רַבִּי עֲקִיבָא
Rabbi Akiva
Rabbi Akiva
Rabbi Akiva, a modest man was a shepherd among the shepherds
(He was tending) the flocks of Calba Sabua until he was forty years old
רַבִּי עֲקִיבָא אִישׁ צָנוּעַ הָיָה רוֹעֶה בֵּין הָרוֹעִים
אֶת עֶדְרֵי כַּלְבָּא שָׂבוּעַ עַד שְׁנָתוֹ הָאַרְבָּעִים
Rachel, the daughter of Calba Sabua,
saw him,
Rachel saw that he was a great man and modest.
רָאֲתָה אוֹתוֹ רָחֵל, בִּתּוֹ שֶׁל כַּלְבָּא שָׂבוּעַ,
רָאֲתָה אוֹתוֹ רָחֵל שֶׁהוּא מְעוּלֶּה וְצָנוּעַ.
Rachel said to him in secret: "Take me as a wife
on the condition that you dedicate your time to studying the Holy Torah"
Rabbi Akiva....
אָמְרָה לוֹ רָחֵל בַּחֲשַׁאי: "קַח אוֹתִי לְאִשָּׁה
בִּתְנָאי שֶׁתַּקְדִּישׁ זְמַנְּךָ לְלִימּוּד הַתּוֹרָה הַקְּדוֹשָׁה"
רַבִּי עֲקִיבָא....
And they were living in a hay barn in an unknown threshing floor,
one simple couple without a name that was great and modest.
וְהָיוּ גָּרִים בְּמַתְבֵּן בְּגוֹרֶן אֶחָד לֹא יָדוּעַ
זוּג אֶחָד פָּשׁוּט לְלֹא שֵׁם שֶׁהָיָה מְעוּלֶּה וְצָנוּעַ.
And in the morning he was picking the straw from her hair
Rachel said to him: "Be, my beloved, great in the Torah"
Rabbi Akiva....
וּבַבּוֹקֶר הָיָה מְלַקֵּט הַתֶּבֶן מִתּוֹךְ שְׂעָרָהּ
אָמְרָה לוֹ רָחֵל: "תִּהְיֶה אֲהוּבִי גָּדוֹל בַּתוֹרָה"
רַבִּי עֲקִיבָא....
The rabbi arose and went to the capital to gulped the Torah as a spring, and there in the threshing floor remained the daughter of Calba Sabuah
קָם הָרַב וְנָסַע לַבִּירָה לִגְמוֹעַ תּוֹרָה כְּמַבּוּעַ, וְשָׁם בַּגּוֹרֶן נִשְׁאֲרָה בִּתּוֹ שֶׁל כַּלְבָּא שָׂבוּעַ
And at the end of twenty years, when her hair had become white,
Her husband returned home and he was great In the Torah
Rabbi Akiva...
וּמִקֵץ עֶשְׂרִים שָׁנָה כַּאֲשֶׁר הִלְבִּין שְׂעָרָהּ
שָׁב בַּעֲלָהּ לְבֵיתוֹ וְהוּא גָּדוֹל בַּתוֹרָה
רַבִּי עֲקִיבָא...
The Rabbi returned home, and his whole soul - longing.
The Rabbi returned to his wife, the daughter of Calba Sabua.
חָזַר הָרַב לְבֵיתוֹ וְכָל נַפְשׁוֹ גַּעֲגּוּעַ
חָזַר הָרַב אֶל אִשְׁתּוֹ, בִּתּוֹ שֶׁל כַּלְבָּא שָׂבוּעַ
His students drove her away, saying to her: "Move a way, woman!"
The Rabbi said: "Leave her be, for she is my holy Torah."
Rabbi Akiva...
הֲדָפוּהָ מִשָּׁם תַּלְמִידָיו, אָמְרוּ לָהּ: "סוּרִי אִשָּׁה"
אָמַר הָרַב: "הַנִּיחוּהָ כִּי הִיא תּוֹרָתִי הַקְּדוֹשָׁה"
רַבִּי עֲקִיבָא...