Rabbi Akiva

High school (ages 12+)
History & Culture

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/rabbi-akiva

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. Where was Rabbi Akiva born?Likely in the region of Judea
2. What is Rabbi Akiva known for?Systematization of Jewish oral law in the Mishnah
3. What is the born around?50 CE
4. What is the died around?135 CE
5. What did Rabbi Akiva do before he became a teacher?He worked as a shepherd and did not know how to read. One day he saw water slowly wear away stone and realized that small, steady effort can change big things. This made him decide to study the Torah all his life.
6. How many students did Rabbi Akiva teach?His school was very big—about 24,000 students studied there.

Hermeneutics: The theory and methodology of interpretation, especially the interpretation of biblical texts.
Halakha: The collective body of Jewish religious laws derived from the Written and Oral Torah.
Oral Law: The body of Jewish law and tradition transmitted verbally from generation to generation before being written down.