Gertcel Davydov - Akiva and Rachel. One of the greatest love stories of all time

Just as she finished speaking there was another clap of thunder and the lamb bleated piteously in fear. Rachel took off her shawl and handed it to Akiva.

“Wrap the lamb up in this. It’ll warm him up and he’ll calm down.”

Akiva took the shawl and wrapped it around the lamb’s body. The rain began to subside gradually losing its force. Without stopping to say goodbye, Akiva quickly set off for his room carrying the little rescuee with him. Rachel also made her way home.

That evening, Akiva lay on his bed pressing Rachel’s shawl to his body. He could barely believe that they had met and that rather than laughing at him, she had chatted away so sweetly. It was all a dream. Only the shawl that Rachel had given him to wrap around the lamb proved that it was real. Akiva breathed in the subtle scent of the shawl immersing himself once again in the feeling of the day’s meeting with Rachel. Akiva’s dreams carried him far away but he tried to calm himself and fall asleep after what had been a tiring day. In the morning, he decided to take the shawl with him and give it to Ezra or one of the other employees, so that they could return it to their mistress.

It was a beautiful day with not a single cloud in the sky. Akiva drove the sheep to pasture and then, as usual, sat on a stone by the river from where he could gaze at the water. The lamb he had saved the night before grazed close to him and from time to time he stroked the lamb’s silky coat. Akiva’s soul was in turmoil. On the one hand, he could not wait for Rachel to appear but on the other, he was afraid of seeing her again as he understood that if he did see her again and hear her gentle voice, he would fall in love with her even more deeply and would no longer be capable of living without her. The summerhouse was empty. Eventually the sun started to set on the horizon and it was time to return to the estate. Akiva got up from his stone holding his rod in his right hand and the shawl in the other, ready to drive the sheep back for the night.

“Hello. I see you have my shawl. I’ll come down for it.”

Akiva was gripped by a sudden fear. He didn’t know how to behave or what to do with himself. Rachel picked her way carefully down towards the river and Akiva held out her shawl. Their eyes met for a brief moment. “She is more beautiful than ever’ thought Akiva but not a split second passed before he dragged his eyes away from her.

Having taken the shawl, Rachel said, “I’m pleased to see that you are well after what happened yesterday. Where’s the lamb you rescued?”

Akiva pointed to the lamb which he had kept close to his side the entire day.

“It’s so sweet. If father would allow it, I would take it home to my room. I would feed it wash it and even let it sleep with me. Its coat is so soft and its eyes so beautiful and sad, don’t you think?”

Akiva didn’t utter a word, whether because of what Shimon had said, or whether because he was afraid of saying something stupid and disappointing Rachel, he couldn’t tell.

“Are you always so quiet?” Rachel asked, slightly offended. “I like to talk, particularly on a day as beautiful as today. What kind of weather do you like best? What’s your favourite season of the year?” The girl showered him with questions but Akiva did not reply.

“Can you at least hear me?”

Akiva nodded his head in confirmation.

“Oh good, I was beginning to worry, what a relief, I thought you might be deaf. Can you talk?”

Akiva nodded his head again preventing his eyes from making contact with the gaze of his beautiful conversant.

“I know you can talk” Rachel continued, “because I’ve heard you speaking with Ezra.”

Akiva still said nothing.

“So why don’t you say anything? Has Ezra forbidden you to talk to me, or perhaps on seeing me you lose the gift of speech?”

Akiva nodded again nervously.

“I don’t understand,” Rachel smiled, “do you always answer a question with yes?”

Akiva shook his head.

“The first refusal” Rachel laughed. She wasn’t going to give up. “Do you have a name?”

Akiva was silent.

“You’ve turned into deaf and dumb again?” Rachel found Akiva’s behaviour amusing and at the same time, just a little insulting. “You don’t want to tell me your name, you won’t talk to me you don’t answer any of my questions and you won’t even look at me. What has Ezra said, that if you look at me you’ll turn to stone?” Rachel joked.

Akiva felt exactly as if he had turned to stone and had turned both deaf and blind in an instant.

“I have to go now, father will be getting worried.” Rachel thought for a moment and then said, “Write you name in the sand.”

From somewhere, Akiva found the strength to speak and confessed that he didn’t know how to read or write and then added:

“My name is Akiva.”

Rachel laughed cheerfully, “You’re a grown man and you don’t know how to write your own name?”

With that Rachel turned and left. Akiva dropped his head in sorrow. “Why did I tell her that I can’t read or write?” Akiva thought. “She’ll never talk to me ever again. She’s a well-educated young woman and is seeing an ignoramus like me for the very first time. I should have said nothing and then at least I could have seen her from time to time, heard her lovely voice; now… now she’ll keep me at a distance.”

Over the days that followed, Akiva did not see Rachel anywhere. After resting on the Shabbat, he returned to his duties as usual. He drove the sheep out of the fold sending them in the direction of the river. Once he had found his spot and was sitting on the bank of the river, he became deeply absorbed in thoughts of Rachel.

The more Akiva ran the memory of their last meeting in his mind, the more he relinquished the hope of ever seeing her again. Yet that day, quite unexpectedly, Rachel appeared in the meadow. Plucking up her courage, she said, “Peace to you, Akiva. I wanted to apologise for my behaviour the last time we met. I haven’t ever met anyone before who couldn’t read or write.”

Akiva smiled sadly, “People often laugh at me when they find out that I am illiterate. At first I found it hurtful, but I have got used to it now.”

“I promise I won’t ever laugh at you again,” Rachel said.

“Thank you.” Akiva was genuinely grateful for her words.

Akiva thought Rachel looked a little tired and so he suggested she sit down on a stone next to his. Rachel accepted his offer with pleasure and having spread her shawl out on the stone she sat down beside him.

“Are you comfortable there?” Akiva asked.

“Yes, thank you,” Rachel answered readily. “You told me your name the last time we met but I didn’t tell you mine. It was rude of me. My name is Rachel. I am Kalba Savua’s daughter.”

“I know,” said Akiva quietly. “You have a beautiful name. Who are you named after?”

“Our foremother Rachel.”

“Tell me about her,” said Akiva.

“Do you really not know who Rachel is?” Rachel asked surprised. “She was the wife of our forefather Jacob. I hope you know who Jacob is.”

Akiva shook his head.

“I’ll tell you then. Jacob was the son of our forefather Yitzchak and our foremother Rivka. Hiding from his brother’s rage, Jacob went to find Lavan, his mother’s brother. Lavan had two daughters, the older one Lea and the younger one, Rachel. Jacob fell in love with Rachel at first sight and to marry her, he agrees to serve as a shepherd in Lavan’s house for seven long years. For Jacob, the seven years passed as if they were seven days because his love for Rachel was so strong.”