During this Passover, when we get to the four children part, we should explain that some people do not know much because they never had a Jewish education, or maybe they were not even Jewish at that time. We should always welcome those who join us as adults.

Rabbi Akiba’s students were dying. A few hundred every month. Of course, thousands of the young men who had joined the army of Shimon bar Kochba to fight against the Romans had been killed during the first three years of the war.

That is one of the reasons why war is not a good thing. That is why one should only go to war as a last resort.

But this was different. These students, unlike the students who, inspired by Rabbi Akiba’s support for Bar Kochba, had joined Bar Kochba’s army, were not dying in battle with the Romans.

These students of Rabbi Akiba were dying of a strange mysterious disease. And, even stranger, no one other than Rabbi Akiba’s students were dying of this disease.

The epidemic started during Hanukah, when Rabbi Yohanan ben Tortha, a Roman who had converted to Judaism, openly opposed Rabbi Akiba’s support for Bar Kochbah’s revolt, saying: ‘Akiba, grass will grow in your cheeks (above your grave, and the Messiah) will still not have come!’(Lamentations Rabbah II:4).

At first only a few of Akiba’s students died each day, and no one noticed it among all the deaths caused by the revolt. Then the numbers increased to dozens a day, and after Passover to hundreds a day.

The disease was unlike any other disease that people died from. First one’s tongue swelled up and turned bright blue. Then one was not able to talk or to eat.

Some soldiers said the disease was some kind of Roman secret weapon. A........

© The Times of Israel (Blogs)