Va’eschanan
The Gemara states: Rabban Gamliel, Rabi Eliezer ben Azariah, Rabi Yehoshua and Rabi Akiva were ascending to Yerushalayim. When they reached a distance where they could see Yerushalayim, they ripped their clothes. When they reached the Har HaBayis they saw a fox going out of the Kodesh HaKodashim. Rabban Gamliel, Rabi Eliezer ben Azariah, and Rabi Yehoshua started crying, whereas Rabi Akiva started laughing. They asked Rabi Akiva, “Why are you laughing?” He questioned them, “Why are you crying?” They responded, “Because the Kodesh HaKodashim, the place about which it states, “and a foreigner who will come close shall die” now has foxes going through it which is a terrible disgrace for such a holy place, and we shouldn’t cry?!” Rabi Akiva said, “I laughed because the fox which went through the Kodesh HaKodashim is a sign that there will be a redemption in the future. Uriah prophesized, “Tzion will be a field plowed through,” and another passuk in Navi Zechariah states, “Old men and women will sit in the streets of Yerushalayim.” The Navi Yeshaya puts these two nevi’im (Uriah and Zechariah) together by writing them next to each other. Although Uriah prophesized by the 1st Beis HaMikdash and Zechariah by the 2nd, they were put together to compare one to the other. Just as the fox was seen going through the holy place, so, too, will there be a redemption in the future of old men and women sitting in the streets of Yerushalayim. They told Rabi Akiva, “Rabi Akiva you comforted us, Rabi Akiva you comforted us.”
The meforshim ask: Why is there a double lashon here? Also, in our haftarah it states, “nachamu nachamu ami” with a double lashon, why is this so? The Radak explains that this is to emphasize and strengthen the fact that there will be a nechama and a geulah. The Malbim writes that there are two possibilities of when the geulah can come. It can come early, because of our merits or if we received punishment, or, even if we aren’t zoche it will come in the set time. This is hinted to in the words “בעתה אחישנה, in its time quickly.” If we are zoche, then it’ll come early, if not then it’ll come it its set time.
May we merit for Hashem to bring the geulah shleima speedily in our days!
