A Time of Happiness and Times of Reflection

A Torah Dedication, Rabbi Akiva, and Jewish Suffering

Seventeen years ago, almost to the day, my Mother dedicated a Torah to the Young Israel of West Hempstead in memory of her husband, my Father. The timing of this dedication was timely as you shall soon read. This Torah encapsulated my parents' spirit, Jewish history and survival, and faith. The following is the Dvar Torah, the speech I presented on that momentous day.

B’Reshut Harav (With the Permission of the Rabbi),

Raboti (Everyone) ,

Today is truly a momentous day. A Torah dedication. But the timing of this dedication is noteworthy. It is dedicated, when we are in the middle of counting the Omer¹. The Omer initially started as a period which Jews were simply ordered to set aside a portion of their harvest for an offering. But nothing in life is really that simple and over the course of Jewish History, the seven weeks of the Omer became a time of Mourning; weddings aren’t celebrated, we don’t cut our hair, or attend live performances.

And yet in the middle of the Omer we set aside time to celebrate. We schedule simchas and dream of Yemai HaMoshiach, messianic times.

Do we really understand the impact of the seven weeks of counting the Omer and how it is still relevant to us and our everyday lives? We mourn the loss of Rabbi Akiva’s students; all but five were killed during the first 32 days of the Omer, but has the period of the Omer impacted us like other tragic events of Jewish History?

It is of no coincidence that during this dedication and in the middle of sefirah², Pesach Sheni³ is tomorrow. Traditionally Pesach Sheni was to give those who missed out the first Pesach the chance to go to Jerusalem to offer the Karban Pesach, the Pesach offering. But, perhaps Pesach Sheni is there to remind us that we should really look at and personalize this period of time.

“Chayav Adom lir’ot et Atzmo K’ilu who Yatzhah…” Pesach Sheni is reminding us in the middle of the Omer that not only should we see ourselves as actually leaving Egypt, but every part of Jewish History, especially events that happened during the Omer.

When one thinks of the Omer, what comes to mind? Rabbi Akiva, Lag B’Omer, and Rabban Shimon Bar Yochai.

I have been thinking a lot about Rabbi Akiva during this dedication. He is omnipresent in the Talmud, but how much do we really understand and know about him and his relevancy. I am not only referring to that which he paskened, ruled halachically on Jewish law.

First and foremost, to understand Rabbi Akiva, you have to know Rachel, his wife. He would not be who he was without her. She is, as I believe, only mentioned twice in the Talmud. We all know the story. Rabbi Akiva, a simple ignorant shepherd of 40 years married the daughter of one of the richest men in Jerusalem. Upon hearing of their marriage, Rachel’s father disowned her and cut her from his wealth. Despite that, she saw something in her husband that no one else saw, and sacrificed herself so he could study for 24 years.

Upon his arrival back home, after many years, with his following, his students pushed a shlumpily dressed woman who came to greet Akiva to the side and Akiva said, “Let her alone, for what I am and for what we are we owe our thanks to this noble woman.” Rachel married Akiva not to eventually become head of the Sanhedrin, she and Akiva simply had a mutual, character building relationship. It does not matter that she is only mentioned twice in the Talmud.

I have a story to tell you. It is a miracle my parents united after the war. They each had a role and purpose in their relationship. When my mother dedicated this Torah, the Torah covering was only suppose to say “L’Zachor (in memory of)…” When my mother asked my sisters for their opinion about this wording, they were insistent that mom add her name to the Torah covering. She didn’t. In reading about Rabbi Akiva, I said to myself that either way it would not have mattered. My mother, in the spirit of Rachel, was perfectly content either way. Spousal relationships are like that. I just finished reading about Supreme Court Justice William Rehnquist. They said that when his wife died ten years ago he changed. He continued to be a great judge and jurist, but something in him has changed.

We know that there was a time in Rabbi Akiva’s life that he had a lapse in judgment. When? He declared that Bar Kochba, the general who led the revolt against the Romans in Judea, was the Moshiach (messiah). I am sure that when he made that decision, Rachel was no longer alive. Being the clearly intuitive woman that she was, she would have said “Akiva, what were you thinking!?” We ask that question till this day.

But, like our Avot (forefathers), we see Akiva’s greatness. It is said that the day before Moshe was to give the Jews the Aseret Hadibrot (Ten Commandments), he was alone on Mount Sinai. Hashem gave him a glimpse of the future, and showed him the future of Am Yisroel (Nation of Israel). It is said that at one point in this vision, Moshe Rabeinu was sitting in the Sanhedrin, and he saw this righteous pious good man, Akiva, in the middle of the Sanhedrin. He looks up to Hashem and said, “Hashem, this is the man that should you give the Jewish people the Ten Commandments, not me, even if you have to wait 2000 years.”

And what did Hashem say: “SHA… QUIET!”

And Moshe continued to look on, and he saw the suffering that have befallen Israel during the times of the Romans, and the horrific torturous death that the Romans committed on Akiva. And Moshe, god bless him, always questioned Hashem and screamed, “Hashem, what are you doing? Is this what it is all about? Is this the fate of this great man and the Nation of Israel? Tomorrow I am going to give them the Ten Commandments, and is this what is in store for them in the future?! ”

And what did Hashem say: “SHA… QUIET!”

In looking at this through our 21st and 20th century eyes, I think we can clearly say that it wasn’t Hashem who was silencing Moshe, but Moshe left Hashem speechless. Hashem couldn’t explain history then, and we certainly cannot explain the events of the 20th century today.

Akiva witnessed a lot. Of his 24, 000 students, five have survived. The five students, including Shimon Bar Yochai, became Gedolai Hador (the Greatest Thinkers and Rabbis of the generation). Imagine 24,000 Shimon Bar Yochais, how different Jewish History would be today had they survived, how the Talmud would be so different.

5 out of 24,000. Can you comprehend it? Many of you know and gasp when you hear my mother and father were 14 survivors out of a town which had 3,000 Jews living there before the war. Now imagine 5 out of 24,000, even more incomprehensible.

But what must have been even more heart wrenching to Akiva is that he urged his students to join Bar Kochba in this revolt. Not only that, but he traveled around the Mediterranean rim, going to the Jewish communities of Alexandria, Morocco, Spain and Rome raising funds for Bar Kochbar’s army and recruiting young Jews from all over the world to join this revolt. A revolt which at the end claimed 1,000,000 Jewish lives. More than was murdered during the Cheminisky massacre of the 17th century.

How this must have impacted Akiva! How he must have suffered! The nightmares, the guilt…the survivor syndrome. It is unfortunate that Akiva did not write about his thoughts and feelings and theological questions as an Elie Wiesel, a Victor Frankl, an Emil Fackenheim, a Primo Levi.

But we do learn a lot about the man during the end of his life while he was in a Roman prison. The torture that he endured was horrific and unmentionable. As he was being tortured, it is said he was saying the Shema. Legend has it that when he was reciting the second paragraph, He did not say “V’Ahavta Et…” but personalized it and said “V’Ahavti et Hashem Elohi, b’chol libi, bechol nafshi.” He personalized it. He was telling us, that despite all he witnessed and endured he still loves Hashem with all his heart and strength. As he was saying this he was in great pain, but he mystified his torturer because how did he recite the Shema? What was his countenance? He recited it with a smile on his face.

It is ironic that his student survivor, Rabbi Shimon Bar Yocha died on the only day of the Omer that Rabbbi Akiva’s Students weren’t killed. As Shimon Bar Yochai’s students were saddened about their teachers imminent death, he said that even if he dies on Lag B’Omer, they should celebrate, as his teacher Akiva did. And we do so till this very day.

Akiva and Shimon bar Yochai set the tone and mindset of Jewish history. Even today, even at this Torah dedication.

My mother and father have witnessed the worst episode of Jewish History. And here we are today, during the twilight of her life, and what does my mother do? She dedicates a torah.

Just like the Omer, Mom has endured a lot and even endured a lot this year. Of the fourteen Jewish people who survived after the war, only three are alive today. This past year, two very close lantzmen passed away, including Aron Katz who managed to arrange the escape of 14 Jews from the ghetto, not all whom survived the war.

This year Mom also celebrated the birth of yet another great grandchild and her great grandchildren are here today. She also celebrated the marriage of her grandson. What is so telling about this is that my mother gave a Devar Torah during the Aufruf. Before her were a series of Dvar Toahs, long and erudite. And here comes my mother and I am going to read you her D’var Torah:

“I am one of three survivors remaining on this earth. Sixty five years ago I was alone in the rubble of what was my village; I lost my entire family, my neighbors my village. I would have never imagined that sixty five years from now I would celebrate the simcha of my grandson.”

Midot⁴, actions, behaviors, deeds.

It is so appropriate that this Torah dedication, this simcha be held in West Hempstead. Like many survivors, and I am sure like Rabbi Akiva, during the years immediately after the war my parents went through a spiritual upheaval. This community became their salvation. While their Jerusalem burned in Eastern Europe, this town became their Yavneh⁵, and enabled them to re-anchor, refocus and center themselves in Yahadut⁶. They embraced you and you embraced them. And you still embrace Mom till this very day. Whether in Florida, Israel or here, you reach out to her. Through your midot over the past many decades, the Jewish life in the Chapnick houshold continues. Today is a Simcha and Rabbi Kelemer, in the words of my father; you were his Ruf⁷ and continue in this capacity to my mother to this very day. Your family calls her and visits her every Erev Shabbat, she is invited to all your simchas, your daughter and son in law visit her when she is in Israel. Words cannot describe…. A Heartseken Dank.

Today is truly a simcha, it is a perfect day for a dedication and on behalf of my mother and family we thank you.

1. The Omer is a period of 49 days between the Jewish holidays of Passover and Shavuot.

2. The counting of the Omer which Jews are required to do on a daily basis.

3. Pesach Sheni is the "Second Passover."

4. Character Traits

5. Yavneh is a historical city in Israel. Yavneh became the center of the continuity of Jewish law and learning after the destruction of the Second Temple.

6. Judaism

7. The highest form of address one can give a rabbi.