כָּתוּב אֶחָד אוֹמֵר: ״כׇּרְסְיֵהּ שְׁבִיבִין דִּינוּר״, וְכָתוּב אֶחָד אוֹמֵר: ״עַד דִּי כׇרְסָוָן רְמִיו וְעַתִּיק יוֹמִין יְתִיב״!
לָא קַשְׁיָא: אֶחָד לוֹ וְאֶחָד לְדָוִד. דִּבְרֵי רַבִּי עֲקִיבָא.
אָמַר לוֹ רַבִּי יוֹסֵי הַגְּלִילִי: עֲקִיבָא, עַד מָתַי אַתָּה עוֹשֶׂה שְׁכִינָה חוֹל?! אֶלָּא: אֶחָד לְדִין וְאֶחָד לִצְדָקָה.
קַיבְּלַהּ מִינֵּיהּ, אוֹ לָא קַיבְּלַהּ מִינֵּיהּ?
תָּא שְׁמַע: אֶחָד לְדִין וְאֶחָד לִצְדָקָה, דִּבְרֵי רַבִּי עֲקִיבָא.
אָמַר לוֹ רַבִּי אֶלְעָזָר בֶּן עֲזַרְיָה: עֲקִיבָא, מָה לְךָ אֵצֶל הַגָּדָה! כְּלָךְ מִדַּבְּרוֹתֶיךָ אֵצֶל נְגָעִים וְאֹהָלוֹת.
אֶלָּא: אֶחָד לְכִסֵּא וְאֶחָד לִשְׁרַפְרַף. כִּסֵּא — לֵישֵׁב עָלָיו, שְׁרַפְרַף — לַהֲדוֹם רַגְלָיו, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״הַשָּׁמַיִם כִּסְאִי וְהָאָרֶץ הֲדוֹם רַגְלָי״.
One verse states: “His throne was fiery flames” (Daniel 7:9), and another phrase in the same verse states: “Till thrones were placed, and one who was ancient of days sat,”
This is not difficult. One throne is for Him and one is for David, this is the statement of Rabbi Akiva.
Rabbi Yosei HaGelili said to him: Akiva, how long shall you make the Divine Presence profane. Rather, one for judgment and one for righteousness.
Did Rabbi Akiva accept this rebuff from him, or did he not accept it from him?
Come and hear the following baraita:
One throne is for judgment and one is for righteousness; this is the statement of Rabbi Akiva.
Rabbi Elazar ben Azarya said to him: Akiva, what are you doing with aggada? Take your words to plagues and tents.
Rather, one for a seat and one is for a small seat.
The seat is to sit on, and the small seat is for His footstool, as it is stated: “The heavens are My seat, and the earth My footstool” (Isaiah 66:1).
ותעל הצפרדע ותכס את ארץ מצרים
אמר ר' אלעזר צפרדע אחת היתה השריצה ומלאה כל ארץ מצרים
רבי עקיבא אומר צפרדע אחת היתה ומלאה כל ארץ מצרים
אמר לו רבי אלעזר בן עזריה עקיבא מה לך אצל הגדה כלה מדברותיך ולך אצל נגעים ואהלות
צפרדע אחת היתה שרקה להם והם באו:
“And the frog came up and covered the land of Egypt” (Exodus 8:2).
Rabbi Elazar says: At first it was one frog; it spawned and filled the entire land of Egypt.
Rabbi Akiva says: It was one frog, and it spawned and filled the entire land of Egypt with frogs.
Rabbi Elazar ben Azarya said to him: Akiva, what are you doing with aggada? Take your statements to Nega’im and Oholot.
It was one frog; it whistled to the other frogs, and they all came after it.
תַּנֵּי רִבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן בֶּן יוֹחַי. עֲקִיבָה רִבִּי הָיָה דוֹרֵשׁ דָּרַ֨ךְ כּוֹכָ֝ב מִֽיַּֽעֲקֹ֗ב. דָּרַךְ כּוֹזִבָּא מִיַּעֲקֹב.
רִבִּי עֲקִיבָה כַּד הֲוָה חֲמִי בַּר כּוֹזִבָּה הֲוָה אֲמַר. דֵּין הוּא מַלְכָּא מְשִׁיחָא.
אָמַר לֵיהּ רִבִּי יוֹחָנָן בַּר תּוֹרְתָא. עֲקִיבָה. יַעֲלוּ עֲשָׂבִים בִּלְחָיֵיךָ וְעַדַּיִין בֶּן דָּוִד [לֹא] יָבֹא.
אָמַר רִבִּי יוֹחָנָן. קוֹל אַדְרִייָנוּס קַיְסָר הוֹרֵג בְּבֵיתְתָּר שְׁמוֹנִים אֶלֶף רִיבּוֹא.
Rebbi Simeon ben Yohai stated: Aqiba my teacher used to preach, there appeared a star out of Jacob there appeared Koziba out of Jacob.
When Rebbi Aqiba saw Bar Koziba he said, this is King Messias.
Rebbi Joḥanan ben Torta said to him, Aqiba! Grass will grow from your jaws and still David’s son [will not have] come.
Rebbi Joḥanan said, the voice of Emperor Hadrian killing eighty thousand myriads at Bettar.
מַאי ״אִם רָאֹה תִרְאֶה״ — דִּבְּרָה תּוֹרָה כִּלְשׁוֹן בְּנֵי אָדָם.
what is derived from the double language uttered by Hannah: Im ra’o tireh? [If see you shall see] The Torah spoke in the language of humans,
רַבִּי עֲקִיבָא אוֹמֵר אֵינוֹ צָרִיךְ הֲרֵי הוּא אוֹמֵר אִישׁ אִישׁ לְרַבּוֹת אֶת הֶעָרֵל
...וְרַבִּי אֱלִיעֶזֶר הַאי אִישׁ אִישׁ מַאי עָבֵיד לֵיהּ דִּבְּרָה תּוֹרָה כִּלְשׁוֹן בְּנֵי אָדָם
Rabbi Akiva says, it is not necessary (to derive by way of a verbal analogy the halakha that an uncircumcised priest may not eat teruma,
as the verse says: “Any man [ish ish]...(Leviticus 22:4). The repetition of the word ish comes to include an uncircumcised man...
The Gemara asks: And what does Rabbi Eliezer do with this inclusive phrase “any man [ish ish]”? The Gemara answers: He maintains that the Torah spoke in the language of humans, meaning that no special halakha is derived from this expression, as it is common biblical vernacular.
וְקִנֵּא אֶת אִשְׁתּוֹ רְשׁוּת דִּבְרֵי רַבִּי יִשְׁמָעֵאל רַבִּי עֲקִיבָא אוֹמֵר חוֹבָה...
לְעֹלָם בָּהֶם תַּעֲבֹדוּ רְשׁוּת דִּבְרֵי רַבִּי יִשְׁמָעֵאל רַבִּי עֲקִיבָא אוֹמֵר חוֹבָה...
...תָנָא דְּבֵי רַבִּי יִשְׁמָעֵאל כָּל פָּרָשָׁה שֶׁנֶּאֶמְרָה וְנִישְׁנֵית לֹא נִישְׁנֵית אֶלָּא בִּשְׁבִיל דָּבָר שֶׁנִּתְחַדֵּשׁ בָּהּ
it is taught in a baraita: “And he warned his wife,” - optional, this is the statement of Rabbi Yishmael.
Rabbi Akiva says: It is mandatory...
The verse states: “Of them may you take your bondmen forever” (Leviticus 25:46), i.e., keeping one’s Canaanite slave forever, is optional, this is the statement of Rabbi Yishmael...
Rabbi Akiva says: It is mandatory
...the school of Rabbi Yishmael taught: Every passage in the Torah that was stated and repeated was repeated only for one novel element introduced therein. Although the Torah could have merely mentioned the element necessary to teach an additional halakha, one should not interpret the repetition of a previously mentioned matter as teaching a second additional halakha, as the style of the Torah is to repeat a passage even to teach only one additional halakha.
אָמַר רַב יְהוּדָה אָמַר רַב בְּשָׁעָה שֶׁעָלָה מֹשֶׁה לַמָּרוֹם מְצָאוֹ לְהַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא שֶׁיּוֹשֵׁב וְקוֹשֵׁר כְּתָרִים לְאוֹתִיּוֹת
אָמַר לְפָנָיו רִבּוֹנוֹ שֶׁל עוֹלָם מִי מְעַכֵּב עַל יָדְךָ
אָמַר לוֹ אָדָם אֶחָד יֵשׁ שֶׁעָתִיד לִהְיוֹת בְּסוֹף כַּמָּה דּוֹרוֹת וַעֲקִיבָא בֶּן יוֹסֵף שְׁמוֹ שֶׁעָתִיד לִדְרֹשׁ עַל כָּל קוֹץ וָקוֹץ תִּלִּין תִּלִּין שֶׁל הֲלָכוֹת
אָמַר לְפָנָיו רִבּוֹנוֹ שֶׁל עוֹלָם הַרְאֵהוּ לִי
אָמַר לוֹ חֲזֹר לַאֲחוֹרֶיךָ
הָלַךְ וְיָשַׁב בְּסוֹף שְׁמוֹנֶה שׁוּרוֹת וְלֹא הָיָה יוֹדֵעַ מָה הֵן אוֹמְרִים תָּשַׁשׁ כֹּחוֹ
כֵּיוָן שֶׁהִגִּיעַ לְדָבָר אֶחָד אָמְרוּ לוֹ תַּלְמִידָיו רַבִּי מִנַּיִן לְךָ
אָמַר לָהֶן הֲלָכָה לְמֹשֶׁה מִסִּינַי
נִתְיַשְּׁבָה דַּעְתּוֹ
חָזַר וּבָא לִפְנֵי הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא
אָמַר לְפָנָיו רִבּוֹנוֹ שֶׁל עוֹלָם יֵשׁ לְךָ אָדָם כָּזֶה וְאַתָּה נוֹתֵן תּוֹרָה עַל יָדִי
אָמַר לוֹ שְׁתוֹק כָּךְ עָלָה בְּמַחְשָׁבָה לְפָנַי
אָמַר לְפָנָיו רִבּוֹנוֹ שֶׁל עוֹלָם הֶרְאֵיתַנִי תּוֹרָתוֹ הַרְאֵנִי שְׂכָרוֹ
אָמַר לוֹ חֲזֹר לַאֲחוֹרֶיךָ
חָזַר לַאֲחוֹרָיו רָאָה שֶׁשּׁוֹקְלִין בְּשָׂרוֹ בְּמָקוֹלִין
אָמַר לְפָנָיו רִבּוֹנוֹ שֶׁל עוֹלָם זוֹ תּוֹרָה וְזוֹ שְׂכָרָהּ
אָמַר לוֹ שְׁתוֹק כָּךְ עָלָה בְּמַחֲשָׁבָה לְפָנַי
Rav Yehuda says that Rav says: When Moses ascended on High, he found the Holy One, Blessed be He, sitting and tying crowns on the letters
Moses said before God: Master of the Universe, who is obligating You?
God said to him: There is a man who is destined to be born after several generations, and Akiva ben Yosef is his name; he is destined to derive from each and every thorn of these crowns mounds upon mounds of halakhot.
Moses said before God: Master of the Universe, show him to me.
God said to him: Return behind you.
Moses went and sat at the end of the eighth row in Rabbi Akiva’s study hall and did not understand what they were saying. Moses’ strength waned.
When Rabbi Akiva arrived at the discussion of one matter, his students said to him: our teacher, from where do you derive this?
Rabbi Akiva said to them: It is a halakha transmitted to Moses from Sinai.
When Moses heard this, his mind was put at ease.
Moses returned and came before the Holy One, Blessed be He, and said before Him: Master of the Universe, You have a man as great as this and yet You still choose to give the Torah through me. Why?
God said to him: Be silent; this intention arose before Me.
Moses said before God: Master of the Universe, You have shown me Rabbi Akiva’s Torah, now show me his reward.
God said to him: Return to where you were.
Moses went back and saw that they were weighing Rabbi Akiva’s flesh in a butcher shop [bemakkulin].
Moses said before Him: Master of the Universe, this is Torah and this is its reward?
God said to him: Be silent; this intention arose before Me.