The Jewish response to difficult situations is to cry out to God, engage in reflection and Teshuva, and correct our errors and improve our situation. Examples of difficult situations include current famine, plagues, or wars. The Sages ordained that when a calamity affects the community, it is appropriate to engage in fasting.

רמב"ם תעניות ה

(א) יש שם ימים שכל ישראל מתענין בהם מפני הצרות שאירעו בהם, כדי לעורר הלבבות ולפתוח דרכי התשובה, ויהיה זה זיכרון למעשינו הרעים ומעשה אבותינו שהיה כמעשינו עתה, עד שגרם להם ולנו אותן הצרות. שבזכרון דברים אלו נשוב להיטיב, שנאמר "והתודו את עונם ואת עון אבותם" וכו' (ויקרא כ“ו:מ‘):...ועשירי בטבת, שבו סמך מלך בבל נבוכדנצר הרשע על ירושלים והביאה במצור ובמצוק.

Rambam - Laws of Fast Days - Chapter 5

(1)There are days when the entire Jewish people fast because of the calamities that occurred to them then, to arouse [their] hearts and initiate [them in] the paths of repentance. This will serve as a reminder of our wicked conduct and that of our ancestors, which resembles our present conduct and therefore brought these calamities upon them and upon us. By reminding ourselves of these matters, we will repent and improve [our conduct], as [Leviticus 26:40] states: "And they will confess their sin and the sin of their ancestors.”(2)…The Tenth of Tevet. This is the day Nebuchadnezzar, the wicked, the King of Babylon, camped against Jerusalem and placed the city under siege.

In addition to fasting in response to a current calamity, the Jewish community observes fast days related to tragedies that occurred to the Jewish people in the past. The Rambam explains the objective is to “awaken their hearts and open the pathways of return” (Laws of Fast Days, 5:1). The fast of the 10th of Tevet marks the day Nevuchadnezer began the siege of Jerusalem which ultimately led to the downfall of Jerusalem, the destruction of King Solomon’s Temple, and the Babylonian exile and captivity.

The 9th of Av is observed as a fast day and day of mourning to mark the destruction of the Temple. It also includes other tragedies that occurred on that day. If the siege we commemorate on the 10th of Tevet ultimately led to the destruction of the Temple, why does it warrant a distinct day of fasting ? The Rambam concludes his Laws of Fast Days with the following:

רמב"ם תעניות ה:יט

(יט) כל הצומות האלו עתידים ליבטל לימות המשיח. ולא עוד אלא שהם עתידים להיות ימים טובים וימי ששון ושמחה, שנאמר "כה אמר י"י צבאות צום הרביעי וצום החמישי וצום השביעי וצום העשירי יהיה לבית יהודה לששון ולשמחה ולמועדים טובים, והאמת והשלום אהבו" (זכריה ח':י"ט):

Rambam - Laws of Fast Days - Chapter 5:19

All these [commemorative] fasts will be nullified in the Messianic era and, indeed ultimately, they will be transformed into holidays and days of rejoicing and celebration, as [Zechariah 8:19] states: "Thus declares the Lord of Hosts, 'The fast of the fourth [month], the fast of the fifth [month], the fast of the seventh [month], and the fast of the tenth [month] will be [times of] happiness and celebration and festivals for the House of Judah. And they shall love truth and peace.'

Why is it that these fast days will eventually become days of rejoicing? Wouldn’t it be sufficient to simply drop the days of fasting once they are no longer relevant? Apparently the 10th of Tevet and similar public fast days don’t merely mark a particular small-scale tragedy. It represents a specific missed opportunity. There are details of the event that represent universal lessons, errors of the Jewish people that still need to be corrected. During the second Temple era, another siege of Jerusalem took place by Vespasian. The infighting and strategic failures of the Jewish people at that time were laid bare in the Talmud:

תלמוד בבלי – גיטין נו

שדריה עילוייהו לאספסיינוס קיסר אתא צר עלה תלת שני הוו בה הנהו תלתא עתירי נקדימון בן גוריון ובן כלבא שבוע ובן ציצית הכסת …חד אמר להו אנא זיינא להו בחיטי ושערי וחד אמר להו בדחמרא ובדמלחא ומשחא וחד אמר להו בדציבי …הוה להו למיזן עשרים וחד שתא.

Talmud Bavli - Gittin 56a

The Roman authorities then sent Vespasian Caesar against the Jews. He came and laid siege to Jerusalem for three years. There were at that time in Jerusalem these three wealthy people: Nakdimon ben Guryon, ben Kalba Savua, and ben Tzitzit HaKesat…These three wealthy people offered their assistance. One of them said to the leaders of the city: I will feed the residents with wheat and barley. And one of them said to leaders of the city: I will provide the residents with wine, salt, and oil. And one of them said to the leaders of the city: I will supply the residents with wood …These three wealthy men had between them enough commodities to sustain the besieged for twenty-one years.

During the second siege of Jerusalem, there were enough collective resources and corresponding generosity to sustain the city for 21 years. However, due to infighting and extremism, these important strategic resources were squandered. Clearly, we are reminded of the “the detrimental actions of our forefathers that resemble ours” (Rambam, Laws of Fast Days 5:1). But the question remains, why will this day be a day of rejoicing in the future? The 9th of Av as well will be a holiday in the future, reminiscent of a statement in the Talmud:

תלמוד בבלי – תענית ל:

כל המתאבל על ירושלים זוכה ורואה בשמחתה ושאינו מתאבל על ירושלים אינו רואה בשמחתה

Talmud Bavli - Taanit 30b

Whoever mourns for Jerusalem merits and sees her future joy, and whoever does not mourn for Jerusalem does not see her future joy.

Rav Yitzchak Mirsky discusses the interpretation of this Talmudic statement by the Chatam Sofer and the Torah Temima. They pay careful attention to the precise language of the statement. It does not use the future tense, that one who mourns over Jerusalem will merit and see in the future, but rather uses the present tense, merits and sees. An illustration is quoted from Rav Chaim Volozhin. When the brothers bring to Yaakov their brother Yosef’s bloody tunic, it says “and Yaakov mourned his son for many days, and all his sons and daughters stood up to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted (Bereisheet 37:34-35). Yaakov never accepted the loss of Yosef. He never moved on. For us, when we mourn the loss of Jerusalem, we demonstrate that we have not moved on. We bring to mind not only the tragedies of the past, but also our prophecies, our hopes, and our resolve for the future.

זכריה ח – (ג) כֹּ֚ה אָמַ֣ר יְהֹוָ֔ה שַׁ֚בְתִּי אֶל־צִיּ֔וֹן וְשָׁכַנְתִּ֖י בְּת֣וֹךְ יְרֽוּשָׁלָ֑͏ִם וְנִקְרְאָ֤ה יְרוּשָׁלַ֙͏ִם֙ עִ֣יר הָֽאֱמֶ֔ת וְהַר־יְהֹוָ֥ה צְבָא֖וֹת הַ֥ר הַקֹּֽדֶשׁ׃ (ד) כֹּ֤ה אָמַר֙ יְהֹוָ֣ה צְבָא֔וֹת עֹ֤ד יֵֽשְׁבוּ֙ זְקֵנִ֣ים וּזְקֵנ֔וֹת בִּרְחֹב֖וֹת יְרוּשָׁלָ֑͏ִם וְאִ֧ישׁ מִשְׁעַנְתּ֛וֹ בְּיָד֖וֹ מֵרֹ֥ב יָמִֽים׃ (ה) וּרְחֹב֤וֹת הָעִיר֙ יִמָּ֣לְא֔וּ יְלָדִ֖ים וִֽילָד֑וֹת מְשַׂחֲקִ֖ים בִּרְחֹֽבֹתֶֽיהָ׃

Zecharia 8 - 3)So said the Lord: I will return to Zion, and I will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem; and Jerusalem shall be called the city of truth, and the mount of the Lord of Hosts [shall be called] the holy mountain. 4) So said the Lord of Hosts: Old men and women shall yet sit in the streets of Jerusalem, each man with his staff in his hand because of old age. 5) And the streets of the city shall be filled, with boys and girls playing in its streets.

Only those who participate in mourning Jerusalem see its potential and future redemption. Only those who appreciate the loss of Jerusalem, the city of Truth, will eventually appreciate its restoration. Each of the fast days represent a particular error of the Jewish people, a missed opportunity we can learn from. In the future, in the time of the Moshiach, we will have corrected these errors. We can look back at each of these mistakes, and celebrate that they have been rectified, that we overcame these obstacles and barriers, and built a renewed future.

References

Maimonides, M., Touger, E., Kaplan, B., Abramson, Z., & Silverstein, S. (2007). Mishneh Torah. New York: Moznaim Pub. Retrieved from: https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/682956/jewish/Mishneh-Torah.htm

Rosenberg, A. (1980). A new English translation of the Hebrew Bible text and Rashi, with a commentary digest. New York: Judaica Press. Retrieved from: https://www.chabad.org/library/bible_cdo/

Steinsaltz, A., In Weinreb, T. H., In Schreier, J., & Hotsaat Koren (Jerusalem),. (2017). Koren Talmud Bavli, the Noe edition: Talmud Bavli. Retrieved from: https://shas.alhatorah.org/

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