וקרא שמו בישראל... עקיבא אור שמואל! here is my speech about how we chose akiva. dov spoke about ohr and shmuel. ohr is for my grandfather aharon - אוהב שלום רודף שלום - א +ר = אור and a nod to channukah. shmuel was dovs grandfather who we loved very much. thank you for all the good wishes and kind words! we love to share smachot with you all! here is my speech: A few words on how we chose Akiva as our beloved babys first name. Somehow we tend to end up with a girl when we have 2 men to name after and a boy when we have a woman to name after. So like you all know, we like to get creative. We chose the name akiva because of all that Rabbi Akiva represents and all of his prnciples that my mother embodied heart and soul. (The historical points are mainly taken from rabbi berel weins history if rabbi akiva)... First, Rabbi Akiva represents every man, so to speak. He did not descend from Jewish aristocracy or nobility (see Berachos 27a). He came from a non-observant family if not from a family of converts. He was the ultimate baal teshuva learning for 24 years to become a talmid chacham. Although Rabbi Akiva began life handicapped in the sense that he lacked pedigree in a society that honored pedigree, he turned it into a positive by becoming the symbol of “every man” who has within him the ability to rise above his limitations and become truly great. that was the greatest trait of rabbi akiva - the ability to find the positive in everything and anything. To find the light in the darkness. Once, after despairing that he could ever comprehend the Torah, could never be a great talmid chacham, he saw water dripping onto a rock and even though the water only fell one tiny drop at a time, it still had managed to erode the rock. The pasuk in job says, “Water wears down rock” (Job 14:19). Even great stones are rubbed smooth by the force of the water. This became Rabbi Akiva’s motto. If water can wear down a stone, Akiva could become a scholar… If water can wear down a stone, then every Jew can and will study Torah… If water can wear down stone, then the Temple can be rebuilt… My mother was herself a baalat teshuva at age 16, finding Hashem among the ruins of our beautiful homeland and deciding to become religious at the feet of the kevarim of our avot in the maarat hamachpela. she didnt come from the most observant background but she always used that as a way to inspire others, including her own family members, to strive to become closer to hashem and become more observant jews. As kids i remember taking numerous road trips to visit non-observant relatives to attend weddings and bar mitzvahs armed with kosher deli platters and shabbat food. We would stay in hotels and walk miles just to be able to participate and show our family that being frum would never cut us off from being part of the celebration. Rabbi Akiva was wont to say: “Love your fellow man as yourself – this is the great rule in the Torah.” This was a guiding principle in my mothers life. She was always doing chesed, organizing sisterhood events, hosting guests, and offering a helping hand even when she didnt have one to give. It is one thing to love others and love God when things are going well. However, it is another thing to feel and express that love when times are tough. Rabbi Akiva suffered tremendously throughout his life in many ways, experiencing all sorts of terrible events and defeats. Indeed, he lived the life of Job. Yet though he lived the life of Job, his soul churned out songs of love. Likewise, even when my mother was suffering she always managed to sing Hashems praises and to offer help to those in need. She was always able to see the good even when there was little good to be found. As many of you know, we like to pick names for our children that have a song that goes along with the name. Since i finished with aveilut we have gone back to playing guitar and singing our kids songs (among others) after havdala on motzei shabbat. During my pregnancy i asked the kids if they wanted to sing to the baby. Together menucha and adir started singing אמר רבי עקיבא ואהבת לרעך כמוך״ . Dov and i had been talking about the name akiva (which the kids didnt know) and i was so moved i took a short video to capture the moment. This beezrat hashem will, be the song we sing to our akiva for many years to come. Rabbi Akiva’s favorite maxim was,כל דעביד רחמנא לטב עביד “All that God does He does for the good.” Which originated from one of Rabbi Akiva’s teachers - Nachum Ish Gamzu, who would always say,גם זו לטובה “This too is for the good.” Rabbi Akiva similarly lived by the rule that whatever happens is for the good. He furthermore understood that from the bad good can come. From the problems, from the adversity, we can build something good. My mother shared Rabbi Akivas positivity, never giving in to her own limitations. Until the day she died she did what she thought was best for her children and grandchildren despite the toll it took on her own body. She traveled to israel to be with us, made the trek out to efrat and even managed the bumpy wheelchair ride to get into our house. Rabbi Akiva said: “Beloved are sufferings” – a person should appreciate troubles, because from the troubles we grow. Without troubles a person does not access the deepest recesses of his potential. A great person becomes greater from great troubles. That was Rabbi Akiva’s view on life. That was Rabbi Akiva. My mother was the most upbeat and happy person around. So many people have shared with us how much her smile and positivity meant to them. She always tried to spin things in a happier light no matter what. She avoided conflict and always tried to make everyone happy even if she knew she would find herself unhappy in the end. Many friends from home confessed that they did not realize how sick she was because she never could let anyone see the actual pain she was in. She put on her happy face and went out to brave the world. In the same light, We also find that Rabbi Akiva laughs when others weep. He has the ability to find the good in everything. We all know the story of Rabbi Akiva walking with his colleagues they came upon the Temple in its destroyed state. The other rabbis that were with him wept, but Rabbi Akiva laughed. “Why are you laughing?” they asked. “Why are you weeping?” he replied. “Why are we weeping? Look at the Temple Mount? Is that not something to weep over?” “For that very reason I laugh.” Then he explained that alongside the prophecy that the Temple will be destroyed was the prophecy that the Temple will be rebuilt and the Jewish people redeemed. “Until I saw that the prophecy of doom was fulfilled I thought that it was not meant literally. However, now that I see that the negative prophecy is fulfilled literally, then I know that the positive prophecy will also be fulfilled literally. From the bad I see the good. From the troubles I see the redemption.” and the rabbis replied, akiva nechamtanu, akiva nechamtanu - akiva you have comforted us, akiva you have comforted us. My beautiful boy, my beloved Akiva Ohr Shmuel, throughout the past 9 months, through aveilut, through the darkness of war and a people in despair, hashem has comforted our family and am yisrael with the blessing of your arrival. May you be continue to be blessed with love, and light, happiness, health and may you continue to shine your light onto our people and all the nations of the world in the spirit of Rabbi Akiva whose principles your nonnie so boldly embraced.
Posted on: Tue, 30 Dec 2014 13:57:44 +0000
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