9.31 On Progress
Rabbi Yehudah quoted Rav who said, “When Moshe ascended to the heavens, he found the Holy One, Blessed be He, sitting and attaching crowns to the Torah’s letters.
He said before Him, “Master of the Universe! Who is guiding your hand?”
He said to him, “There is one man who will exist after many generations, named Akiva the son of Yosef, who will in the future expound on every crown and crown piles and piles of laws.”
He said before Him, “Master of the Universe! Show him to me.”
He said to him, “Turn backwards.”
He went and sat at the end of the eight rows of students in Rabbi Akiva’s Beit Midrash, and he did not know what they were talking about. He got upset.
When R. Akiva got to another matter, his students said to him, “Our teacher, from where do you learn this?”
He said to them, “It is a law that was taught to Moshe at Sinai.”
He calmed down. He returned and came before the Holy One, Blessed be He, and said before Him, “Master of the Universe! You have a man like this, and You are giving the people the Torah through me?”
He said to Moses, “Be silent. This is what I have decided.”
He (Moses) said before Him, “Master of the Universe! You have shown me his Torah; show me his reward.”
He said to him, “Turn backwards.” He turned backwards and saw that they were tearing Akiva’s skin with iron combs.
Moses said before Him, “Master of the Universe! Such Torah and such reward!”
He said to him, “Be silent. This is what I have decided.”
Babylonian Talmud
Menahot 29b
