Comfort: Seeing Beyond the Ruins

Rabbi Akiva famously comforts his colleagues by teaching them to see beyond the devastation of the present moment. But he is not alone. Rabbi Yohanan ben Zakkai and Nachum Ish Gamzu each articulate distinct models of consolation, resilience, and faith. What enables rabbinic comfort in the face of destruction? What kinds of hope do these texts permit – and demand?