WHO ARE YOU?

There is an old story of a great teacher named Akiva, who walked into a village to gather supplies. As he made his way home, he was deep in thought and it was dark. Instead of turning right, he turned left and ended up in front of a Roman gate.

A voice boomed down from the gate, jolting the Rabbi from his deep thoughts. It called, “WHO ARE YOU and WHY ARE YOU HERE?”

Shocked, Akiva paused. The guard asked again, “WHO ARE YOU and WHY ARE YOU HERE?

Akiva asked, “How much do you get paid to stand there and ask that?” The guard replied, “Five drachmas a week.” Akiva replied, “I would like to pay you twice the amount to come and stand outside my home and ask me
these two questions every morning.”