re was so deep and genuine that
he ultimately came to be called the "Hand of the Poor." As overseer of
the poor, Akiba made many long and arduous journeys to collect funds
for their relief. It was his opinion that the funds of charity ought
not to be invested, in order that ready money might always be at hand,
should a poor man present himself. Once Akiba received some money from
R. Tarphon, for the purpose of buying some land. But instead Akiba
distributed the money to the poor. When Tarphon asked him where the
property was, Akiba showed him the verse in Psalms, "He hath
scattered, he hath given to the poor; his righteousness endureth
forever; his horn shall be exalted with honor." Thereupon Tarphon
kissed Akiba on the forehead and exclaimed, "My master and my guide!"

_His Fervent Patriotism_

FOR us to-day, however, the most striking thing about Akiba is his
nationalism. Other Rabbis were men of great intellect, other Rabbis
were learned, modest, and benevolent, other Rabbis lived, worked and
died for Judaism, but no other Rabbi was conspicuously and so
zealously a nationalist. Akiba loved "Eretz Yisrael" passionately, not
only with the visionary fervor of the pious Jew, but with the
practical idealism of a patriot. In all his extended journeys for the
collection of alms, he took care to spread and keep alive in the
breast of his fellow-Jews the desire for the rebuilding of Zion as a
practical and immediate reality.

It was Akiba's spirit that inspired and animated the last great
rebellion against Rome. This "final polemos," as the Talmud calls it,
was preparing for a number of years. Akiba openly acknowledged Bar
Kochba, who was to be the leader of the revolt, as the promised
Messiah, as "the star that would come out of Jacob." All the great
influence, therefore, of Akiba's moral support was behind Bar Kochba's
military preparations. The Jews had indeed much to complain of.
Hadrian had broken faith with them; he had failed to rebuild their
Temple as he had promised, and now (about the year 130), to make
matters worse, he was beginning a systematic persecution of their
religion. He forbade circumcision, the study of the Torah, the keeping
of the Sabbath, the ordination of disciples, in short everything that
went to express the Jewish religion. The Jews determined upon war. But
even before the outbreak of hostilities their greatest loss occurred.
Akiba and several other great Rabbis were captured by the Romans,