Tag Archives: Marriage

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 30 Noahide Laws, Part 1

What are the “Noahide Laws” and where do they come from? Are there just seven, or are they actually more numerous? And what do they have to do with the End of Days and ushering in the Messianic Age? Find out in this class where we begin our journey into the ancient Noahide Laws. Along the way, we explore the 620 Pillars of Light at the start of Creation, the ten types of witchcraft, and answer big questions like: are Noahides obligated to get married? Pray? Give charity? Learn Torah?

See also ‘Gentiles Becoming Jews‘.
For more on the prohibitions of witchcraft and sorcery, see here.

King Solomon’s Kabbalah

In this class, we explore the esoteric knowledge of King Solomon encoded in his three books: Kohelet, Mishlei, and Shir haShirim. Along the way, we answer big questions like: What is the Seal of Solomon? Why did King Solomon take on hundreds of wives and what did he conclude about marriage? What scientific knowledge did Solomon uncover? What are the 50 Gates of Understanding? Plus: the great secret behind El Shaddai, the mystical reason for the exile of the Jewish people, and incredible revelations from the ancient mystical text Sefer haTemunah.

For more on the Seal of Solomon and the Star of David, see here.
See also ‘Things You Didn’t Know About King Solomon’.
For more on Sheddu and Cherubs, see ‘The Guardian Angels and Hybrid Beasts Known as Cherubs’ in the second volume of ‘Garments of Light’.