The Miracle @ R' Akiva's Daughter's Wedding

Rabbi Akiva and his wife, Rachel, had a kind and beloved daughter, a rare jewel. As she grew up, her family concerned themselves with finding a suitable match for her, a young man who would appreciate her special qualities. When such a person was found, the family began making wedding preparations. The family was understandably excited. But Rabbi Akiva was a bit worried. Years before, an astrologer had told him that a terrible disaster would occur on his daughter's wedding day. She would be bitten by a poisonous snake and die.

Rabbi Akiva placed his trust in G-d, knowing well that the stars and astrology do not control the lives of Jews. With great devotion, Rabbi Akiva prayed that no harm would befall his cherished child.

The wedding day arrived. Guests came from far and near to celebrate the wedding of the daughter of the esteemed and revered Rabbi Akiva. Everything proceeded seemingly uneventfully.

During the wedding meal, while everyone was enjoying the delicious repast, a poor man walked into the hall. "Can anyone give me something to eat?" he called out in a soft voice, too weakened by hunger to speak loudly. No one heard the poor man. No one except for the bride, herself. She got up from her place of honor. Though she had fasted the entire day, she quietly, humbly, gave the beggar her own portion of the wedding feast. No one noticed this simple act of kindness which the bride showed to the poor man.

Later that evening, as some of the guests had begun to leave, the bride went to her room to rest. She had been wearing a gold pin in her hair to keep her veil in place. She removed the pin from her hair and looked around in the dim light for a place to put it. Finding no suitable, secure place, she stuck it in the wall near her bed.

When the bride awakened in the morning and went to take her pin, an incredible sight met her eyes. A dead snake had been impaled by the pin!

Not much time passed before Rabbi Akiva heard about the snake. He immediately remembered the words of the astrologer. Certainly this was the snake about which he had foretold.

Rabbi Akiva asked his daughter, "Tell me, did you perform any good deeds yesterday at your wedding?"

The bride considered the events of the previous day. "I saw a poor, hungry man at the wedding who was asking for food. No one heard him but I. So, I took my own portion of food from the wedding feast and gave it to him."

Rabbi Akiva then told her of the astrologer's forecast and concluded by saying, "In the merit of your charitable act - the food which you gave to the poor man, your own life was saved."

Our Sages teach, "Tzedaka saves from death." In addition, it is customary for bride and groom, and their relatives (and anyone who cares about them) to give charity on the wedding day, as the Lubavitcher Rebbe explains: In light of the saying of our Sages, "Great is tzedaka, for it hastens the Redemption," there is a special quality to the tzedaka given by groom and bride - "king and queen" - to hasten and bring about the imminent true and complete Redemption...

The Rebbe also explained: Parents, grandparents, siblings, and all relatives and friends who desire the welfare of the groom and bride and who want to participate in the joy of the groom and bride, should increase the amount they give to charity on the day of the wedding. This applies as well to the teachers and the "matchmaker" of the groom and bride. Their gift should be in honor of and accompanied by prayerful wishes for the eternal well-being of the groom and bride, that the mitzva (commandment) and merit of tzedaka stand them in good stead and that their joy be unbounded and everlasting.