Camping in The Dark

Rabbi Akiva was once traveling and came to a city. He asked, “Do you know where I can stay in this city?” But the people said, “Nope, no room for you here.” Rabbi Akiva thought to himself, Where am I going to sleep tonight? I’ve got nowhere to go. He asked another person, “Do you have a place I can stay?” But again they said, “Nope, we don’t take guests in this town.”

Well, Rabbi Akiva was tired. So he walked out to the forest with his few belongings. He had a donkey, which he used for traveling. He had a rooster that would crow in the morning to wake him up so he could say Shema. And he had a candle, so he could sit and learn Torah at night.

So Rabbi Akiva went into the forest. He tied his donkey to a tree, lit his candle, and sat down to learn and daven by the candlelight. Suddenly, in the middle of the night, he heard a sound. What was that? Out of the bushes came a cat—and it jumped on the rooster and ate it! Rabbi Akiva didn’t panic. He just said, “Kol ma d’avid Rachmana l’tav avid.” Everything Hashem does is done for the good.

A little while later, he heard another sound. This time it was a lion! The lion came leaping out of the forest, grabbed the donkey—and just like that, the donkey was gone. Again, Rabbi Akiva said, “Kol ma d’avid Rachmana l’tav avid.”

Then, a strong wind came and blew out his candle. Now he was sitting alone in the dark, no rooster, no donkey, no candle. Just him and the quiet forest. But Rabbi Akiva still smiled and said, “Kol Ma D’avid Rachmana L’tav Avid.”

Soon after, he heard a loud noise—a big commotion. But he couldn’t see what was going on. When the sun came up, Rabbi Akiva looked toward the city. And what did he see? The entire city that had turned him away had been attacked during the night. Everyone was captured, and the city was burnt down.

Rabbi Akiva couldn’t believe what had just happened. If he had still had his donkey, it would have made noise. If he still had his rooster, it would have crowed. If his candle was still lit, they would’ve seen it glowing in the forest. Had any of these items still been around, the enemies would have found him. But because all those things were taken away, he was saved. That’s the lesson we can learn from Rabbi Akiva. Even when things seem not so great—maybe even bad—we have to remember his words: “Kol Ma D’avid Rachmana L’tav Avid.” Everything Hashem does is done for the good. And Rabbi Akiva didn’t just say those words. He really believed them!