Rabbi Akiva is one of the most renowned and acclaimed rabbis in our history. His journey to Judaism and the perspectives he shared throughout his life continue to enlighten us today. Originally a humble shepherd, Rabbi Akiva had a moment of inspiration at the age of 40, in witnessing water hitting a rock. He joined a class of children and started learning with them, beginning his life of tremendous highs and lows. Of the most impressive things was losing 24,000 students and not giving up hope. Ultimately, when being killed for teaching Torah, Rabbi Akiva still managed to give over one final lesson to his students.
Rabbi Akiva taught us that a fence to wisdom is silence, the potential pitfalls of humor, the greatness of man for being created in the image of Hashem, how to view free choice, and so much more.
These stories about Rabbi Akiva provide guidance and inspiration to us today. No matter how little one knows or how tough things get, Rabbi Akiva showed us we are never out of hope and it is never too late. The world around us is full of miracles and some of the events we see are equally as awesome. Hopefully, we can seize on our moments of personal or external inspiration and internalize the lessons of Rabbi Akiva.
