Pharaoh vs. Rabbi Akiva

We had an interesting discussion at our Shabbos table recently, and here’s what came out of it:

What was Pharaoh thinking when he threw the Jews out? He probably looked around and realized that the greatest superpower was now in ruins. The crops, the economy, the slave labor—everything was in disarray. Not to mention, all the firstborn males had just died.

After a few days, he realized the Jews weren’t coming back. So, what did he do? He chased them—and chased them—to his death in the Yom Suf.

Pause for a second. Before chasing the Jews, Pharaoh had another option.

What if Pharaoh had gotten up and said:“Wow, this place is in ruins, but I want to rebuild it. My legacy won’t be as the one who led Egypt to destruction, but as the one who rebuilt it.”

He could have gathered his advisors, assigned tasks, and built Egypt 2.0.

But that’s not how Pharaoh thought. He was living in the world of instant gratification—where no one works hard for long-term results.

Fast forward to Lag B’Omer.

Rabbi Akiva lost 12,000 pairs of talmidim—24,000 students. He attended 24,000 funerals. His life’s work had been nurturing and teaching these students to lead the Jewish people for generations. And now… they were gone.

What did Rabbi Akiva do?

He started again. With Rabbi Meir, Rabbi Yehuda, Rabbi Yosei, Rabbi Shimon, and Rabbi Elazar ben Shamua. These are the names we know today. The great Rabbi Akiva said,“I will not give up. I will build again.”