Smiling within Tears

A few rabbis were pensively walking through the ruins of Jerusalem contemplating its destruction when all of a sudden, a small fox leapt out from amidst the rubble. Recoiling in horror, the rabbis tore their clothing and wept bitterly, bemoaning the loss of the beloved temple and its current degradation. Astonishingly, Rabbi Akiva, who was with them at the time, laughed joyfully.

“Why do you laugh?” they questioned. “Are you not heartbroken to see the fulfillment of the Prophets’ predictions? See how low our nation fallen!”

“My friends,” replied Rabbi Akiva. “I laugh because just as I see the realization of Jerusalem’s destruction, I rest assured knowing that the many prophesies foretelling our redemption will yet come to pass.”

For three weeks during the Hebrew months of Tammuz and Av, the Jewish nation mourns the loss of both the first and second temples, and many other tragedies throughout history. We mourn the absence of our homeland of old, the divine, open relationship with G-d that we experienced when the holy temples stood, and a unified nation. It is a time of sadness, grief, and diminishment. However, it must be diminishment with joy. We are sad yet we maintain our positive outlook.

When tragedy strikes, it is important to grieve. It shows that the loss affected us profoundly and shook us to our core. The best way to show that we loved and cherished that that is gone, is by honoring and celebrating its contributions. Instead of grief that leads to depression, we need to use sorrow as a catalyst for action. Whilst mourning the temple, we increase in positivity and good deeds, knowing that the redemption is coming.

What is redemption? In Hebrew, the words exile and redemption are spelled exactly the same except redemption has an additional letter; Aleph. In Judaism, the letter Aleph, the first letter in the Hebrew alphabet, represents G-d.  In exile, we are slaves to society and external pressures. Redemption is when those pressures are removed and we are calm knowing that a Higher Being is in charge. By consciously realizing that it is G-d orchestrating everything in the world, we are, in a sense, living in a state of redemption. When we are aware how everything in this world is divinely designed, we free ourselves from the limiting mindset of exile and reveal the Aleph, a state of redemption, within our lives.

The Midrash relates that as the temple went up in flames, the Mashiach, the potential of redemption, was born. Amid anguish and suffering, the seeds of tranquility take root. By using these three weeks of sadness as a springboard for growth, we show G-d that we are ready to leave exile and merit complete redemption.