again sit in the squares of Jerusalem, each man with his staff in his hand, due to advanced age”( Zechariah 8:4). And it is written thereafter:“ The city squares will be filled with boys and girls playing in its squares”( Zechariah 8:5). The Holy One blessed be He said: I have these two witnesses. If the words of Uriya are realized, the words of Zechariah will be realized, and if the words of Uriya are void, the words of Zechariah are void. I was joyful that the words of Uriya were realized, and ultimately the words of Zechariah are destined to be realized.’ They said to him in these words:‘ Akiva, you have comforted us. May you be comforted by the feet of the herald.’
Aren’ t we weeping and tearing our garments? The devastation runs deep and wide. Our holiness is desecrated. Our souls are desolate. Our reality awakens with grief and pain. We are in tears. Can we wake up with hope amid this darkness? Can we see the fox and laugh? The fox is there, and so is the prophecy. How can we be like Akiva, rejecting the either-or and embracing the yes-and? Can we tear our garments in sadness, grief, and pain, and still laugh at the same time? What does it mean to find laughter among ruins? Can we open our eyes to see the fox? To see the promise? Can we heal our hearts? Can we see seeds of hope? Can we trust hope? Can we see and feel the destruction and still believe in repair? Can we find comfort? Can we be more like Akiva in these times?
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