A Letter From Rav Eitan Jofen   Cheshvan, 5772 Dear Rebbetzin Ehrenpreis, ad mei'ah ve'es'rim, When I heard the terrible besorah of the petirah of the talmud chacham and tzadik R' Akiva, I was heartbroken. I tried phoning several times during the shiva but was unfortunately not successful. Although, in the past few years I haven't been in contact, Akiva has never been out of my thoughts. Three times each day he was part of my davening and the tefilos of my whole family. Akiva was from the first group of boys that I gave shiur to. From all of my talmidim, throughout all the years, there has never been a bachur who had and continues to have such hashpah on me. I cannot forget his ah'havas torah, his hasmada and his special ko'ach to make everyone around him a better person and a better learner. His dedication to understanding the sugya, his simcha when things became clear and his drive to always demand from himself more and more were unique to him only. The willingness to be nosei ba'ol and help every friend was something that left an impression on all who came in contact with him. He never let his physical limitations hold him back from anything. We remember a Shabbos night that Akiva and some other boys were invited to our house. It was a snow weekend and there were no taxis or busses to be found. Much to our surprise Akiva walked all the way from the Mir to Har-nof before Shabbos — as usual with his famous bag of candy for the kids! Even after all these years my older daughters remember him with much affection, as a bachur who always had time to speak and play with them. When I used to speak with him I always felt that even though he was so young in age, I was in the presence of an adom gadol. I am sure that in sha'ma'yim Akiva has a place with the gedolei hador. The devotion that you and your husband z"l displayed in loving and caring for Akiva all through the years is a lesson to us all. Akiva was such an extraordinary man, it was clear that he had been brought up in a very special home. Ha'ko'seiv bi'tzar u've'dem'ah, Eitan Jofen