A Jewish Hellish Tale, Translated
From Rabbi Isaac son of Moses of Vienna's Book "Ohr Zaru'a" ("Seeded Light").
An act that occured with Rabbi Akiba, who saw a man, naked and black with soot, carrying the burden of ten men over his head and running as a pack horse.
He asked him:
"Why are you subjecting yourself to such labor? If thou be a slave and thy master is hard, I shall buy you off his hands and if thou be a poorman, I shall enrich thee"
The man answered:
"Please, do not delay me, so those who are appointed over me may not be angry at me"
He said unto him: "What is it? And what have you done?"
The man answered:
"That man (himself) is a dead soul, and every day is sent back to earth to hew down the very lumber by which I shall be burnt in the evening time"
(Rabbi Akiba) spake unto him:
"My son, what was thy art in this world?"
"I was a taxman" answered the dead man, "and was made (by the Romans) a head to the People, and was flatterer of the rich and murderer of the poor."
"Have you heard from those appointed over you if you can be mended?"
"Please, do not delay me, that those Masters of Destruction appointed over me shall not be angry at me. For I overheard them saying, that One have no medicine, but ine thing that cannot be - that if that man- oh sorrow!
"If that man only had had a son in this world who would stand among the crowd and cry 'Bless the Lord, the ever-blessed!' And they shall answer to him 'Blessed is the Lord forver and ever!' Or if he says "May the Great Name be magnified and sanctified!' And the crowd shall answer 'Amen! May the Great Name be blessed!' Immediately I shall be released from (the place of) Destruction.
"But I have left no son in this world, merely my pregnant wife, and if she shall bear a son, who would teach him for I have left no man who loves me on Earth!"
At that moment, Rabbi Akiba vowed to go and search and see, that if she bore a son, that he shall teach him the Torah and to stand before the Crowd.
He asked the taxman: "What is thy name?"
"Akiba."
"And your wife's?"
"Sosaniba."
"And your city's?"
"Laudacia."
Immediately Rabbi Akiba felt great sorrrow, so he went and asked after him.
As he came to that place, he asked of him.
The locals said: "May this wicked man's bones be ground to dust!"
He asked of his wife.
"Maythe name of that wicked woman be wiped from this world!"
He asked of the son.
"Lo, he is uncircumcised!" They said, "for we even refused to do this grace with this loathsome house!"
Immediately Rabbi Akiba took the son and circumcised him and made him sit before him to study the Torah. But the child could receive no learning until the Rabbi sat forty days in fast to pray for him.
Then came an Echo from Heaven and said:
"Akiba, go and teach him!"
So he went and taught him the Torah, the recitation of "Hear Oh Israel", the Eighteen Blessings and the Blessing of the Meal. He made him stand before the Crowd and call:
"Bless the Lord, the Ever-Blessed!" As the Crowd answered "Blessed is the Lord forever!"
"May the Great Name be Magnified!"
"Amen! May the Great Name be blessed forever!"
And so it came to pass that the dead taxman was released from the Place of Destruction
Immediately, the dead man came to him in a dream and said:
"May God give you as much rest in Heaven as you have given me, for you have saved me from the judgment of Gehenna"
Immediately Rabbi Akiba opened hi mouth and said:
"O LORD, Thy name endureth for ever; Thy memorial, O LORD, throughout all generations."
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