Prison Teaching
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Shareתָּנוּ רַבָּנַן: מַעֲשֶׂה בְּרַבִּי עֲקִיבָא שֶׁהָיָה חָבוּשׁ בְּבֵית הָאֲסוּרִין, וְהָיָה רַבִּי יְהוֹשֻׁעַ הַגַּרְסִי מְשָׁרְתוֹ. בְּכׇל יוֹם וָיוֹם הָיוּ מַכְנִיסִין לוֹ מַיִם בְּמִדָּה. יוֹם אֶחָד מְצָאוֹ שׁוֹמֵר בֵּית הָאֲסוּרִין, אָמַר לוֹ: הַיּוֹם מֵימֶךָ מְרוּבִּין, שֶׁמָּא לַחְתּוֹר בֵּית הָאֲסוּרִין אַתָּה צָרִיךְ? שָׁפַךְ חֶצְיָין וְנָתַן לוֹ חֶצְיָין.
Concerning the significance of observing the words of the Sages, the Gemara relates: The Sages taught in a baraita: It once happened that Rabbi Akiva was incarcerated in a prison, and Rabbi Yehoshua HaGarsi would come to the prison to attend to his needs. Every day his disciples would bring him water in a measured quantity. One day the prison guard met Rabbi Yehoshua HaGarsi and said to him: The amount of your water today is more than usual; perhaps you need it in order to soften the walls and thus undermine the prison. He then poured out half the water, and gave him the other half to take in to Rabbi Akiva.
כְּשֶׁבָּא אֵצֶל רַבִּי עֲקִיבָא, אָמַר לוֹ: יְהוֹשֻׁעַ, אֵין אַתָּה יוֹדֵעַ שֶׁזָּקֵן אֲנִי וְחַיַּי תְּלוּיִין בְּחַיֶּיךָ?
When Rabbi Yehoshua came to Rabbi Akiva, and the latter saw the small amount of water he had brought, he said to him: Yehoshua, do you not know that I am old, and my life depends on your life? No one else brings me water, so if you bring me less than I need, my life is endangered.
סָח לוֹ כׇּל אוֹתוֹ הַמְאוֹרָע. אָמַר לוֹ: תֵּן לִי מַיִם שֶׁאֶטּוֹל יָדַי, אָמַר לוֹ: לִשְׁתּוֹת אֵין מַגִּיעִין, לִיטּוֹל יָדֶיךָ מַגִּיעִין?! אָמַר לוֹ: מָה אֶעֱשֶׂה שֶׁחַיָּיבִים עֲלֵיהֶן מִיתָה? מוּטָב אָמוּת מִיתַת עַצְמִי, וְלֹא אֶעֱבוֹר עַל דַּעַת חֲבֵירַי!
After Rabbi Yehoshua related to him the entire incident, Rabbi Akiva said to him: Give me water so that I may wash my hands. Rabbi Yehoshua said to him: The water that I brought will not suffice for drinking; how will it suffice for washing your hands? He said to him: What can I do; for transgressing the words of the Sages and eating without first washing hands one is liable to receive the death penalty. And if so, it is better that I should die my own death by thirst, rather than transgress the opinion of my colleagues who enacted that one must wash hands before eating.
אָמְרוּ: לֹא טָעַם כְּלוּם עַד שֶׁהֵבִיא לוֹ מַיִם וְנָטַל יָדָיו, כְּשֶׁשָּׁמְעוּ חֲכָמִים בַּדָּבָר, אָמְרוּ: מָה בְּזִקְנוּתוֹ כָּךְ, בְּיַלְדוּתוֹ עַל אַחַת כַּמָּה וְכַמָּה. וּמָה בְּבֵית הָאֲסוּרִין כָּךְ, שֶׁלֹּא בְּבֵית הָאֲסוּרִין עַל אַחַת כַּמָּה וְכַמָּה.
They said that he would not taste anything until Rabbi Yehoshua brought him water and he washed his hands. When the Sages heard about this, they said: If in his old age and weakened state he is still so meticulous in his observance of the mitzvot, how much more so must he have been in his youth. And if in prison he is so scrupulous in his behavior, how much more so must he have been when not in prison.