I sometimes find myself getting sucked into the American get-rich-quick mentality and assuming that aptitude, favorable genetics, and good environmental conditions are factors that determine one’s level of success in life. Rabbi Akiva’s life story destroys common misconceptions about what it takes to succeed.
Rabbi Akiva was one of the greatest Torah leaders who ever lived and served as a key link in the oral tradition stretching back to Moses. Rabbi Akiva’s rise to greatness was anything but typical; his narrative doesn’t point to someone born to a privileged background or an individual gifted with obvious brilliance.
Rabbi Akiva had so many factors working against his favor, he could have easily adopted a “victim mentality” and given up even before he tried. Here are some things that could have stopped him from reaching his full potential:
1. He knew too little
While we might assume that Rabbi Akiva was born into a family with a great lineage of Rabbis, he was, in fact, the son of a convert to Judaism who was unfortunately unable to provide him with a basic Jewish education. Before Rabbi Akiva began studying, he worked as a shepherd and didn’t know how to read Hebrew.
2. He was too late
At the mature age of 40 – well after the official window of language learning and reading closes – Rabbi Akiva joined a class of small school children to learn the Hebrew Aleph Bet.
While Rabbi Akiva found absorbing a new curriculum, language, and perspective at his age discouraging, he persevered. The midrash tells us that one day Rabbi Akiva passed by a well and noticed a rock nearby with a hole in it. When he asked the people there how the rock got a hole, they answered that the water dripping from the well eventually eroded part of the rock. When Rabbi Akiva heard this he became encouraged and said: “If soft water can penetrate a hard rock, then Torah learning can also penetrate my heart of stone.”
3. It was too hard
Rabbi Akiva and his righteous wife Rachel suffered from dire poverty. When Rachel’s wealthy and scholarly father heard that Rachel chose to marry an ignoramus among tens of other suitable mates – Rachel, in her wisdom, intuited Rabbi Akiva’s latent potential – he disowned Rachel and refused to give the young couple any financial support. They lacked basic necessities and Rachel cut and sold her hair so that Rabbi Akiva would be able to continue to learn.
Unlike the typical image of the hero who rose to sudden glory and fame through one courageous act, Rabbi Akiva’s journey of upward growth was gradual. Only after 24 years of intense Torah study did he gain renown as a Torah leader and amass a following of 24,000 followers and star pupils.
4. And then – tragedy struck.
Rabbi Akiva was already in his old age and, like a Mt. Everest climber, stood at the breathtaking summit following an arduous journey. Then suddenly, tragedy struck and every one of his students perished in a plague. While anyone of lower stature would have understandably thrown up his arms and say, “That’s it God, I tried,” Rabbi Akiva didn’t let this enormous setback discourage him. He got up and started teaching again from scratch. Rabbi Akiva gained another five students, one who was the famed Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai who revealed the hidden parts of the Torah. These five students became the future leaders and transmitters of Torah to the Jewish people.
Rabbi Akiva possessed the quality of grit in spades and that helped fuel his achievements.
Angela Duckworth documents in her bestseller Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance how grit predicts long-term success in nearly every realm of life. A passion for one’s goal, perseverance, determination and how one chooses to respond to failure – all these trump talent, IQ level, and favorable environmental conditions. The great Rabbi Akiva is a testimony to the power of human will over all obstacles.
(2) Anonymous, May 15, 2020 12:59 PM
Sometimes will is just not enough
Everyone says that if you try hard enough you can do anything. That's not true. You can try very hard to break down a wall by banging your head against it but all you'll succeed in doing is breaking your head. I think the real question people want answered is "how do you know that you're going in the right direction?" And I'm not referring to being a good person. I'm talking about knowing where your potential lies and what you can do with it. Every Jew can learn Torah and be a good Jew but very few are cut out to be Talmidei Chachamim. How do you know if your potential lies in the Beit Medrash, medical school, a vocation, or what?
Nancy, May 17, 2020 3:35 PM
To commenter #2 Anonymous
From my own personal experience, I will tell you that I will NEVER become a contractor. That is just reality, as I am not a mechanical person. I know this to be true because: a. fixing things is not something that comes naturally and b. I have not interest in doing so. On the other hand, I am getting HUGE enjoyment out of learning Hebrew. Despite the fact that I started in adulthood and it is a hard language to learn, I am soaking it up. If you do some self examination, I am certain you wqill figure out where your strengths are and you can then enhance them. Shavua tov and stay safe and healthy!
(1) Nancy, May 10, 2020 11:15 AM
I have hope!
I received precious little formal religious education, having come from a very secular background. Almost six years ago I started learning to read Hebrew and now I can read bits of the weekly Parsha! I do not read fluently, but I CAN read these passages. I also practice Hebrew 6 days a week with an app called Duolingo. On my next trip to Israel Iy"H, I might be able to have a short Hebrew conversation with someone. Stay safe and healthy and Kol tuv.
Bluma gordon, May 11, 2020 5:33 PM
Thank you for sharing
Hi,
Thanks for sharing your encouraging and inspiring words!