Rabbi Akiva’s optimism TB Makkot 24 part two

All massekhtot either ends on a positive note or least a neutral note. Massekhet Makkot is no different. Daf TB Makkot ends with the story about Rabbi Akiva’s optimism.

“On another occasion they were ascending to Jerusalem after the destruction of the Temple. When they arrived at Mount Scopus and saw the site of the Temple, they rent their garments in mourning, in keeping with halakhic practice. When they arrived at the Temple Mount, they saw a fox that emerged from the site of the Holy of Holies. They began weeping, and Rabbi Akiva was laughing. They said to him: For what reason are you laughing? Rabbi Akiva said to them: For what reason are you weeping? They said to him: This is the place concerning which it is written: “And the non-priest who approaches shall die” (Numbers 1:51), and now foxes walk in it; and shall we not weep?

“Rabbi Akiva said to them: That is why I am laughing, as it is written, when God revealed the future to the prophet Isaiah: “And I will take to Me faithful witnesses to attest: Uriah the priest, and Zechariah the son of Jeberechiah” (Isaiah 8:2). Now what is the connection between Uriah and Zechariah? He clarifies the difficulty: Uriah prophesied during the First Temple period, and Zechariah prophesied during the Second Temple period, as he was among those who returned to Zion from Babylonia. Rather, the verse established that fulfillment of the prophecy of Zechariah is dependent on fulfillment of the prophecy of Uriah.

“In the prophecy of Uriah it is written: “Therefore, for your sake Zion shall be plowed as a field, and Jerusalem shall become rubble, and the Temple Mount as the high places of a forest” (Micah 3:12), where foxes are found. There is a rabbinic tradition that this was prophesied by Uriah. In the prophecy of Zechariah it is written: “There shall yet be elderly men and elderly women sitting in the streets of Jerusalem” (Zechariah 8:4). Until the prophecy of Uriah with regard to the destruction of the city was fulfilled I was afraid that the prophecy of Zechariah would not be fulfilled, as the two prophecies are linked. Now that the prophecy of Uriah was fulfilled, it is evident that the prophecy of Zechariah remains valid. The Gemara adds: The Sages said to him, employing this formulation: Akiva, you have comforted us; Akiva, you have comforted us.” (Sefaria.org translation)

Today Jerusalem as well as all the other cities in Israel are vibrant communities with the young and the old living, working, and playing together. Zechariah’s prophecy has come true in our lifetime. Even during these difficult times when Israel is at war in Gaza and the hostages still remain in the hands of the enemy, we should take comfort in the fulfillment of Zechariah’s prophecy and say out loud on the 77^th anniversary of the establishment of the state of Israel, “Akiva, you have comforted us; Akiva, you have comforted us.”

Since the third chapter of our massekhet deals with the punishment of lashes, I want to conclude with a classic joke from the album “You don’t have to be Jewish.” Although I’m sure you will enjoy listening to an entire album, go to 16.46 to listen to the sketch “The Convicts.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uil9jjO-EWQ&t=1105s