R. Akiba was taken prisoner by the heathen and R. Joshua ha-Garsi ministered to him.

Why was he called ha-Garsi? One explanation is that Garsi was the name of his native town; another explanation is that he used to grind beans, the Hebrew name for beans being garsi.

Every day he brought R. Akiba a measure of water to drink.

Once the warden of the prison saw that R. Joshua brought him much water. So he asked him: "Why do you bring him so much water today? Do you want him to undermine the foundation of the prison?"

Thus speaking, he poured out half of the water and gave him the other half.

When R. Joshua brought the water to R. Akiba, the latter said to him: "Do you know that I am an old man and that my life depends on you?"

He meant to say: "I have only that which you bring me. Why then have you been so late?"

Then R. Joshua ha-Garsi told him of his experience with the warden. Then R. Akiba said: "Give me water enough to wash my hands."

R. Joshua replied: "How can I give you enough water to wash your hands, when you

have not enough water for drinking?"

Then R. Akiba said: "What am I to do? He who eats with unwashed hands commits a capital sin. It is better to die of thirst than to go counter to the opinions of my colleagues and eat with unwashed hands,"

It is said that he never took a morsel before he had water to wash his hands. When the sages heard of his conduct, namely that he would not eat with unwashed hands, they said: "If he acts in this manner now as an old man, how much more pious must he have been in his younger days! And if he observes this custom while in prison, how much more strict must he have been in his own home! As a young man he must have been very observant of the minutiae of the law."

Therefore one should not neglect washing of the hands, but should follow the example of R. Akiba, peace be upon him.