Rachel, wife of Rabbi Akiva

The wife of Rabbi Akiva was a late 1st-century CE Jewish resident of Judea who is cited by the Talmud and Aggadah as a paragon of the Jewish wife who encourages her husband to pursue Torah study and is willing to make personal sacrifices to achieve that goal. She was the wife of the Tanna Rabbi Akiva, who became one of the greatest Torah scholars in Jewish history. She played a significant role in encouraging Akiva to pursue Torah study, as he was uneducated when they married. Her father, the wealthy , disowned her over her choice of husband, and the couple lived in dire poverty. With her blessing, Akiva left to study in a Torah academy for 24 years. He returned home a renowned scholar accompanied by 24,000 disciples. When she came out in ragged clothing to greet him, his disciples tried to push her aside. Akiva told them, "Leave her. What is mine and what is yours is hers". Upon seeing his son-in-law's Torah scholarship, ben Kalba Savu'a reconciled with him and gave him half his wealth. Later Akiva had a special golden diadem fashioned for his wife, depicting the city of Jerusalem (named a Jerusalem of Gold).

The name of Akiva's wife is not known, as it was never recorded wherever she is mentioned in the Talmud. Various names have been attributed to her throughout the years, today she is most popularly known as Rachel, following the medieval Avot of Rabbi Natan. The tomb of Rachel in Tiberias is a pilgrimage site for men and women.

Background In rabbinic literature, women are exempt from Torah study. The Talmud states that women gain the merit of Torah study by encouraging their husbands and sons to go learn: Rav said to Rabbi Hiyyah: Whereby do women gain this merit [of Torah study]? By taking their sons go to the synagogue to learn and waiting for their husbands to return from the beit midrash where they had been studying Torah (Berakhot 17a).

Rachel is considered a prime example of a wife who encourages her husband to pursue Torah study and is willing to make personal sacrifices to achieve that goal.