This year, we will fast and observe the customs of our national day of mourning. We will go through the motions, yet the conclusion is unavoidable: we have forgotten.

Perhaps the rebuilding of Jerusalem begins when we become what Isaiah called repairers of the breach, and every act of education becomes another stone in that rebuilding.

Rabbi Akiva’s smile offers a model for Tisha B’Av, allowing Jews to grieve past destruction while recognizing the beginnings of restoration.