The Talmud tells how Rabbi Akiva, arrested for the crime of teaching Torah in public, screamed Shema Yisrael ("Hear O Israel, G‑d is our G‑d, G‑d is one") as his ... read more
In addition, at a time of severe persecution under the Romans who forbade the transmission of Torah, when there was a danger that it would be forgotten which would spell the end of Judaism, it was our teacher Rabbi Akiva who was at the forefront of those that ensured the Torah would be transmitted from one generation to the next, a feat he was successful in though he was martyred for it under the most painful torture. read more
Rabbi Akiva was the best teacher. Actually the period between Pesach and shavout was very harsh for the Jews. They were the days of judgement and persecution. Crusades, pogroms and blood libel against the Jews took place during that period along with the death of 24,000 students of Rabbi Akiva and hence we mourn for their deaths. read more