R. Akiva's Wife in Rabbinic Literature

Both the Babylonian and Palestinian Talmuds include anecdotes about R. Akiva’s unnamed wife, who personifies the ideal wife of a Torah scholar. According to the Babylonian Talmud, she is the daughter of a wealthy man who chooses a life of poverty to support her husband, personally encouraging him go and to study Torah. The Palestinian Talmud relates that she sold her hair to support R. Akiva’s Torah learning and that he rewarded her support by making her a “city of gold,” apparently an expensive headdress. A later midrash from Avot de-Rabbi Natan, which gives her the name Rachel, brings together several traditions about her, relating that she supported her husband financially, that she suffered for the sake of his Torah, and that later in life, he rewarded her with gold sandals and a “city of gold.” A prominent theme in all the traditions is R. Akiva’s recognition of his wife’s role in enabling him to become a scholar.