Never Fear Ridicule

“On that very day Avraham was circumcised” (Bereishit 17:26)  
 

The Origins of Rabbi Akiva  
Rabbi Akiva was one of the greatest Torah sages to have ever lived. However, the first part of his life was not so extraordinary. He was not born to a wealthy home of privilege or to a family of illustrious scholarly lineage. Quite the opposite. He grew up poor and uneducated, void of any Torah knowledge whatsoever.
 

At 40 years old, he was a simple shepherd when Rachel, the daughter of Kalba Sabua whose flock Rabbi Akiva was tasked to shepherd, took notice of him. She recognized something unique, something special, in the way this shepherd conducted himself, in his modesty and character.  
 

She approached him and said, “I want to marry you on the condition that you leave my father’s employment and commit yourself to studying Torah.” He agreed, and they were married.  
 
 

But the Children Will Laugh  
The Midrash (Midrash Hagadol – Shemos 4:13) describes that Rabbi Akiva eagerly wanted to fulfill his promise to his new bride. However, when the time came to learn from a teacher, a Melamed, he was mortified by the thought of sitting on a bench with other young children at the earliest stages of their learning and being mocked for not even knowing how to recite the Aleph Beit. The children would surely laugh at him.  
 

Rachel, feeling her husband’s apprehension, came up with a brilliant idea.  
 

She asked him, “Do you want to do something amazing?” She then instructed him to go to the market and buy a particular donkey that was old, and who had grooves on his back between his vertebrae, from a lifetime spent carrying heavy loads. When Rabbi Akiva returned with the donkey, she placed some soil with seeds in the grooves of the donkey’s back.  
 

When the seeds started sprouting plants, Rachel told her husband to parade the donkey around the market. On the first day, everyone who saw this sight was hysterical with laughter. They pointed at and ridiculed the unusual donkey with plants growing from its back. On the second day, they laughed less. On the third day, people hardly paid any attention. Rabbi Akiva overheard them saying, “There are many species of donkeys, and this is just a different type”.  
 

What had been abnormal had become normal. What was mocked for being unusual had become common. The strange had become familiar, over time.  
 

Through this experiment, Rachel taught her husband a critical and fundamental lesson: sometimes things that are new and appear strange or “out of place” might be mocked and ridiculed at first. However, eventually, people become accustomed to it and the mockery stops.  
 

Rabbi Akiva immediately went to learn from a melamed, and became one of the greatest Torah scholars in Jewish history; a sage who taught Torah to tens of thousands and whose teachings are fundamental to Judaism today.  
 

If Rabbi Akiva allowed his fear of ridicule to force him to learn only in private, hidden away from the eyes and possible scrutiny of the other students in the Beit Midrash, he would have struggled through the process. His growth in learning would have suffered. He most likely would not have found a special suitable teacher, melamed, to learn with him in secret. His scholarly potential would never have reached the incredible lofty heights. Think about how much Torah knowledge and insights would have been lost simply because he was afraid of being mocked!  
 

However, his righteous wife Rachel showed him that all ridicule is temporary.  
 

By this lesson, he was able to overcome his fear and shame and he rose to the occasion. He entered through those doors of the Beit Midrash to sincerely pursue the study of Torah regardless of what anyone else thought about his ability or capabilities. By overcoming this fear, he was able to become the great sage that he would eventually become.  
 

Therefore, Rabbi Akiva told his disciples “Mine and yours is hers.” He credited Rachel, his wife, and this lesson she taught him; with everything he would become.   

In the Light of Day  
With the great lesson from the story of Rabbi Akiva, we can understand better the story of the first Brit Milah: 
 

When Avraham was commanded to perform the mitzvah of Brit Milah, it was a novel concept. Circumcision had not been done before. Many people advised him to keep it a secret; to fulfill the commandment in private and avoid the inevitable ridicule that would ensue if people saw what he had done. They would mock him. He would be ostracized and become a pariah. People would avoid him.  
 

However, Avraham, ignoring their advice, did the exact opposite: he performed the mitzvah “On the very day” which can be translated as “In the middle of the day” as Rashi explicitly describes this phrase in Parshat Noach (Bereishit 7:13).  
 

Avraham chose to perform this mitzvah in the middle of the day, when the sun was at its peak and brightest, when the roads were filled with people coming and going. He didn’t hide in the privacy of his home, or in the dark corner of a room where he would go unnoticed. He didn’t shy away from potential ridicule and shame. Rather, he performed the mitzvah proudly, boldly, and in public view.  
 

And he wasn’t harmed. He didn’t lose out. People didn’t avoid or ostracize him. In fact, to the contrary. Avraham became even more honored and wealthy, strengthening the reality that you cannot lose when you are fulfilling the Will of Hashem.  
 

And the Torah continues, “And all the people of his household, those born in his house and those bought with money from foreigners, were circumcised with him.” Since Avraham performed this mitzvah in full public view, it inspired his entire household to follow his example without fear of ridicule or mockery.   

Don’t Hide in Shame  
This is a critical lesson for each yid regardless of his current level of observance:  
 

Every time you want to observe a new mitzvah, to introduce a new level of religious observance in your life, or to become more diligent in a specific area of Judaism, it is natural to fear ridicule. It is normal to worry that your friends or family may not understand and might mock your efforts to grow and become more connected to Hashem through His Torah and mitzvot. You might even try and hide your observance to avoid their mimicry.  
 

However, you must remember the lessons of Abraham and Rabbi Akiva; you must proudly perform these mitzvot in full public view. You should not be ashamed of your observance or your relationship with Hashem. In fact, you should proudly perform your mitzvot and express your commitment to Hashem publicly.  
 

Even if you are mocked by those in your life at first, eventually they will become accustomed to your newly found commitment, and it will eventually become something they not only do not ridicule but admire. They will, like those around Avraham, become inspired themselves. In the zchut, merit of the mitzvot you do in public you will only find greater favor in the eyes of those around you and Hashem. Amen.