Institution of the Fasts
After the First Temple was destroyed, the prophets instituted fasts marking the tragic events surrounding the destruction and the ensuing exile of the Jewish People. This step was taken in order to prompt the nation to grieve
This step was taken in order to prompt the nation to grieve and mourn over the destruction.
and mourn over the destruction and exile. It was intended that, by so doing, people would repent and mend their corrupt ways; for it was the evil ways of the people which brought on all of the difficulties that befell the nation, and which continue to befall us even until today.

On the tenth day of the month of Tevet they instituted a fast because on that day Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, began his siege of Jerusalem. In the month of Tammuz, a fast was instituted because in that month the walls of the city were breached. On the ninth day of the month of Av (Tisha B'Av) a fast was instituted because on that day our holy Temple was destroyed. And on the third day of the month of Tishrei they instituted a fast marking the death of Gedaliah son of Ahikam, the leader of the Jews who remained in Judea after the destruction of the Temple. With his death, the last burning coal of Jewish rule in the Land of Israel was extinguished.

And in this manner the people fasted, for about seventy years, until the building of the Second Temple. At that time the people asked: "Must we continue to observe these fasts?" To which Zechariah the prophet responded: "So said the God of Legions: 'The fourth fast (the fast of Tammuz, the fourth month), and the fifth fast (Tisha B'Av), and the seventh fast (the third of Tishrei), and the tenth fast (the tenth of Tevet) will become for the House of Judah times of joy and happiness and pleasant occasions; therefore love the truth and the peace.'" And so it was that during the period of the Second Temple these days of fasting became days of joy and happiness.

With the destruction of the Second Temple, the original ordinance was reinstated and the people returned to fasting on all four fast days. Yet, the date of one of the fasts changed - the fast which had been instituted in the month of Tammuz, marking the breaching of the walls. In the destruction of the First Temple, the walls were breached on the ninth of Tammuz; and it was on this day that Jews fasted during the seventy years of Babylonian exile. In the destruction of the Second Temple, though, the walls were breached on the seventeenth day of Tammuz, and so it is on this date that we fast until today.

Although the actual institution of the fasts by the prophets was established because of the destruction of the First Temple (and we therefore fast on the tenth of Tevet and on the third of Tishrei), when it came to marking the breaching of the walls, the sages instituted a day of fasting on the seventeenth day of Tammuz, when the walls were breached by the Romans in the time of the Second Temple. This is because the pain of the Second Temple is closer to us than that of the First. This, too, remains in keeping with the words of Zechariah who, as we have mentioned, referred to this fast as the "fourth fast," indicating that the essence of its institution was that it be in the fourth month; that is, Tammuz. Therefore, even when the later sages changed the day of the fast from the ninth to the seventeenth day of Tammuz, they didn't, in so doing, change the institution of the prophets to fast in the fourth month because of the breaching of the walls of the city.

Concerning the fast on the ninth of Av, Tisha B'Av, no change was made, for both the First and Second Temples were destroyed on that day.

The Ninth Day of Av
The sages said in the Mishnah: "Five things befell our ancestors on the ninth of Av: It was decreed that our ancestors would not be permitted to enter the Land, both the first and second Temples were destroyed, Betar was taken, and the City was plowed under."

The first event befell the generation that wandered in the wilderness after leaving Egypt. Moses gave in to the requests of the people and sent twelve spies to search out the land of Canaan. Upon their return, ten of the twelve spies gave an evil report, claiming that they would not be able to conquer Canaan because its inhabitants are mighty and giant. Thus, they weakened the hearts of the people:

"And all of the congregation lifted up its voice and cried; and the people wept that night. And all of the Children of Israel murmured against Moses and Aaron, and the whole congregation said to them: 'If only we had died in the land of Egypt, or if only we had died in the wilderness! And why has God brought us to this land to fall by the sword, leaving our wives and our children as prey? Is it not better for us to return to Egypt?' And they said to one another, 'Let us appoint a leader and let us return to Egypt.'"

And though Joshua and Caleb reprimanded them saying: "The land is exceedingly good. If God is pleased with us, then He will bring us into this land and give it to us, a land which flows with milk and honey. Just don't rebel against the Lord, and don't fear the people of the land, for they are like our bread, their defense is departed from them, and God is with us, fear them not."

Yet the response was: "And the whole congregation said to stone them with stones."

The Sin of the Spies was greater than the Sin of the Golden Calf, for in the Sin of the Golden Calf, the people had not renounced God and Moses completely; they simply strayed to idol worship. The people believed that since Moses had disappeared, God would no longer appear to them in His glory and might, and therefore it was necessary to look for an idol which would serve as a mediator between them and their Creator. It was for this reason that after the Sin of the Golden Calf, God forgave the people.

In the Sin of the Spies, though, the people denied the ability of God to be active in the world and to assist them in conquering the land. In addition, they denied the central mission for which the world was created and for which the Jewish People was chosen - to reveal the Divine Presence in this world, via the Land of Israel. Therefore, the Sin of the Spies was not forgiven and it was decreed that all those who were involved in the transgression would die in the wilderness. Only Joshua the son of Nun and Caleb the son of Yefuneh, who did not take part in the sin, were privileged to enter the Land.

The night on which the people cried and expressed contempt for the land was the night of the ninth of Av. The
The walls of faith were breached. As a result, the walls of Jerusalem were breached.
Holy One Blessed be He said: "You cried for no reason, and so I will establish for you weeping for all generations." In that very same moment it was decreed that the Holy Temple would be destroyed.

During the Sin of the Golden Calf the walls of faith were breached. As a result, the walls of Jerusalem were breached; a rift was set in the honor of the Torah and in the service of the Holy Temple. During the Sin of the Spies the fundamental faith in the mission of the Jewish People - to sanctify God's name in the world - was destroyed. All of the hardships that resulted from this particular sin signify elimination and destruction of our capacity to reveal holiness while firmly settled in the land of Israel.

It was decreed on the ninth of Av that the entire generation would not enter the Land of Israel. Later, since the nation did not manage to mend the Sin of the Spies, that very same transgression caused the destruction of both the First and Second Temples. And because even afterwards we still had not corrected the Sin of the Spies, with the defeat of Bar Kochba the stronghold town of Betar was destroyed and the city of Jerusalem was plowed under. All of these are painful events which prevented the Divine Presence from residing in Jerusalem. Therefore, we mourn and fast on Tisha B'Av.

Send comments or questions for Rabbi Melamed to Yonaton Behar at yonatonb@yahoo.com.