Rabbi Akiva

The Talmud relates that after the destruction of our Holy Temple, Rabbi Akiva and the Sages of Israel were walking on the streets of Jerusalem. As they came to the Temple Mount, they beheld a devastating sight. There, where the Sanctuary had once stood in majesty and splendor, where the Holy of Holies had been, were only ruins, and wild foxes were roaming about. The Sages broke down and wept. “Woe is us,” they wailed, “that we have seen this with our own eyes.” But Rabbi Akiva did not weep. Instead, he smiled. “How can you smile at such a