be forty. School is for children who have been learning since they were little,» Akiva said but he had softened his tone no longer showing his anger. Rachel stuck to her own point of view.
«It is never too late to learn.»
The young girl threw a glance at the sun, which was already setting beyond the river. It was time for her to go.
«Will you come again tomorrow?» Akiva asked, his voice carrying simultaneously notes of hope and despair.
«I don’t know yet. Akiva, try and turn over a new leaf in your life, and think about what I said about learning. I am certain that much in your life still lies ahead of you. Try and pray before you go to sleep,» advised Rachel before hurrying away.
«But I don’t know any prayers!» Akiva cried after her.
«Just speak words of gratitude and say what’s in your heart.» Rachel’s sonorous, girlish voice reached him now from a distance.
After Rachel had left, Akiva sat by the river for a long time thinking over what she had said. He thought about his conversation with Rachel until he lay down to sleep. Having thanked the creator for the day, for the fact that he had a job and a roof over his head, Akiva fell into a deep sleep.
* * *
In the morning Akiva drove the herd down to the river again dreaming only of one thing: to see Rachel again. Over and over, he caught himself thinking that he could not live without seeing her again. Even the fear of losing his job no longer affected him.
Hearing someone’s footsteps from afar, Akiva turned to look and spotted the long-awaited silhouette. The young girl approached him and as she had done on the previous occasion, she said quietly:
«Peace to you Akiva.»
«Peace to you Rachel!» The shepherd answered her with bated breath.
«Did you say a prayer last night before going to sleep? Rachel asked.
«Yes, I did, but in the morning I forgot,» said Akiva and as if apologising held open his hands.
Rachel was pleased.
«That’s a good start. Learn to thank the merciful Creator for everything.»
«Why do you always repeat the word ’merciful’?» Asked Akiva.
«Because the Creator is merciful to all his creations.»
«Rachel, if He really is merciful, then why did He allow the Romans to destroy the Second Temple?» Akiva said, directing the complex question at the girl he loved.
«The Rabbis believe that the Romans are simply an instrument in His hands. It’s not the Romans who destroyed the Temple. We did that. Our actions brought about the destruction of the Temple. The Romans simply carried out the Creator’s judgement. The First Temple, the Temple of King Solomon,» said Rachel continuing her story «was demolished in punishment of three sins: bloodshed, idolatry and the retreat of the Jews from the laws given to them by God19. Now that there is neither idolatry nor bloodshed, the wisemen have come to the conclusion, that there were spiritual reasons for the destruction of the Temple. They tend to think that the Second Temple was destroyed due to unfounded hatred. The All-merciful probably doesn’t like how we treat one another. We have forgotten how to forgive.»
«How was that evident?» Akiva asked his voluntary teacher.
Rachel answered patiently. «It was everywhere and in everything. People overfilled the cup of His unlimited patience. Shortly before the Temple was destroyed, something happened. A wealthy man from Jerusalem held a feast and invited lots of guests including my father who was unable to attend because he was away. The man who arranged the feast had a close friend called Kamtsa and a sworn enemy, Bar Kamtsa (The story of Kamtsa and Bar Kamtsa is cited in the Babylonian Talmud, Tractate Gittin). The man sent his servant to invite his friend Kamtsa to the feast but the messenger got the address wrong and conveyed the invitation to Bar Kamtsa. Bar Kamtsa couldn’t understand what was happening and asked the messenger again whether the invitation was really meant for him, to which the messenger confirmed that it was.
Deciding that his enemy must be offering a reconciliation, Bar Kamtsa suspected nothing, put on expensive clothes and went to the feast at the house of his enemy. He took his place amongst the guests but when the host saw him there, he shouted: «What are you doing here? How dare you come into my house uninvited?»
Bar Kamtsa realised that the messenger must have made a mistake and said, «I will pay you for my portion of food, only please, do not humiliate me in front of all the other guests. Many respected people of Jerusalem are among them. How will I appear in their eyes?»
The host refused to accept his request so Bar Kamtsa offered to pay for half the entire cost of the feast but the host still wouldn’t agree.
«I will pay for everything!» Bar Kamtsa cried, «Only please don’t throw me out in front of all these people!»
But the host refused even then and insisted that the unwanted guest leave his home. Enraged, Bar Kamtsa was forced to leave in disgrace.»
«And what about the guests: they just sat there saying nothing?» asked Akiva.
«Yes, there were many respected people and wisemen there but they chose not to get involved in the conflict. So then Bar Kamtsa decided to take revenge on the host and his guests who had refused to stand up for him. He went to see the Emperor and told him that the Jews were plotting a revolt against the Roman Empire. To prove it, he asked the ruler to send a calf to the Temple for sacrifice. On the way, Bar Kamtsa gave the calf a small injury, knowing that under the laws of the Torah, animals with that kind of blemish are unsuitable for sacrifice.
The rabbis argued for a long time over whether the calf could be used as a sacrifice or not. Many of them understood the significance of denying the Romans permission to make sacrifice and nonetheless, they turned the Roman Emperor down. The emperor was furious and sent his army into Judea. The Roman troops invaded Jerusalem, burned the Temple to the ground and sacked the city.»
«It’s hard to say who was right and who was wrong,» thought Akiva. «The wealthy man who held a feast and treated his guest badly, or the wisemen, who witnessed the argument but said nothing, or Bar Kamtsa, who brought anger to his entire people on account of a personal insult.»
«Yes, it’s a difficult one. But there is also an indirect cause for what happened. It clearly reflects the attitude people had towards one another that reigned in Jerusalem at the time. Now we are left with no Temple. The Romans have taken many of Jerusalem’s inhabitants prisoner. My father is very worried about the future of our city and our people. He argues that without a strong leader, the Jews will never be taken seriously and the Romans will enslave us» said Rachel.
«Surely there isn’t such a great lack of wise rabbis that none among them could stand out as a leader?» said Akiva doubtfully.
«It’s hard to unify the people. A large proportion of the rabbis represent leaders to a small handful of students but are vindicated in the eyes of others and so there’s no single, powerful force. You know Akiva, there’s something I have been thinking about a lot ever since I met you. I don’t know why but I have this feeling inside, that if you were literate, you could be a strong leader. You could unify everyone!» Rachel admitted.
«Rachel, what on earth are you saying? If those who are so highly respected cannot unite the people, what could I possibly do, a simple shepherd?» Rachel’s words had come like a bolt from the blue.
«Most of them are more concerned with themselves than with the needs of the community. Akiva, I see how you care for the sheep. You have a good heart and I think you could turn out to be a great leader, capable of uniting a lot of people around you. Why don’t you want to learn to read and write and study the Torah?» said Rachel trying to persuade him.
«You