Kinnah 21 conveys the heart wrenching and haunting lament over the cruel and unusual murder of the ten rabbinic giants who met their end at the hands of the Roman Empire.  While this kinnah, as well as a similar passage in the Yom Kippur service, paints a most gruesome picture of the brutal slayings of most of the martyrs, it is the death of Rabbi Akiva that has served as the paradigmatic model of martyrdom throughout Jewish history.

The author’s depiction of Rabbi Akiva’s killing is culled from the Gemara in Brachos 61B

When R. Akiba was taken out for execution, it was the hour for the recital of the Shema, and while they combed his flesh with iron combs, he was accepting upon himself the Kingship of heaven. His disciples said to him: Our teacher, even to this point? He said to them: All my days I have been troubled by this verse, ‘with all thy soul’, [which I interpret,] even if He takes thy soul. I said: When shall I have the opportunity of fulfilling this? Now that I have the opportunity shall I not fulfill it? He prolonged the word ehad until he expired while saying it. A bath kol went forth and proclaimed: Happy art thou, Akiba, that thy soul has departed with the word ehad! Soncino Talmud translation

בשעה שהוציאו את ר' עקיבא להריגה זמן ק"ש היה והיו סורקים את בשרו במסרקות של ברזל והיה מקבל עליו עול מלכות שמים אמרו לו תלמידיו רבינו עד כאן אמר להם כל ימי הייתי מצטער על פסוק זה בכל נפשך אפילו נוטל את נשמתך אמרתי מתי יבא לידי ואקיימנו ועכשיו שבא לידי לא אקיימנו היה מאריך באחד עד שיצתה נשמתו באחד יצתה ב"ק ואמרה אשריך ר"ע שיצאה נשמתך באחד

While the reader of the Gemara and the Kinnah cannot help to be astounded by commitment and conviction expressed in the Tanna’s final words of Shema Yisrael, the true heroic actions of Rabbi Akivah can perhaps be best seen in the context of the conversation preceding his demise.

Rabbi Kalonymus Kalman Shapira (the Piaseczner Rebbe) writing in the Warsaw Ghetto in 1941 explains that Rabbi Akiva saw in his students’ question a crisis of faith and doubt in God.

They wanted their teacher, who was firm in his great faith to say something that would result in bestowing faith upon them…So Rabbi Akiva spoke to them from his experience sharing with them the stages of his spiritual attainment.

(Esh Kodesh pg. 140, Translation from Nehemia Polen’s “Holy Fire” pg. 29).

Rabbi Akiva spent his final breaths transmitting faith and belief to his students and quelling their fears and doubts. In doing so Rabbi Akiva truly served as a sign, an inspiration[1] for leaders to rise above their own grief and suffering to help piece together the shattered lives of their students and community.

These are the heroes whom we mourn.  For these do we weep and our eyes overflow.

[1] See Masechet Semachot chap. 8 where it describes the impact that Rabbi Akiva’s death had on R’ Yehuda ben Bava and R’ Chanina ben Tradiyon.