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310 Akiba ben Joseph Akiba ha-Koheii

THE JEWISH ENCYCLOPEDIA

place, Akiliii soiiglit for information concorning the man's family. Tlie nciirliliors very freely ex])resseoth the <l<'eease<l and his wife deserved to inhahit the infernal rej;ions for all time the latter l)eeause she had not even initialed her child into the Abralianiie covenant. Akiha.liowcvir. was not to be turned from liis jmrposu; lie sowirht the son of tliu ta.x-ijatliererand hil)oreiipil was alile to otliciale as reader in the synagogue and swer.



when

there for the first time he niiird llie ])niyer," HIessye the Lord " the father suddenly a])]iiared to Akiba. and overwlieliued him with thanks for his deliverance from the pains !

of hell tlirou.trh the merit of his son Kallah. ed. Coronel. 4/;, and (

(piotations from Tan. in Alioab's • .Mcnonit hu-^laor." i. 1, 'J, S 1, ed. Fiirstenthal. j). 82; also Mul.izor Vit ry p'. Wi). This

see

,

legend

has

somewhat

been

elaborately treated in Yiddish under the title, " Ein ganz neie (From the Mantuii UaggH^lah, Maase vim dcm Taiuia R. Aki1860.) ba." Lemberg. 1.^93 (compare Tanna debe Eliyahu Zutta. xvii., where Johauan b. Zakkai's name is given in jdace of Akiba). Akiba ben Josepli.

—

Akiba's martjrdom wldeh is an inijiortant hisevent gave origin to many li'gends. The following describes his supernatural interment: Contrary to the vision (Men. 2!W'), which sees Akiba's body destineil tobee.vposfd for sale in the butcher's shop, legend tells how Elijah, accompanied by Akiba's faithful servant Josluia, cnAkiba's tercd unperceived the prison where the body lay. Priest though he was, EliDeath. jah took up the corpse for the dead body of such a sjiint could not delile and. escorted by many bands of angels, bore the body by ni.irht to Cffisarea. The night, however, was as liright as the finest summer's day. When they arrived t here. Elijah and Joshua entered a cavern which contained a bed. table, chair, and lamp, and deposited Akiba's liody Ko sooner had they left it than the cavern there. closed of itsown accord, so that no man has foune of a much more recent origin, introduces the various letters as contending with each other for the honor of forming the beginning of creation (herfshit). It is based upon Gen. R. i. and Cant. R. on v. 11, according to which Alrpli complained before God that Bit/i was preferred to it, l)Ut was assured thai the Torab of .Sinai, the object

A,

310

would begin with AU-p/i (Anoki = I am); however, varies from the Midrasli Rabbot. The lett<'rs, beginning with the last. 'J'nr. and ending with

of creation, it,

/A///, all assert their claim to priority. First Tin <, being the initial letterof Torali: it is tohl that it will be the mark on the forehead of the wicked (Ezck. Then Sliin. as the initial letterof i.. 4, Shah. ,"),>/). .S/(( (/) ( the Name ")and S/iiulilniC Almighty "). puis in its claim: it is told that it is also the (irst letter of .s/iiktr (•• falsehood "). Id.ili as the initial letter of vik/i (" Ihe beginning of thy word is Irulli," Ps. cxix. lOOjand of Itithitm (" the Merciful One ") next makes its demands; but it is told that )'«/; or llmh also occurs in evil things (Num. xiv. 4. Dan. ii. 32, Iltb.) and is the initial also of im/i'd (" wickedness "). Next comes Kojili, as the beginning of kudush ("holy"); but it is also the first letter of kehiluh ("curse"). So all the rest complain; each having .some claim, which is, however, at once refuted, until ISith, the

letterof kniknh (" blessing " and " praise "), is chosen. Whereupon Aleph is asked by the Hlost High why it alone showed modesty in not cinnplaining; and it is assured that it is ihe chief ^' all letters, denoting the oneness of God, and that it shall have its place at the beginning of the Sinaitic revelation. This competition is followed by a haggadie explanation of the form of the various lettersaiid by interpretations of the dilTereiit compositions of the alphabet: BSH, Al.IS liT'A, and BM. Version is a compilation of allegoric and mystic Haggadahs su.;rgi'sled by the names of the various letters, Ihe component consonants beVersion J5 ing used as acrostics (w/^/WAwn). Thus initial

AL

AT B

of

"Alphabet."

.-1/,/,/,

(Cl^K

=

"I'D

ncis

nOX. "Thy

mouth

learned truth ") suggests truth, pnuseof God, fait lifiilness(('»i ;/;«//, or the creative Word of God (iinnih) or God Himself as vl /<•;)//, Prince and Prime of all existence; at this point chapters from mystic lore on Metatron-Enoch, etc., are inserted. JSith (here named aftcrthe Arabic form />V) suggests house (/'ni/it), blessing l/irnrka/i). (liimili). which is prized as superior conteniplalion (^inicl suggests r/cmibit to the study of the Law. hitmidiin (benevolence), especially God's benevolence, and the rain(,7<',>i/»»0of God's mercy and His majesty {l/iiriirit/i) in the heavens. />«/(7/ (Arabic, instead of the Hebrew form Dnhlh) sug.iresls care for the poor ((''(/). He recalls God's name, so does Vnin (see Shall. ll)4(/), Xiijiiii Ihe key of sustenance Unn) in God's hand (also Shall. l(lh. and a chapter follows on Zerubbabel at the iinloekiiig of the graves for Here follows a chapter on Hell the resurrection. h,t sin Tcth sugand Paradise continued in ]Iit gests iit, the clay of earth ami hence, resurrection; J(id ("the hand") suggests the reward of the righteous; Ciijih ("hollow of the hand" "palm"), the clapping of hands, and the congregation of Israel

=

=



—

{/.ritifct)

led liy Metatron to Eden.

hh ("the heart

Laiiierth recalls

Mttn, the mysteries of the inerhihah ("the heavenlj' chariot") and God's kingdom '(uidlktit): Nvn, rier, "the light (ner) of God is the '.soul of man" (Prov. xx. 27, TTeh.); Samek, "God sustaineth (mmek) the falling" (Ps. cxiv. 14, Heb.), iir Israel, the Sanctuary or the Torah, inasmuch as Ihe xoriiiiimek has several difterent meanings. Ayin ("' the eye ") suggests the Torah as light for the eye; Pe recalls ;/c//. the mouth, as man's holy organ of speech and jirai.se: Zmh' suggests Moses as Zurldik. the righteous; Koph, also Moses as the one who circumvented the stratagems of Pharaoh. Ueith suggests God as the ronh, the head of all; Hhix. the iireaking of the teeth (ahtn') of the wicked (Ps. iii. 8. //</<.) and Tnv the insatiable desire fif man (taairiili) unless he devotes himself to the Torali. the Law. ");