Category Archives: Mysteries & Origins

A New Perspective on Rabbi Akiva, Rachel, and the 24,000

An illustration of Rabbi Akiva from the Mantua Haggadah of 1568

Now that Lag b’Omer is behind us and the mourning customs have been lifted, it may be a good time to reflect more deeply on the whole story of Rabbi Akiva and his 24,000 students. This story is very well-known, of course, and deeply ingrained in our psyches. But for me, like for many people, multiple aspects of the story never really made sense. So many questions emerge, each more troubling than the next.

First, how it is possible that 24,000 Torah giants—talmidei chakhamim and presumably very righteous people—were slaughtered in the span of just a few weeks? The students of the great and saintly Rabbi Akiva, no less? Why did he have to suffer such a horrendous loss? And all because the students “didn’t honour each other properly”? Since when does lack of honour incur mass execution? And what does it even mean, anyway, that they didn’t “honour” each other? How so?

Another question: why specifically 24,000 disciples? How did Rabbi Akiva even get such an astronomical number of students in the first place, at a time following the Great Revolt when the Jewish community in the Holy Land was decimated? And why does the number 24 keep coming up in the story? Recall that Rabbi Akiva left his home and was away from him wife for 24 years, returning with 24,000 students. Surely this is not coincidental. I believe it might actually hold the key to answering all of the perplexing questions above, as well as another big mystery:

Why is it that the mourning period for the 24,000 students specifically requires abstaining from weddings. As explored in the past, the earliest mention of “mourning” during the Omer is from the times of the Geonim, and suggests to only avoid weddings. (The first halakhic code to officially speak about it, the Arba Turim, notes a universal custom to avoid weddings, and only a local custom among some communities to avoid haircuts.) Why is the essence of mourning for the 24,000 specifically observed by prohibiting weddings? Continue reading →

The Blood Libels

In this week’s parasha, the Torah devotes an entire chapter (Leviticus 17) to the prohibition of consuming blood. God first forbids idolatrous and improper sacrifices before declaring that “if anyone of the house of Israel or of the strangers who reside among them partakes of any blood, I will set My face against the person who partakes of the blood; I will cut that person off from among kin.” (17:10) The Torah goes on to say that any land animal or bird that is slaughtered for food must have its blood entirely drained and buried under earth, before emphasizing again that “the soul of all flesh—its blood contains its soul. Therefore, I say to the Children of Israel: you shall not partake of the blood of any flesh, for the soul of all flesh is in its blood. Anyone who partakes of it shall be cut off.” (17:14)

Because of this, Jews throughout history have been exceedingly careful not to consume any blood whatsoever, even a tiny speck in a chicken egg. It is therefore tragically ironic that one of the most grotesque antisemitic accusations leveled against Jews for centuries is the “blood libel”—that Jews consume the blood of gentiles or use gentile blood to prepare matzot, or engage in some form of ritual murder. Where did this disgusting accusation come from, how did it evolve over the centuries, and how did it shape Jewish history? Continue reading →

Erev Rav, Part 2: The Five Types (Video)

Continuing the eye-opening series on the “Erev Rav” with an exploration of the five types of Erev Rav, and how they manifest in the world around us today. Plus, the secret of the letter Hei added to Abraham’s name, the parameters of “lashon hara”, the Zohar’s “dogs of Yom Kippur”, and comments on concubines, cults, and cabals.

For Part 1 in this series, see here.
See also ‘Bringing Mashiach Today’.