi.

Rachel, – Akiva replied sadly, – A person can only learn to read and write during the childhood years. It’s too late for me. I have lived in this world for thirty-five years and I still don’t even know the alphabet.

It’s never too late to learn, – Rachel objected. – I will help you and support you in everything you do. If you devote yourself to learning, then the words of the Torah will enter your heart.

Akiva promised the lady of his heart that he would begin studying and thanked her for agreeing to marry him.

Rachel couldn’t wait to share the happy news with her father, hoping that he would approve of her choice and accept Akiva into the family. But when Kalba Savua found out that his only daughter has decided to marry a shepherd who cannot read or write, and does not even know a single prayer from the Torah, he turned her and the shepherd out of the estate. If that weren’t enough, he vowed never to speak t