ייִדישער מחשבֿה אויף דברים 7:12

Talmud Makkot 24, tells the following stories. Once Rabbis Gamliel, Joshua, Eleazar ben Azzaryah and Akiva were travelling together. While still a hundred kilometers from Antipatris, they heard the sound of the multitudes from that city. The first three Rabbis began to weep, whereas Rabbi Akiva began to laugh. When the three Rabbis asked Rabbi Akiva why he was laughing, he asked them the reason they had begun to cry. They said "when the pagans who worship idols live in peace and affluence, and the holy temple of the Lord lies in ruins, should we not cry? Another time, the same four Rabbis were on their way to Jerusalem when they saw a fox darting out of the ruins on the Temple Mount. Again the other Rabbis began to weep, whereas Rabbi Akiva began to laugh. When the Rabbis asked Rabbi Akiva why he was laughing, he responded by asking them why they were crying. They said to him that it says in the Torah that any alien, (non priest) who enters the holy precincts of the temple will be executed, and now this site has become the home of foxes and we should not cry? Rabbi Akiva said to them that this was the very reason he laughed. It is written in Isaiah 8,2 "I will have two reliable witnesses testify for you, Uriah the priest and Zachariah the son of Berechyah." How can these two people be paired as witnesses? The first one lived during the period of the first temple, whereas Zachariah lived during the period of the second temple. What is meant is that the prophecies of Zachariah are just as trustworthy as those of Uriah. Concerning Uriah it is written: "on your account Zion will be ploughed over and Jerusalem will become a heap of rubble" (Michah 3,12) In Zachariah 8,4, it is written "Old people will yet dwell in the streets of Jerusalem." As long as I had not seen the prophecy in Michah fulfilled, I entertained some doubts about the prophecy in Zachariah concerning the rebuilding of Zion. Now that I have seen the first prophecy fulfilled, I am reassured about the validity of the second prophecy also. Upon hearing this, the other Rabbis exclaimed: "Akiva you have comforted us, Akiva you have comforted us!"

Even though gentiles are commanded to observe the seven Noachide laws, one of which is the establishment of a system of social legislation, they are at best to be treated as amateurs when it comes to their fitness to administer Jewish law, even if they are familiar with it. In view of all this, we can understand the verse in Proverbs 21,3, "he who has carried out righteousness and justice is dearer to G-d than a sacrificial offering." A wealthy man once had to go on a journey, and did not want to leave behind his assets for fear that something could happen to them during his absence. He converted all his assets into diamonds, which he carried with him on his journey. When accosted by robbers who wanted to know the value of the diamonds, he disclaimed knowledge of their true value, saying they were merely glass baubles, worth pennies. The robbers decided not to kill the man for the sake of these worthless baubles. Later, when the same traveller displayed his merchandise at a fair in the city, the traveller, of course, demanded the real worth of these diamonds from any prospective purchaser. When the robbers found out, they said to the traveller "why did you tell us that they were practically worthless?" The traveller explained that when he had found himself on the threshold of death, his diamonds did indeed not represent any value to him. Now, however, when he was in different circumstances, these same diamonds had once more become very valuable to him. Thus it is with the reward for the mitzvot performed in this world. Their reward value is very shortlived. But in the world to come, the real worth of the reward will become evident. The ordinary Jew may find himself in circumstances when he feels justified to describe his jewels as mere baubles. David, on the other hand, could state that he had never treated "the judgments" as worth less than their true value. He said that even at times when it seemed pointless and unrewarding, and he found himself in great distress, "I carried out the justice and righteousness." Therefore, G-d tells us not to look upon the judgments as something trifling, not deserving our best efforts.

Rabbi Levy is quoted in Leviticus Rabbah 20 as saying "if the heel of man outshines the sun, will not his face outshine it even more?" This means that if the reward man receives as a result (eykev, heel) of using his free will for constructive purposes elevates him to a status exceeding that of the planets (which are performing G-d’s will in an involuntary manner), this is proof that man himself, i.e. "his face," the seat of his faculties, outranks the planets. An artist who fashions two plates, one for himself, the other for an outsider, will surely take greater pains with the plate he intends for himself. Similarly, G-d. Man who is to serve Him, was fashioned with more care than the sun which is merely to serve man and G-d’s other creatures. Planets do not require intelligence to carry out their functions. The duties of man however, are such that he requires intelligence as well as other faculties to carry them out, something the planets are not equipped with.