Rabbi Akiva ben Yosef is one of the towering figures of Jewish history. According to the Talmud, he was an unlearned shepherd until the age of forty, when, encouraged by his wife Rachel, he began to study Torah. After many years away learning, he returned with thousands of students.
He organised the Oral Torah in a way that laid the foundation for the Mishnah, and his method of drawing laws from every letter of the Torah shaped all later Jewish learning. The Talmud says he had 24,000 students who died in a plague between Pesach and Shavuot; afterwards he taught five more, among them Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai and Rabbi Yehuda bar Ilai, through whom the Torah was renewed.
He supported the Bar Kochba revolt. When Rome banned Torah study he continued teaching, and was put to death by the Romans, dying with the words of the Shema on his lips. He is counted among the Ten Martyrs. According to tradition he is buried in Tiberias.
Works
His teachings run through the Mishnah, Tosefta, Sifra and Sifrei. The Sefer Yetzirah and the Otiyot de-Rabbi Akiva are traditionally associated with him.
Accomplishments & Achievements
- Laid the groundwork for the organisation of the Mishnah.
- Taught the five students who carried Torah into the next generation.
- Argued for the inclusion of the Song of Songs in the Bible, calling it "the Holy of Holies."
Influence on Jewish Tradition
His teaching "Love your neighbour as yourself – this is a great principle of the Torah," his optimism at the ruins of the Temple, and his death with the Shema have inspired Jews in every generation. The mourning customs of the Omer period recall his students.
Family & Lineage
Husband of Rachel, daughter of Kalba Savua.
Teachers & Students
Teachers: Rabbi Eliezer ben Hyrcanus, Rabbi Yehoshua ben Chananya and Nachum Ish Gamzu. Students: Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, Rabbi Meir, Rabbi Yehuda bar Ilai, Rabbi Yossi ben Chalafta and Rabbi Elazar ben Shamua.
Places to Visit
His traditional tomb is on the slope above Tiberias, about 45 minutes' drive from Tzfat.
Sefarim & Manuscripts
- Sefaria Sefer Yetzirah · ספר יצירה – attributed by tradition
- Sefaria Pirkei Avot 3:14
- Sefaria Berakhot 61b – his martyrdom
- Sefaria All texts by and about Rabbi Akiva on Sefaria
Sources & Further Reading
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