When Rabba Gamliel, Rabbi Elazar ben Azariah, Rabbi Yehoshua, and Rabbi Akiva approached the Temple Mount in ruins, they saw a fox emerging from the place of the Holy of Holies. They began crying and Rabbi Akiva laughed.He said to them… surely the prophesy of Zechariah will be fulfilled for he said, “old men and old women will once again sit in the streets of Jerusalem… and the streets of the city will be filled with boys and girls playing in the streets” (Zechariah 8:4)
The other Sages cried for the destruction and their current situation. Rabbi Akiva also saw what they saw, but he also could see what they couldn’t see.
By the very depth of the tragedy, G-d showed how great would be the future.
We pray at night because we are continuing the Divine service of the day and because we know that darkness gives birth to light- and the bleaker the darkness the more brilliant the light. (Maharal,Bais Aharon)
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