I used text and images from the Torah u'Mesorah Walder Educational Centre to help create this powerpoint. Use with this lesson plan http://www.slideshare.net/theLKgeek/rabbi-akiva-lesson-plan

1. The Story of
‫רבי‬
ַ ִ
ָ ‫עקי‬
‫ִ בא‬ ַּ

2. Long ago lived a
great man.
His name was
‫.רבי עקיבא‬
ָ ִַ ַּ
ִ

3. When ‫רבי עקיבא‬
ָ ִַ ַּ
ִ
was young, he was
a shepherd.

4. The young ‫עקיבא‬
ָ ִַ
did not know the
‫ א-ב‬and he could
ּ
not read Hebrew.

5. When he was
older he married
‫ .רח.ל‬They lived in
ֵ‫ָ .ל‬
a small, simple
home.

6. ‫ עקביב א‬thought he
ָ‫ַ ביִ א‬
was too old to
start learning ‫. א-ב‬
ּ.
‫ רח ל‬disagreed and
ֵ‫אָ ל‬
said, “You are not
too old. I am sure
you will be able to
learn ‫”. .ּור.ה‬
ָ‫תָרֹ א‬

7. One day, ‫עקביב א‬
ָ‫ַ ביִ א‬
took his sheep to
drink from a
stream. He saw a
big rock in the
stream that had a
hole in it.

8. Above the hole he
saw water dripping
onto the rock.
Slowly, after many
years, the constant
drip of water on
the rock had worn
a hole.

9. ‫ עקביב א‬thought to
ָ‫ַ ביִ א‬
himself:
“Even something
that is as soft as
water can change
something as hard
as rock if it never
stops dripping!

10. If I try really hard
and put a lot of
effort in, if I never
give up maybe I
will be able to
learn how to read
Hebrew and then I
can learn ‫”!תור.ה‬
ָ‫.ָּרֹ א‬

11. When he was 40
years old, ‫עקביב א‬
ָ‫ַ ביִ א‬
went to school to
learn how to read
Hebrew.
He learned how to
read ‫ ,' א' - ב‬how to
say ‫ ּפביל ה‬and how
ָ‫ְ ביִ א‬
‫ת‬
to learn the ‫.תור ה‬
ָ‫ָּרֹ א‬

12. He studied day
and night.
He learned so
much ‫ תור ה‬that
ָ‫ָּרֹ א‬
he became a
wise scholar,
a ‫.תלמביד חכ.ם‬
ָ‫ּ ביִ אָ א‬ ַ

13. After 12 years he
came back home. As
he was approaching
his house he
overheard his wife
saying: “If ‫רבבי עקביב א‬
ָ‫ַ ּ ַ ביִ א‬ ִ‫בי‬
would come home, I
would tell him to go
and learn ‫ תור ה‬for
ָ‫ָּרֹ א‬
another 12 years.
I am so happy when
he is learning ‫.תור ה‬ָ‫ָּרֹ א‬

14. ‫ רבבי עקביב א‬went
ָ‫ַ ּ ַ ביִ א‬
ִ‫בי‬
back to learn ‫תור ה‬
ָ‫ָּרֹ א‬
for another 12
years. He became
a great teacher and
a famous Rabbi.

15. ‫ רבבי עקביב א‬had
ָ‫ַ ּ ַ ביִ א‬
ִ‫בי‬
thousands of
students who
learned ‫תור ה‬ ָ‫ָּרֹ א‬
with him.

16. After the second
12 years ‫רבבי עקביב א‬
ָ‫קַ ּ קַ ביִ א‬
ִ‫בי‬
went back home
with many
students.
His wife ‫ רח ל‬came
ֵ‫אָ ל‬
out to greet him.

17. ‫‘רבבי עקביב א‬s
ָ‫קַ ּ קַ ביִ א‬
ִ‫בי‬
students did not
want to let ‫רח ל‬ ֵ‫אָ ל‬
greet him because
they did not know
who she was.

18. ‫ רבבי עקביב א‬told his
ָ‫קַ ּ קַ ביִ א‬
ִ‫בי‬
students, “ You
must treat her
with respect. All
of the ‫ תור ה‬that
ָ‫ָּרֹ א‬
we know is
because of ‫”.רח ל‬ ֵ‫אָ ל‬