רבי עקיבא- אבן היסוד של תורה שבעל-פה

Another explanation. "And He gave to Moshe..." (Shemot 31:18) R' Abahu said: all forty days that Moshe was on high, he was learning Torah and forgetting it. He said 'Master of the world, I have only forty days and I don't know a thing!' What did the Holy One do? When forty days were up, He gave Moshe the Torah as a gift, as it says "And He gave to Moshe..." Did Moshe learn the whole Torah? It is written “It is longer than the land and wider than the sea” (Iyov 11) and Moshe learned it in forty days?! Rather, the Holy One taught Moshe general principles (clalim), as it says "When He finished (k'chaloto) speaking with him..."

(6) ...And they will take for you a red cow - Rabbi Yose son of Rabbi Hanina says, The Holy One blessed be he said to Moses: "to you I will reveal the reason for the red cow, but for others it will be a decree (without reason)", as Rav Huna says, "it is written (Psalms 75:3) "At the time I choose, I will give judgment righteously/equitably", and it is written (Zechariah 14:6), "And it will come to pass on that day there will not be light, yeqarot and qippa'on. It is written as "yiqpa'un" things which are hidden from you in this world, will be seen in the world to come, like the blind man who sees, as it is written "I will lead the blind by a road they did not know..." (Isaiah 42:16) It is also written there "...These are the promises - I kept them without fail." It does not say 'will keep,' but rather 'kept' because I already kept my promise to R' Akiva and his companions. Things which were not revealed to Moshe were revealed to R' Akiva and his companions. "His eyes behold every precious thing," (Job 28:10) this refers to R' Akiva and his companions...

(2) What were Akiva's beginnings? It is said: Up to the age of forty, he had not yet studied a thing. One time, while standing by the mouth of a well in Lydda, he inquired, "Who hollowed out this stone?" and was told, "Akiva, haven't you read that 'water wears away stone' (Job 14:19)? - it was water falling upon it constantly, day after day." At that, Rabbi Akiva asked himself: Is my mind harder than this stone? I will go and study at least one section of Torah. He went directly to a schoolhouse, and he and his son began reading from a child's tablet. Rabbi Akiva took hold of one end of the tablet, and his son of the other end. The teacher wrote down alef and bet for him, and he learned them; alef to tav, and he learned them; the book of Leviticus, and he learned it. He went on studying until he learned the whole Torah. Then he went and sat before Rabbi Eliezer and Rabbi Joshua. "My masters," he said, "reveal the sense of Mishnah to me." When they told him one halakhah, he went off to reason with himself. This alef, he wondered, what was it written for? That bet - what was it written for? This teaching - what was it uttered for? He kept coming back, kept inquiring of Rabbi Eliezer and Rabbi Joshua, until he reduced his teachers to silence.

(5) ... R. Akiva says: It is written: "Drink waters from your pit." A pit, in the beginning, is unable to supply a drop of water of its own, containing, as it does, only what is put into it. So, a Torah scholar, in the beginning, has learned and reviewed only what his teacher has taught him. (Ibid.) "and flowing waters from your well": Just as a well flows living waters from all of its sides, so, disciples come and learn from him (the "flowing" Torah scholar). And thus is it written (Ibid. 16) "Your fountains will spread abroad." Words of Torah are compared to water. Just as water is life for the world, so, words of Torah, as it is written (Ibid. 4:22) "For they are life to those who find them, and healing to all of his flesh." And just as water raises a man from his uncleanliness, so, words of Torah raise a man from uncleanliness to cleanliness, as it is written (Psalms 19:10) "The fear of the L-rd is pure." And just as water restores a man's soul, so, words of Torah restore a man's soul from the path of evil to that of good, viz. (Ibid. 8) "The Torah of the L-rd is whole, restoring the soul." And just as water is free for the world, so words of Torah are free for the world, viz. (Isaiah 55:1) "Ho! all who thirst, go to the waters!" — But perhaps, just as water has no value, so Torah has no value; it is, therefore, written (Proverbs 3:15) "It is more precious than pearls, and all of your desires cannot be compared to it."

R' Akiva said any who lifts themselves up above the words of Torah is like a carcass tossed by the roadside, everyone passing by puts their hand over their nose, keeps their distance and hurried on, as it says "If you have been scandalously arrogant, if you have been a schemer, then clap your hand to your mouth." (Proverbs 30:32)

(1) "I would lead you, I would bring you..." (Shir Hashirim 8:2) I would bring you from the upper spheres to the lower. "I would bring you to the house of my mother..." This is Sinai. R' Berachia said: why do we call Sinai 'my mother's house'? Because there Am Yisrael was made as a day old baby. "...of her who taught me..." commandments and good deeds. "I would let you drink of the spiced wine..." These are the great mishnas, like the mishna of R' Chiya Raba, the mishna of R' Hoshaya and Bar Kapara and the mishna of R' Akiva...

He called R' Akiva a full storehouse. What was Rabbi Akiva like? A worker who goes out with his basket. He finds wheat - he puts it in, barley - he puts it in, spelt - he puts it in, beans - he puts it in, lentils - he puts it in. When he arrives home he sorts out the wheat by itself, barley by itself, spelt by itself, beans by themselves, lentils by themselves. So did Rabbi Akiva; he arranged the Torah rings by rings.

Rabbi Yoḥanan says: An unattributed mishna is Rabbi Meir; an unattributed Tosefta is Rabbi Neḥemya; an unattributed baraita in the Sifra, is Rabbi Yehuda; and an unattributed baraita in the Sifrei is Rabbi Shimon. And all of these are in accordance with the opinion of Rabbi Akiva,

As the Master said: While Rabbi Akiva was dying, Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi was born; while Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi was dying, Rav Yehuda was born; while Rav Yehuda was dying, Rava was born; while Rava was dying, Rav Ashi was born. This teaches you that a righteous person does not leave the world before an equally righteous person is created, as it is stated: “The sun also rises and the sun also sets” (Ecclesiastes 1:5).

Rav Yehuda says that Rav says: When Moses ascended on High, he found the Holy One, Blessed be He, sitting and tying crowns on the letters of the Torah. Moses said before God: Master of the Universe, who is preventing You from giving the Torah without these additions? God said to him: There is a man who is destined to be born after several generations, and Akiva ben Yosef is his name; he is destined to derive from each and every thorn of these crowns mounds upon mounds of halakhot. Moses said before God: Master of the Universe, show him to me. God said to him: Return behind you. Moses went and sat at the end of the eighth row in Rabbi Akiva’s study hall and did not understand what they were saying. Moses’ strength waned, as he thought his Torah knowledge was deficient. When Rabbi Akiva arrived at the discussion of one matter, his students said to him: My teacher, from where do you derive this? Rabbi Akiva said to them: It is a halakha transmitted to Moses from Sinai. When Moses heard this, his mind was put at ease. Moses returned and came before the Holy One, Blessed be He, and said before Him: Master of the Universe, You have a man as great as this and yet You still choose to give the Torah through me. Why? God said to him: Be silent; this intention arose before Me. Moses said before God: Master of the Universe, You have shown me Rabbi Akiva’s Torah, now show me his reward. God said to him: Return to where you were. Moses went back and saw that they were weighing Rabbi Akiva’s flesh in a butcher shop [bemakkulin]. Moses said before Him: Master of the Universe, this is Torah and this is its reward? God said to him: Be silent; this intention arose before Me.