Giving your Soul for the ONENESS of Hashem : Shema & Rabbi Akiva

[muman613]

In light of the thread in the general section concerning other faiths I need to remind myself of the great holiness of  the Jewish sages, who taught us to never accept false beliefs, false prophets and false messiahs. Every year at Yom Kippur, during our fasting and affliction, we read during the High Holiday services the story of the Ten Martyrs of whom Rabbi Akiva was one of those brutally murdered by the Roman monsters.

Rabbi Akiva recited Shema as his skin was being flayed from his body. This story always brings tears to my eyes.

Here is the account related from Torah.org:

http://www.torah.org/learning/rabbis-notebook/5759/haazinu.html

Happy Endings

On Yom Kippur we read the story of the Ten Martyrs. Rabbi Akiva was among those ten great personalities who died sanctifying G-d's name. The Talmud in Berachos 61b relates that as Rabbi Akiva was being tortured to death his students saw him reciting the Shema with joy, seemingly oblivious to the pain he was enduring. The incongruity of the moment was so apparent that even Tyrnus Rufus, the Roman commander who had ordered the execution, asked Rabbi Akiva how he was able to laugh in the face of such horrendous torture.

Rabbi Akiva's students, who were equally amazed at their teacher's endurance understood the moment to be far more profound than mere stoic courage and endurance. They asked their beloved teacher, "Is the Mitzvah of reciting the Shema incumbent upon an individual under such dire circumstances?" Rabbi Akiva explained. "The Torah commands us to love G-d with all our heart, with all our soul, and with all our belongings. All my life I wondered whether I would ever fulfill this Mitzvah of loving G-d with all my soul. Now that I have bee granted the opportunity of loving G-d with my very life should I not do so with joy and exultation?"

As a nation that has survived millennium of persecution and suffering, we have a fascination with how our heroes have died and how one should die. In the aftermath of the Swiss Air tragedy, a Talis was found floating in the ocean. Tragically, Mr. Klein, a "frum (observant)" man, was a passenger on that fateful flight and it was his Tallis that had been recovered among the wreckage. Mr. Klein's children confirmed that their father never placed his Talis and Tefilin through the regular baggage service but always carried them with him on board. The problem was that it was nighttime when the flight crashed into the Atlantic and the Talis, which is usually not worn at night, should have been enclosed in its zippered velvet "zekel - bag" which was inside a zippered plastic cover. How did Mr. Klein's Talis get out of its bag? The children surmised that in the six minutes prior to the crash when the passengers knew that the plane was in trouble their father, knowing that the situation was serious took out his Talis and put it on. That is the way a true "Eved G-d - Servant of G-d" prepares for possible disaster - wrapped in his Talis and immersed in Tefilah - prayer. It is fair to assume that Mr. Klein's final words, like Rabbi Akiva's, were "Shema Yisroel…"
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http://www.aish.com/jl/m/pb/48954656.html

What does it mean to "love God with all your soul"?

The great Talmudic scholar, Rabbi Akiva (second century) loved God so much, that he taught Torah despite the Roman law forbidding it. When the Romans found out, they sentenced him to a painful death. They took a large iron comb and began to scrape off his flesh. As he was being tortured, Rabbi Akiva joyously recited the Shema – "Hear O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is One."

His bewildered students asked, "Rabbi, how can you praise God amidst such torture?"

Rabbi Akiva replied: "All my life, I strived to love God with all my soul. Now that I have the opportunity to fulfill it, I do so with joy!" With his dying breath, he sanctified God's name by crying out the words of Shema. (Talmud – Brachot 61a)

[muman613]

http://www.chabad.org/search/keyword_cdo/kid/9300/jewish/Ten-Martyrs-the.htm

Ten Martyrs, the: Ten Mishnaic sages who were killed by the Romans in the second century CE as an atonement for the sale of Joseph. They are: Rabban Simeon ben Gamaliel II, Rabbi Ishmael ben Elisha, Rabbi Akiba, Rabbi Hananiah ben Teradion, Rabbi Hutzpit the Interpreter, Rabbi Eleazar ben Samua, Rabbi Hananiah ben Hakinai, Rabbi Yeshevav the Scribe, Rabbi Judah ben Damah, and Rabbi Judah ben Bava. On Yom Kippur and Tishah B'Av it is customary to read an elegy that discusses the martyrdom of these holy men. (Some sources replace some of the names above with Rabbi Hananiah the Deputy High Priest, Rabbi Judah ben Teima, Rabbi Judah the Baker, and Rabbi Tarfon.)

[muman613]

http://www.neveh.org/felman/felman-vayachee64.html
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The Gemmoro in Avodah Zarah 11b relates that the Roman Empire is accustomed to the following. Once every seventy years, they take a healthy man and place him on top of a lame man, clothe him in the garments of Odom Harishon, place on his head the skin of the face of Reb Yishmoel (Reb Yishmoel ben Elisha, the Cohein Gadol), adorn his neck with two hundred zuzim of precious stones and spread those stone in the streets. When they have finished setting the stage, they parade them through the streets. They call in front of them, “The promises that Yaakov promised his children (the reference is to Parshas Vayechi in which Yaakov calls his children together to reveal to them what will transpire in the end of days) were false. The brother of our master is a fraud! What did he benefit from all his trickery?” These are just some of the goings on at this parade. What the Romans were obviously depicting is the state of when Yaakov represented by the lame man, finds himself subservient to Eisav represented by the man on top. He has control of the whole world, the clothes of Odom Harishon, riches etc. However what is quite intriguing is what is possibly the meaning of taking the skin of the face of Reb Yishmoel and adorning the face of Eisav with that skin. What could that possibly represent? Aside from that, maybe we can possibly shed light why was it that Reb Yishmoel was the one that received this most cruel punishment of having the skin peeled off his face.

Let us begin by expounding somewhat on the story of the “Asara Harugei Malchus” “The Ten Martyrs” as related in the Medrash Aileh Ezkara. (This Medrash can be found in the more recent publications of the Kinnos of Tisha Baav.) The Medrash relates how the Caesar was studying the Torah and came across the sale of Yoseif by his brothers. The Medrash raises the following query. If Yoseif was so beautiful (the Torah goes out of its way to describe the beauty of Yoseif) why is it that the brothers were able to receive merely twenty coins for Yoseif as a slave? The Medrash reveals something fascinating based on the teachings of the Gemmoro in Shabbos. When the Torah points out that there was no water in the pit that his brothers threw Yoseif into, we are being hinted to that there were snakes and scorpions in the pit. When Yoseif saw this he became so frightened, that the beauty of his face left him. Ha-shem made sure that he was saved and he ultimately ended up down in Egypt. The Medrash relates that the Rabbis were summoned and were told that since the transgression of kidnapping and selling a fellow Jew is punishable with death, being that the brothers were never punished for their deeds, the rabbis would need to stand in their stead and receive the punishment. They asked for three days. In the meanwhile the smallest amongst them, Reb Yishmoel Coheine Gadol volunteered that if they are willing to share with him the punishment of uttering Ha-shem’s name in vein, he would be willing to go up to the heavens and see if this decree was acceptable above. If it was the will of Ha-shem, they would accept it. If not, they would annul it by the use of one of the Holy Names. Here the Medrash goes off onto a tangent as to the birth of Reb Yishmoel. It seems that the mother of Reb Yishmoel would constantly give birth to sons and they would inevitably die. Reb Elisha the Cohein Gadol suggested to his wife that they accept upon themselves a certain resolution in matters of modesty. Later when his wife immersed herself in the mikveh, when she came out she saw a pig. She immersed herself once again and she saw a leper. She immersed again and saw a camel. (All of the above are impure.) At that point Hakadosh Boruch Hu told the great heavenly angel, Metat-ron, that he should go stand in front of this woman in order that she should gaze upon him upon her exit from the bathhouse. He went down and stood on one side and the heavenly angel Gavriel stood on the other side adorned in beautiful clothes. She saw Gavriel and went home and that night Reb Yishmoel was conceived and he was as beautiful as Gavriel. Interestingly enough, whenever Reb Yishmoel would utter the Name of Ha-shem, a special wind would come and whisk him up to the sky and Gavriel would meet him and fulfil all his needs. In the Piyut that we recite on Yom Kippur, it seems that it was Gavriel that was of assistance to Reb Yishmoel when he rose to the heavens at this junction to investigate what the heavenly opinion was as far as this decree. Reb Yishmoel was informed that indeed the will of Ha-shem was that the decree should be accepted and they should not try to put a stop to its being carried out.

In describing the executions of the Ten Martyrs, the Medrash says that Reb Yishmoel was one of the even most beautiful men that ever lived. They are Odom Harishon, Yaakov, Yoseif, Shaul, Avshalom, Reb Avahu and Reb Yishmoel. When Reb Yishmoel was brought to Rome all the women that saw him menstruated. When he was brought to the Caesar, the Caesar asked him if there is anyone as beautiful as he is in the nation to which Reb Yishmoel replied in the negative. There was then the well-known question of who would be killed first Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel, the Nasi, or Reb Yishmoel. They drew lots, which fell on Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel. After he was executed, it came the trn of Reb Yishmoel. When the daughter of the Caeser beheld the beauty of Reb Yishmoel she desired him. It was said, the Medrash continues that from the time of Yoesif there hadn’t been anyone as beautiful. She requested that his life be spared. Her request was denied. She continued and asked that at the very least, let the skin off his face be stripped and that it should be given to her. This request was fulfilled. The Medrash than goes on to discuss the circumstances of his death and the other Martyrs.
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[muman613]

http://www.torah.org/learning/perceptions/5761/noach.html
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In fact, there is a story in the Talmud of the great Rebi Chanina ben Teradyon, one of the Ten Martyrs we read about in the Musaf Service of Yom Kippur. For teaching Torah in public against Roman decree, he was burned alive together with the Sefer Torah from which he was caught teaching (Avodah Zarah 18a), and, his self-sacrifice for G-d until his terrible dying moment remains to be a tremendous sanctification of the Divine Name until this very day.

Nevertheless, the Talmud says, there was another reason behind the burning of this holy person, the death of his holy wife, and, the terrible mistreatment of his holy daughter: he used to use the 42-Letter Name of G-d to perform miracles as he pleased, according to Rashi, and, according to Tosfos, he said the Four-Letter Name of G-d the way it is actually written, and not as it is to be pronounced until Moshiach comes and the world becomes a holier place. And, though it may be permissible to do so for the right reasons (educational purposes), says the Talmud, that is only in private, and not in public, as Rebi Chanina did.
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http://halakhah.com/zarah/zarah_18.html

Avodah Zarah 18a
It was said that within but few days R. Jose b. Kisma died and all the great men of Rome13  went to his burial and made great lamentation for him. On their return, they found R. Hanina b. Teradion sitting and occupying himself with the Torah, publicly gathering assemblies, and keeping a scroll of the Law in his bosom. Straightaway they took hold of him, wrapt him in the Scroll of the Law, placed bundles of branches round him and set them on fire. They then brought tufts of wool, which they had soaked in water, and placed them over his heart, so that he should not expire quickly. His daughter exclaimed, 'Father, that I should see you in this state!' He replied, 'If it were I alone being burnt it would have been a thing hard to bear; but now that I am burning together with the Scroll of the Law, He who will have regard for the plight of the Torah will also have regard for my plight.' His disciples called out, 'Rabbi, what seest thou?' He answered them, 'The parchments are being burnt but the letters are soaring on high.'14  'Open then thy mouth' [said they] 'so that the fire enter into thee.'15  He replied, 'Let Him who gave me [my soul] take it away, but no one should injure oneself.' The Executioner16  then said to him, 'Rabbi, if I raise the flame and take away the tufts of wool from over thy heart, will thou cause me to enter into the life to come?' 'Yes,' he replied. 'Then swear unto me' [he urged]. He swore unto him. He thereupon raised the flame and removed the tufts of wool from over his heart, and his soul departed speedily. The Executioner then jumped and threw himself into the fire. And a bathkol17  exclaimed: R. Hanina b. Teradion and the Executioner have been assigned to the world to come. When Rabbi heard it he wept and said: One may acquire eternal life in a single hour, another after many years.18

[IsraeliGovtAreKapos]

"He who dwells in the Exile is like one who has no G-d" (Ketubot 110a, 111b)

[muman613]

"He who dwells in the Exile is like one who has no G-d" (Ketubot 110a, 111b)

What does that have to do with this topic?


And as you know there are reasons those in exile have to stay there (taking care of parents, supporting family, etc.). I myself have plans to make aliyah but there are issues which are preventing me from doing so. I am in contact with engineering companies in Israel and am always keeping the lines open to make the move when my responsibilities in Galut are completed.