Rabbi Akiva: Sage of the Talmud (Jewish Lives) Hardcover – Illustrated, March 14, 2017

I enjoyed the book. I found some nuggets here and there that I have not encountered myself. Really I just want to thank the author for putting forth the time and effort to put this together. For me personally, it was a reminder of the essence of human perseverance through torah study. How, if it is something which is sincerely sought after, for the right reason, one will be able to achieve divinity on earth. Something which will benefit self, as well as all of humanity. Also, a stark reminder of issues we still have today, such as rebuke, lack of understanding of right and wrong, as well as dissonance between rabbinate, rabbinate, and non-rabbinate. In addition, stigma's applied to those from particular backgrounds(which even Rabbi Akiva had a difficult time dealing with), or with opposing views, even though they are not inherently wrong. Rabbi Akiva's model, which we should all follow, is to put open mindedness, and a willingness to listen to other, at the heart of all debate. Definitely, a worthwhile read. My thanks again to the author.

A well written and researched short biography of rabbi akivaThe author tries to stay true to history while recognizing that many’s tories especially from the Talmud may have to br taken with some salt. I wish ther e were more details of his personal life. He is the rabbi for all time

Holtz writes clearly and with spiritual passion about Jewish texts. His close reading of the sources captivated me and opened new vistas for me - sometimes turning on a single word.

Truth or legend

Well researched. Well written.

Book is too long and it has not some definitive, startling revelation. Written by scholar, it sounds like boring lesson. It did have some fact revelations sounding like legends. There are no historical facts discovered to say Rabbi Akiva was one person, or multiple persons unified in Talmudin stories

Amazing Rabbi Akiva!

Too many uncertainties, and hypothesis, while reading the book I thought: why writing a kind of biography if there is so little we know for certain. Good try though.