Kalba Savua’s estate and received a good wage in return. Each morning, he drove the flock out of the fold and made his way down to the pastureland near the river. The sheep grazed peacefully while the shepherd admired the beauty of nature and the flowing of the river.
Akiva took great care of his flock and always made sure that the animals grazed in a fine spot where the grass was lush. He protected the sheep from excessive cold, noise and scorching heat. On days when Kalba Savua’s guests wished to lunch outside in the summer house where they could enjoy the beautiful view of the river and spend long hours debating the future of the Jewish people, Akiva would drive the sheep to a more peaceful spot. Akiva believed that calm sheep would produce more wool and that the meat would be juicer and have a richer aroma. On days when the young girl came to the summer house, reading her book for long hours in the company of her maid, Akiva let the flock stay by the river, occasionally throwing a glance in the girl’s direction to see whether she ever looked at him. But the girl was engaged in her reading and did not notice the shepherd. When her eyes became tired of the text before her, she would cast her glance to the river watching the water glisten under rays of burning sunlight.
On Fridays, Akiva drove the sheep to pasture early at the first rays of the morning sun so that he could return to the house before dark. Shabbat began after sunset13, and on Kalva Savua’s estate no-one worked on the Shabbat. Sometimes Mr. Shimon would invite Akiva to spend the Shabbat at his home. The elderly couple were always pleased to see Akiva and joyfully greeted their guest.
Akiva had long been trying to guess who the beautiful stranger might be that had given him a drink of water by the well that day and what her name might be, but his questions remained unanswered. Fearing the wrath of the farm manager, Akiva decided it would be better not to ask him who the girl was and so said nothing about it to anyone.
Sometimes, when he returned to the estate after his work was done, he went to the well, hoping to catch even the slightest glimpse of the lovely girl. Having filled the pitcher, Akiva would bring it to his lips and drink from it slowly, giving himself time to take in what was happening around him. Sometimes he did catch sight of her hanging sheets with her maid, feeding the horses or filling the huge trough beside the door with kitchen waste. She filled it regularly so that stray dogs would have something to eat. Akiva liked to watch her working, but most of all, he loved to see her warm smile.
One day, when he was filling the pitcher with water, Akiva heard the sound of dogs barking loudly. When he turned round to see what was happening, he spotted a stray dog running towards the trough and barking viciously at the young girl who was, as usual, filling it with kitchen wast. Spying the pan in her hands and smelling something edible, the dog continued barking at the girl until she was forced to drop the pan, spilling its contents on the ground.
Akiva rushed to her aid shouting in an attempt to drive away the savage looking animal. The dog retreated with reluctance but then decided to return and win the pan after all. Akiva shook his fist at the dog but he didn’t have his rod with him. Before making its escape, the dog bit his hand. The girl rushed to help Akiva but the shepherd silently turned his back to her and walked away.
The girl watched the man as he quickly disappeared in the direction of the river to wash his wound clamping the bleeding bite with his other hand. She had never seen so much blood and that evening it was a long time before she could fall asleep for thoughts of the hero-shepherd.
By nature of his work, it wasn’t the first time that Akiva had suffered a bite from a dog, insect or snake, and so he didn’t think too much of it. He rinsed his hand in the river water, bound it tightly, and then fell into thinking about the girl. «Perhaps she is the maid’s daughter, as she accompanies her everywhere, or perhaps she is a relative of Kalba Savua,» Akiva reasoned to himself.
The days passed and then weeks and months. Circumstances in Judea went from bad to worse. Jerusalem was being destroyed and the city dwellers struggled to make ends meet. They regularly paid heavy taxes to the Romans so as not to repeat the fate of other Jews who had been sold into slavery. In the absence of the Temple, the residents of the city tried to recreate the spiritual life in Judea and preserve the Holy Scriptures for the Jewish people.
Akiva had very little to do with any of it and thought neither about the Torah, nor the destruction of the Temple. Every day he drove the sheep to pasture and anxiously awaited a meeting with his beautiful stranger.
* * *
Akiva planned to spend the following Shabbat with Shimon. After lunch, he drove the sheep into the barn and having informed the manager that he would not be present at the festive meal, he set off for Shimon’s house. At the main gate he recognised the girl-reader with wonderful long hair. Her neck was decorated with a gold chain from which three letters hung which meant nothing to Akiva. He could not take his eyes off her and almost hit his head on the gate as he passed. All the way to Shimon’s house, the shepherd could think only of the beautiful girl.
After a hearty dinner, Shimon gave the blessing to complete the Shabbat meal. Then he gave Akiva and his wife a brief description of the key aspects of the week’s chapter of the Torah and after all the traditions had been observed, he asked his guest:
«Akiva, how is your work with Kalba Savua going?»
«Really well, thank you. I have never had such enjoyable work and such a good wage. I like herding the sheep and spending the day in the fresh air.»
«Do you not get tired?»
«I’ve been doing physical work ever since I was a small child, so I am used to it. Compared to some of the work I have done in the past, working for Kalba Savua is relatively easy. I used to work the whole year round, from morn till night without a day off, whereas now I rest on the Shabbat and on holidays. Mr.Shimon, I have been meaning to ask you. Is today a special Jewish holiday?»
«No! Why do you ask?»
«Everyone has been busy rushing about at Kalba Savua’s estate since this morning.»
«Kalba Savua is celebrating his sixtieth birthday today. I was at his house today. I took fresh spices and even managed to give the birthday boy a silver Menorah from Yavne14. He persuaded me to stay and share in the joyous occasion with his many friends. Even Rabbi Ben Zakai15 was there, but I made my excuses, raised a glass of red wine to his health and hurried home for the Shabbat.
«Who is Rabbi Johanan ben Zakai?», asked Akiva.
«Oh, he’s one of the most famous and respected rabbis. He is head of the yeshivas in the city of Yavne and today, the spiritual leader of all Judea. I am lucky enough to have spoken with him a few times. He’s an amazing person and a real example of a good leader. It’s amazing to see such an elderly person retain such mental clarity, wisdom and strong leadership qualities.»
Having heard Shimon mention Kalba Savua’s estate, Akiva’s thoughts returned to the girl and the rabbi seemed less important. Listening to his host recount with great enthusiasm his first meeting with Rabbi Johanan ben Zakai, Akiva searched for the words with which to pose the question that had tormented him for so long. As soon as there was a short pause, unable to wait until the end of Shimon’s story, Akiva said, «Mr. Shimon, may I ask you something? You often visit the estate of Kalba Savua. Tell me, what is the name of the young girl who lives in the house?»
«There are a lot of women living there. They clean the house, some help on the farm, others cook and then there are the women who do the washing. Who is it among them that you like?» asked the old man with a smile.
«A very sweet girl, about twenty with beautiful long hair.»
«Point her out to me if you get a chance and I might be able to introduce you to her. If she is a decent girl and she works for Kalba Savua, then I’ll put in a word for you.»
«A young