Q&A: The Cause of Rabbi Akiva’s Students’ Plague
Originally published:
This is an English translation (via GPT-5.4). Read the original Hebrew version.
The Cause of Rabbi Akiva’s Students’ Plague
Question
Twelve thousand pairs of students did Rabbi Akiva have, from the city of Gevat to Antipatris. And all of them died in one period—because they did not treat one another with respect.
That is what the Sages tell us in the Talmud. My question is: what is your view regarding the cause of the plague?
Do you think it is possible for a deadly plague to break out simply because people do not treat one another respectfully?
What does that even mean for us?
Answer
I don’t have a fixed position. There is no need to see this as a factual-metaphysical description. It is certainly possible to understand that these events are being used to teach us to treat one another with respect.