Page:Jewish Encyclopedia Volume 1.pdf/350

302 THE JEWISH ENCYCLOPEDIA

as

i^haltzyk

Aceortiinj; to Juiljji-s, i. 35, vol. v., Nos. 173, lyO). the Danitt'S failed to coniiuiT Ajalon; and it reiimincd Cannanitic until subdued by the El>hniiiuites. It is ineluded in the Dnnite territory referred to in Josh. .i.. 42. x.i. 24 (couii>are I t'hron. vi. .j4); but in I Chron. viii. 13 it a]>|)ears as a city of the Benjamites. I'nder the name of Aijurun it is mentioned by the Eiryptian l^ing IShisliak. in the list of eities concpiered by liitn in the time of lielioboam " Asien und Curopa." p. Ifiti). A( cord( W. M..Mllller.

Chron. .i. HI it was fortilied by Kehoboani. and II (Indn. .xxviii. lis states tliat it was taken by Whether it occurred in the I'bilistines from Alia/.. in!; to II

the original text of I Sam. .xiv. 31 is ilonbtfnl. Ajalon must not be confused with Aijalon in the territory of Zebulun (Judges, .ii. 12). F. Br.

AJAS.

See Ay.s.

AKABAH, PALESTINE. See Eloth. 'AKABIA BEN MAHALALEL A reliirious

teaclier. pnilialily of the

second taunuitic generation

centuries). Of his early liistory his teacliers are nowhere named; and of his .sjiyings comparatively few have been preserved (.Mislmali Kduy. v. 0, 7; Mislmah B<k. v. 4; Mishnah Niddah, ii. 6 Jlishnah Neg. i. 4, v. 3). The Mislmali portrays him as a man who. even in cases where different traditions were held by the majority of liis colleagues, fearlessly and persistently maintained opinions on some Ilalakot, because those opiniiuis were f(niuded on traditions he had received from liis learned predecessors. On one occasion the majority demanded that he renounce his divergent opinions, but lie refused. It was even intimated to him that, in the event of his compliance, he would bet din (president be elevated to the dignity of (first

and second

notlnng

is

known:



Ab

of the court): but 'Akabia rejected the proposition, remarking, "I would rather be called a fool all my lifetime than be a sinner for one moment." In the course of the discussion of the Ilalakali concerning the administration of "the water of jealousy " (Num. V. 11-31). 'Akabia declared that, if the subject of the test was not a free-liorn Jewess, the test-water was not to be administered while the majority declared a jiroselyle or an emancipated slave to be the equal of a free-born daughter in Israel. In support of their view the majority cited a ease in point, where the former as.sociate presidents of the Sanhedrin. Sheniaiahand Abtalion. hail the test made on a freed woman: wbereupon 'Akabia disdainfully

exclaimed, Dngma liislikulia." This might mean "To one like theinselves they gave to drink," and may be construed as an allusion to an old rumor to the effect that these associate presidents were themselves lineal descendants of proselytes (Git. 57//): or it might mean "They gave her a sham to drink." The memory of those chiefs being held in esteem, 'Akabia's insinuation gave offense; where'

fore the sentence" of nidilnji (isolation, excommunication) was passed on him. This he bore to the end of his days rather than violate his convictions. However, before his deatli, he admonished his son to submit to the views of the majority, even in the cases where he himself had shown such ]iersistent opposition. Ilis son expressing surprise at so apparent an inconsistency, the dying sjige replied: "I have received my tradition from a tnajoiily of a school in my days, and so have my opponents. I was bound to conform to the tradition I had re4-eived; and ,so are they bound by their tradition. But thou hast heard the traditions both from myself and from my opponents: from a minority and from a majority, and it is proper for thee to reject the

302

opinions of the individual and adopt the views of the majority" ('Eduy. v. 7).

Another characteristic trait of 'Akabia was the great stress he laiil on personal merit. When, on his deathbed, he was requestiMl by his son to recommend him to the sages, he declined to do ,so. His .son ini|uired whether his father had discovered in him any trait which rendered him unworthy of such recoininenilalion and 'Akabia's reply was, "No! but hine own ileeds will make hee w clconie, or thine own deeds will make thee obnoxous" (Eduy, v. 7l.

I

t

Akabia's motto in life was; " Remember whence thou hast come, whither thou gocst, and before whom thou must be prepared to render an account of thy doings" (Ab. iii. 1: compare Ab. H. N. xix; Yer. Sotali. ii. I'^ic Derek Krez K. iii). Beyond this ni:ixini and the Halakot enumerated above, nothing from him has bci'n transmitted. As to his ejioch scholars are divided. Wliili' some place him in the patriarchate of Ilillel I. (3l) n.r. to 10 of the ]iresent era), and even somewhat earlier, others bring him down to the first tannaitie generation (10-.'<): still others believe that he flourished during the patriarchate of G.vm.m.iki, II. (HO-IH). The circumstances and scholastic achievements of the second tannaitie generation render 'Akabia's excommunication

more

rea.sonabIe.

The decree of e.xcomtnunication failed to obscure 'Akabia's merited fame for his name reached subse:

quent generations surrounded by such a halo of glory as to throw doubt on the decree itself. " God forbid," exclaims JuD.Mi n. Il,.i, one of the tannaim of the fourth generation (139-163), "that we should think that 'Akabia was excomniunicated, for the Temple gates were never closed behind a man in Isniel so great in wi.sdom and in the fear of sin as was 'Akabia ben Mahalalel " ('Eduy. I.e. This expression, which is based on the law forbidding an excommunicated person to enter the Temple court, was in later daj'S taken literally, and gave ri.se to forced halakic discussions and comments (Ber. lOi/, Pes. 4A), as well as to hypothetical speculations about the age of Akabia. El.sewherc (Sifre. Num. U).")) it is sjud, "Whoever asserts that 'Akabia was ever excommunicated will have to answer before the tribunal of heaven." This observation is wrongly attributed to Jndah b. Betera I. (compare Sliab. 97(0 and conclusions as to 'Akabia's early age are erroneously deduced therefrom. ).

'



BiiiLKifiRAPHV:

Brull,

.Vchn ha-Mixhnah.

I.

W;

FranliPl,

JwicnthxLinit rind sfimr Srhten ii. :» Weiss, iJnr. i. 176; Hamburorer, K. It. T. II. :«: Derenhimrpr, Kf*f<ni sur VHiMnirr lU' la PiiU'iftinc^ p. 483; Mendelsohn, rt<:r. Jit. Jiiivcf. .lili. 31-H. S. M. hiiiht: }nt-Mij*hnalt, pp. !iHcl H'li-
 * iralz, (icucli. </. Jmhn. 2d

eil.. jv.:i1i:

iiiiX,

Gcxai.



fics



AKBARITES.

See 0kb.rites.

AKDAM'D'T (niDTpS):

Amystical poem, written ben Isaac Neliorai. which is in the Ashkenazic usage interpolated after theo])eiiing verse of the lesson from the Law on the first day of It is tniditioually associated the Feast of Weeks. with two melodies of different dates. The older (A) is a chant, used also for " calling up " the hulnn Tornh (bridegroom of the Law) on the Feast of the Hejoieing of the Law. It is an interesting example of the eighth (hypomixolydian) mode in the mediein Araniiiie liy ^leir

val, or plain-song,

system, which

is

the tonality of

much of the older recitative music of the Synagogue. The other

much

traditional melody (B) for this iiyinn is of later origin. There is no reason to suppose it

other than the composition of a hazan of Middle Germany in the eighteenth century. It has been elevated to the dignity of a representative theme for the festival (compare Addiu Hi), and as such is