Rabbi Akiva

A study of the Tanna, his Torah and his times through the prism of Chazal

A Compelling Portrait of One of the Greatest and Most Influential of Our Sages

Most of us learned the familiar story as children: Akiva, the illiterate shepherd who became, with his wife’s unswerving support, one of the greatest sages of our history. Now, Avrohom Yom Tov (Abie) Rotenberg shows us how to truly understand the story of R’ Akiva, in all its depth and glory.

Who was this man, whom even Moshe Rabbeinu hailed for his greatness? What did his wife Rachel see in him to make her abandon her wealthy life for one of grinding poverty? How did he find comfort in the ruins after the Churban? And how did a man whose life was so full of turbulent challenges serve as our model of optimism, hope and, above all, emunah?

This is a serious work of Torah scholarship that holds our attention with its absorbing details and often surprising insights. We will discover the many facets of this great sage – and we will be inspired.