Babylonian Talmud, Menachot 29B
Babylonian Talmud, Menachot 29B
Rabbi Yehuda said in the name of Rav: When Moses went up on high, he found the Holy One sitting and tying crowns on the Holy letters [embellishing each letter with calligraphic marks.] He said to the Holy One: “Ruler of the Universe, who is holding back Your hand?” The Holy One answered: “There is a man who will appear at the end of several generations and Akiva the son of Joseph is his name and he will need these crowns, because from each and every thorn [calligraphic mark above the letter] he will derive scores and scores of laws.” He said to Him, “Ruler of the Universe, show this man to me.” The Holy One said, “Turn around!”
So, Moses went and sat in the back of Rabbi Akiva’s class, and had no idea what they were saying. He became weak and disoriented. Soon the class reached an issue and a student asked, “Rebbe, what’s your source for this ruling?” He said, “It’s a law of Moses from Sinai.” Moses was relieved.
Discussion Questions
1. Why do you think Moses asks for an explanation for the “crowns” on each letter?
2. How does God explain the purpose of the “crowns” on the letters?
3. Why does Moses travel to Rabbi Akiva’s classroom? What does he see there?
4. Why is Moses relieved when he hears that the law comes from “Moses from Sinai”?
Some Helpful Information
The Crowns
This is a sample piece of Torah scroll written by a scribe according to a strict set of calligraphic guidelines:
[pic]
Can you find the three pronged “crowns” or “thorns” rising above certain letters? These are the marks referred to in the Talmudic text. They have no bearing on the meaning of the letter or word. Nevertheless, they are always used when writing out a Torah scroll. The story is one attempt to present an explanation for the existence of these marks.
Rabbi Akiva
You can take a look at for more information on Rabbi Akiva.
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