My Brother Rabbi Akiva Wagner Lived to Uplift

By Rabbi Dov Wagner

We have every reason not to write this. But one reason why we need to.

Like each of us, our brother Rabbi Michoel Akiva Gershon Wagner a”h was by nature a very private person. Yet, you wouldn’t know it from the last few years. He shared openly details of his diagnosis, of his treatments, his challenges and ultimate emunah. He shared encouragement to strengthen emunah and bitachon, to increase in learning chassidus, to add kavanah in davening and brochos – and especially in the brocho of Asher Yotzar.

He did this for the same reason he did everything in his life: because he believed it was the right thing to do. He didn’t want to. He didn’t enjoy that attention or the invasions of privacy. But he saw an opportunity to inspire, to uplift. And that is what he spent his life doing, in yeshiva and beyond.

There is a well-known story about a Chosid who needed an urgent response from the Rebbe. He slipped a note under the Rebbe’s door, thinking that Rabbi Chodakov would notice it and pass it to the Rebbe. However, Rabbi Chodakov exited the room without seeing the note. A short time later, the Rebbe communicated a response. The next day the Chosid wrote to the Rebbe an apology, expressing how sorry he felt that the Rebbe himself had needed to bend down to pick up his letter. The Rebbe responded: This is my entire Inyan. To uplift. Especially those things which others have overlooked.

That was Akiva. He looked to uplift. If it meant going out of his comfort zone, if it meant sharing his most private struggles; whatever it took he would do in order to positively impact whoever he could.

And the response from so many of you – from so many thousands around the world who in fact took on positive changes as a result – meant so much to him. It gave him the strength to continue fighting, and continue farbrenging and teaching, and continue to share all he could of himself.

We want to take this opportunity to thank all those who helped our brother and his family in so many ways – whether practically or with Tehillim and hachlatos tovos over these last three and a half years. Rabim heim ve’i efshar lefortom; there are truly far too many to list.

And we need to follow his example now and go far out of our comfort zone as well. There is nothing more heartrending than watching our brother’s family in their grief. Nothing more heartrending than the sound of young voices saying Kadish. We know the words of Rabbi Akiva: kol deavid rachmana letav ovid. We know and believe absolutely that the Aibershter has a plan and everything He does is right and good. There is no question that with all the pain being experienced by our family and by Akiva’s thousands of students and alumni around the world, kach olo bemachshovo – this is what the Aibershter wants and there can be no change.

But there is one thing we can now do. We can collectively make sure to at least remove any financial worries from Akiva’s family as they find the strength to move forward. Please do what you are able to help ensure their financial security, by contributing generously at www.raisethon.com/rabbiakiva.

B’ezras Hashem there will be many initiatives undertaken in his memory. The Yeshiva he built will continue to grow, his shiurim and writings will be collected, etc. But right now, we need to all do our part first and foremost to help with the obligation foremost and closest to his heart: doing what we all can to support his family.

Thank you again for all of your support all this time, and may the Aibershter bentch you with boni, chaya, umezoni ubekulam revichi begashmiyus uveruchniyus.

Rabbi Dov Wagner, on behalf of the Wagner and Labkowski Families

Donate now at www.raisethon.com/rabbiakiva.