She was wealthy and wise; he was an ignorant servant. She gave up a vast inheritance and a privileged lifestyle to marry the poor Akiva, trading the crown of luxury for the crown of Torah. In these spell-binding pages, the story of Rachel, wife of the renowned Rabbi Akiva, is brought to life, based on the masterwork of Jewish history, Dorot Harishonim. A vibrant, appealing, and glowing novel, the reader is drawn into an era long gone but whose spectacular holiness still touches us today. Read about the woman about whom Rabbi Akiva unequivocally declared, "Your Torah and my Torah are hers." Preschool children tell the story with childish wonder in their eyes, but in this fascinating, historical novel, Rabbi Akiva's devoted, exceptional wife comes alive to adult readers in a tangible, breath-taking way. Live the story of Rabbi Akiva's ascent from ignorant shepherd to a legendary scholar, through the eyes and heart of his wife, Rachel. This inspiring, gripping, and epic novel, based on Talmudic sources, entertains even as it uplifts the reader.