Last night [Tisha b'Av] in Jerusalem, a fox was spotted wandering among the rocks. On the solemn day of Tishabav, which commemorates the destruction of the Temple, we recall a story from the Talmud of Makkos. In this tale, a group of Rabbis visited Jerusalem to witness the ruins of the Temple. As they stood on the Temple Mount, they saw a fox emerging from the very place where the Holy of Holies once stood. This sight intensified their sadness, but Rabbi Akiva responded with laughter.
Confused by his reaction, the other Rabbis asked Rabbi Akiva why he was laughing amidst their grief. He explained that their tears were fulfilling two prophecies. Uriah had predicted the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple, which led to the area being inhabited by foxes. On the other hand, Zechariah had prophesied a future where people would return to Jerusalem and live there peacefully.
Rabbi Akiva believed that since Uriah's prophecy had come true (seeing the fox), it meant that Zechariah's prophecy would also come true (people living peacefully in Jerusalem). Therefore, their tears of sorrow were actually bringing hope for a better future. The other Rabbis found comfort in Rabbi Akiva's explanation and thanked him for his wise words.
Source: Sholom Rochela Rodal
8 comments:
Some people are saying it was a jackal and not a fox. I’m
no expert, but to me it looks like a baby fox or a jackal. Also, aren’t these foxes/jackals by the bayis all year round but people are just paying more attention on Tisha B’av?
For those that see clearly that the Geulah is about to happen or want to be more aware and would like to be a part of a supportive Geulah whatsapp group to help us get through these final moments of golus - send your phone numbers including country code to:
moshiachiscomingcsf@gmail.com
I’m honestly exhausted of all the signs. I’m exhausted of yearning every day for something great and not giving up. I’m exhausted by all the weeks and years that have gone by, with both many signs of Moshiach coming and suffering for Klal Yisrael, but still finding ourselves stuck in the depths of golus. AD MOSAI.
I think the key is to run life on several tracks - yes the yearning and hoping is one important part of our avodah, but there is a lot more to do. Chesed, learning, davening, mitzvos. I am sure the gedolim don't yearn any less than us, but they are also happy because they have a lot of focus on all the other areas of avodas Hashem.
Gershon
I am sure Shira is doing all those things (mitzvos, chesed, etc) but not everyone is able to reach happiness in this dark golus. There are people who suffer with terrible illnesses. We don’t know her situation or anyone who yearns for Moshiach but can’t find happiness in this golus. Some people suffer tremendously and we can’t judge why they’re not happy.
-Yitzchok
Yes, it's hard to be happy, but it is also a mitzvah to perform the mitzvah with happiness. That means happiness is something to WORK towards. And I personally find it comforting to know that This World is full of suffering-meaning, okay, I'm suffering, that's normal, let's get on with things. TC
Yitzchak you are 100% right, I am also sure Shira is doing all these good things. Sorry Shira if my message came across as suggesting otherwise.
PG we should all be worthy of the geula soon and until then Hashem should give us all the strength we need to get by in the current phase.
Gershon
I'm not judging anyone who's unhappy. This world is full of suffering, and it is perfectly valid to feel unhappy. I have a hard time with this mitzvah of being happy also. I think what Gershon is saying is true though-Being busy with good things helps one to be happy even while suffering. Also, we can control where our thoughts go. Certain thoughts will lead us to unhappiness, certain thoughts will lead us away from unhappiness. If we know a certain thought will lead us to bad places, we can consciously choose to think other thoughts, or to get busy with something that will replace those thoughts. I'm not saying it's easy. It's something to aspire to. TC
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