Rabbi Akiba laughed when everyone else wept — and his laughter changed the course of Jewish faith.
The first time was in Rome. Rabbi Akiba and his colleagues walked through the streets of the imperial capital and witnessed the full spectacle of Roman power — armies, temples, wealth beyond imagining. The other sages wept: "If those who transgress God's will enjoy such magnificence, how much more would those who obey Him!" But Rabbi Akiba laughed: "If God gives this much to those who anger Him, imagine what He stores for those who love Him!"
The second time was in Jerusalem, amidst the ruins of the Temple. The sages climbed the Temple Mount and saw a fox running across the spot where the Holy of Holies had stood — the most sacred place on earth, now home to wild animals. The sages tore their garments and wept.
Rabbi Akiba laughed.
"Why do you laugh?" they demanded, tears on their cheeks. He answered: "The prophet Uriah prophesied that 'Zion shall be plowed as a field' (Micah 3:12). The prophet Zechariah prophesied that 'old men and women shall yet sit in the streets of Jerusalem' (Zechariah 8:4). Until I saw Uriah's prophecy of destruction fulfilled with my own eyes, I feared Zechariah's prophecy of restoration might not come true either. Now that destruction has come exactly as promised, I know with absolute certainty that restoration will come as well."
His companions said: "Akiba, you have comforted us. Akiba, you have comforted us." His laughter was the deepest faith — the certainty that the same God who keeps His promises of punishment will keep His promises of redemption.