|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
Today, we commemorate the fast of the 10th of Tevet in memory of the first national disaster in our history—the Babylonian siege of Jerusalem, ultimately leading to our national and spiritual destruction, the mass murder of the people of Israel, and the exile from our land. Even then, the Jewish nation had to summon immense strength. Despite the tears and mourning by the rivers of Babylon, we remembered Zion, the source of our inspiration and vitality. We did not cease to dream and hope, and after 70 years, we rose from the ruins.
Now, nearly 2,000 years later, we mourn tragedy again, count the casualties, but we continue to prevail. With the strength and willpower of the Jewish people, we will keep building our future. This time as well, we will get stronger, deepen our roots, unite in our national identity, and together, we will create better days.
“Transform the fast of the fifth month into wellbeing, and the fast of the fourth and the fast of the tenth into occasions of joy and happiness.”
(From the prayers for the fast of the tenth of Tevet)
