2 Comments

1. Anonymous

   Shalom R. Yuter. I just listened to your video about R. Akiva and Bar Kokhba. You made a nice presentation, thank you. Not everything you said I agree with. How the Sage of the caliber and status of R. Akiva, who ‘achieved the highest level of understanding that a human in this world is capable of, could have made  such a mistake which have brought unparalleled, grievous suffering to the Jewish People: one million killed, including women and children; the rest sold to slavery; Jerusalem plowed up; Land of Israel became ,Palestine’ ; terrible two thousand years of exile. R.Akiva was also experienced politician who traveled a lot (journey of Elders). He went before the revolt to Arabia, North Africa, Egypt, Libya, Cyrenaica, Mesopotamia, Cyprus, – to many Jewish and Israel (Ten Tribes) communities to propagate his ideas, mainly that Bar Kokhba is the Redeemer, sent by God, and he will bring freedom and independence to Judea. He asked them to join the revolt against the Romans. R. Akiva was very much upset with the refusal of the Israelites (Ten Tribes!) and could not forgive them. That is why his negative position came from; ‘Ten Tribes never return’ and they will not merit the life in the world to come’. His explanations were quite shallow (Lev. 26:38; Deut.28:29), in a manner of Exodus 8:2, when he was criticized by R.Eleazar ben Azariah, ‘Akiva, why do not you stick to the laws of purity, and live Aggadah alone?’ He was not a peacemaker like his contemporary great Sage R. Joshua.   He did not uphold the principal of his teacher R. Eleazar ben Hyrcanus, ‘I teach only what I learned from my teacher great R. Johanan ben Zakkai’. R. Akiva was the most influential spiritual leader of the nation. He knew how explosive political and religious situation in Palestine was. He carried a lots of responsibilities on his shoulders and he miserably failed the Jewish People. Emperor Hadrian died just three years after the revolt. He mistakenly acknowledge Bar Kokhba as the Jewish Messiah. It was a wrong man, cruel dictator, murderer of the great and righteous Rabbi Eleazar from Modi’in, who happened to be his uncle. The Talmudic stories of excommunication of the R. Eliezer ben Hyrcanus, his trial in Sanhedrin, when majority rule prevailed, giving the way for abuse and corruption against the Biblical truth:  Whereupon a Heavenly
   Voice cried out, “Why do you dispute with Rabbi
   Eliezer, seeing that in all matters the halacha
   agrees with him!”  – I perceive R. Akiva bahavour as shameful betrayal of his teacher.“Then
   Rabbi Akiva asked, “And what kind of a death
   will be mine?” Looking directly at him, Rabbi
   Eliezer slowly and solemnly responded, “Yours
   will be more cruel than theirs.” These passages from Talmud are very well known to scholars. Our Torah clearly states,
   `You shall not follow a multitude to do
   evil.’
                     Dear R. Yuter, thank you for reading my comments. If you wish to respond, here is my E-male address:
                               
                          Alexanderzaf@gmail.com
2. Alex Zafran

    

   Hello R. Yuter. I listened to your comments on R. Akiva and
   Bar Kokhba the second time. Basically, it is good presentation. What I disagree
   with, it is your statement that R. Eleazar from Modiin did not tell to Bar
   Kokhba about conversation he had with the Samaritan. In yours words, he is a
   lair. This is too far from the Rabbinical sources which portray R. Eleazar as a
   righteous man, and even the Talmudic story says that Samaritan did not speak to
   him, there was no exchange of the words, he just pretended for the people
   around to see and report to Bar Kokhba. How do you come to conclusion that it
   was a plot and R. Eleazar lied (denied) to Bar Kokhba, beyond my understanding.
   Also, you did not say a word of the role R. Akiva played in the preparation,
   organizing and the leading (together with Bar Kokhba) Revolt. Not clear either
   at what point, when exactly, R. Akiva announced that Bar Kokhba is the Messiah.
   The Jews had started the military operations against the Romans since 123 A.C.
   Bar Kokhba had few early victories over the Romans. The people and rabbis also
   acknowledged him as a military leader and the Messiah. How could the Sage as R.
   Akiva, with all his renown status in Judaism, and the sages of Academy and
   Sanhedrin, have ignored the teachings of the Hebrew Scripture about the
   Messiah,the Messianic Time and conditions preceding to his arrival?!
   R. Akiva mistakenly took the political and religious situation in Judea and in
   the Roman world as the prophesied signs of the Messianic Age. The generation of
   the Revolt did not repent and was not ‘ripe’ for Redemption. To proclaim the
   arrogant military general who violate the Torah, deranged killer of the
   righteous R. Eleazar, denier of God’s help, – something ridiculously wrong
   here. It comes to my mind his early reported hatred for the Torah’s scholars,
   rabbis, who he wanted bite so strongly as to crash their bones; the ten Tribes
   will never return; argumentation against old sages; betrayal of his teacher and
   mentor R. Eliezer; double standard of behavior (he who not visit the sick
   student, teacher is the same as a shedder of blood); the death of 24,000
   disciples which authors blame the students for, not their spiritual leader.
   Remember, at the day of R. Eliezer’ death, ‘Why did not you come before?- We
   were busy’ Therefore, ‘Your death will be more cruel than those of ten’. R.
   Eliezer saw R. Akiva for what he really is, and he ‘gave’ him what he deserved.
   For now it is enough.
   R. Yuter, is it so difficult for you to respond with couple of words?
    Shalom,

                         
   Alexanderzaf@gmail.com