Q&A: Another Question for the Rabbi Regarding Rabbi Akiva
Another Question for the Rabbi Regarding Rabbi Akiva
Question
With God’s help,
In another video I saw that the missionaries make two claims about Rabbi Akiva.
1. Rabbi Akiva invented midrashic interpretation. Is that true? I had never heard that.
2. Rabbi Akiva is not Jewish. Why? If I understood correctly, they claim that he was descended from Edomite converts, about whom it is written that they may not enter the congregation until the third generation. As far as I know, Rabbi Akiva was descended from Sisera, king of Canaan. Was Sisera an Edomite? And even if so, couldn’t Rabbi Akiva have been the grandson of gentiles who converted, disgusted…
Answer
1. It is written that all of them follow Rabbi Akiva’s approach. But that does not mean that he invented everything. Certainly not, since it is mentioned that he himself studied under Rabbi Yehoshua and Rabbi Eliezer, and they too studied under those who came before them. This is nonsense.
2. Rabbi Akiva was the son of converts, but of course he was Jewish. I do not know exactly what his lineage was, but it is possible that his mother was Edomite, or his grandfather. In any case, the conversion quite simply takes effect, and there is only a marriage restriction. https://www.yeshiva.org.il/wiki/index.php?title=%D7%9E%D7%99%D7%A7%D7%A8%D7%95%D7%A4%D7%93%D7%99%D7%94_%D7%AA%D7%9C%D7%9E%D7%95%D7%93%D7%99%D7%AA:%D7%90%D7%93%D7%95%D7%9E%D7%99
Discussion on Answer
I do not know where they got the idea that he was an Edomite convert. It is written in the Talmud that he was the son of converts. It is also written that he was descended from Sisera (see Sanhedrin 96b, according to the version of Rav Natrunai Gaon in Berakhot 27b). Sisera was the commander of the army of Jabin king of Canaan.
I am not familiar with any source saying that his parents were converts, and it is certainly possible that it was his grandparents or even earlier ancestors. “Son of converts” in the Talmudic tradition means a descendant in some generation, not necessarily a literal son.
With God’s help,
Thank you very much for the answer.
Possible? Meaning, we do not know whether Rabbi Akiva’s parents were the ones who converted, or his grandfather and grandmother. Right? In addition, we do not know whether they were Edomites. Is that correct?
Thank you very much,