On the heels of R' Akvia teaching us that ואהבתה את ה' אלוקך ... ובכל נפשך/we are enjoined to love HaShem even when He is taking our life, the gemara (Brachos 61b) brings a description of the events that actually lead R' Akiva returning his exalted soul to his Creator with profound love.
An evil government had decreed that Jews were forbidden to be involved in Torah. Pappus ben Yehuda found that R' Akiva was organizing public meetings for Jews to learn Torah. Pappus asked R' Akiva, "Aren't you afraid of the government?" R' Akiva answered with a משל/parable (I hate that translation, but it's all we have):
A fox was walking along a river and saw the fish gathering in groups; first one place then another. The fox asked what they were running away from. They answered that they were fleeing from the nets cast by people. The fox suggested: Would you like me to bring you up onto the land so we can live together as our ancestors did? They answered very sharply: Are you the one they call the cleverest of all animals? You are not clever, you are a טפש/fool! If we are afraid in the water -- the very source of our life; in the place that only brings death to us, we would be all the more fearful!
The Maharshah explains that in the נמשל/moral (I hate that translation even more than the first), the fish represent the Jewish people, the water is the Torah, and the fox is the nations of the world. All good.
In truth, this is not the first time I have learned Brachos, moreover, I have seen/heard/discussed that משל even more often. I thought to just skim through, but I pushed myself to spend time and learn it carefully. Baruch HaShem, because I suddenly realized: Hey... what does the fox mean by "so we can live together as our ancestors did"? R' Akiva is not getting paid by the word, so he must have felt that was integral to the lesson he wanted to teach to Pappus (and us).
I looked and asked around. Everyone noted it was a good question. I didn't want that affirmation; I wanted some clarity. The Agudah of Peterson Park has an entire set of the Mesivta Shas. It is a wonderful resource. I found my answer: The Imrei Emes explains the fox's sly endeavor. The world was originally created with no dry land, only water; the dry land only appeared later. Therefore, the fox opined, we must have all lived together in the water. My ancestors, though, came up onto dry land. You should now join me! In the נמשל, it is the nations of the world telling us that it is now time for us to come up from the Torah and join their modern and civilized society.
The fish reply: You call that a clever argument? The animals that live on dry land were not even created before the dry land. Your argument is false from the beginning. We represent the life that first teemed in this world, and we were never created to join you on the dry land.
We Jews represent the real life of this world. Hashem looked into the Torah and created this world. We were created to live in that Torah and never outside it. The nations of the world were not even there before the snake infected Adam HaRishon (another midrash). We tell the nations of the world: You can keep your civilized crusades, and holocaust, and Oct 7. We are not part of you, we never lived with you, and we will never live anywhere but in Torah.
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