“Five calamitous matters occurred to our forefathers on the seventeenth of Tammuz…the tablets were broken; the daily offering was nullified; the city walls of Jerusalem were breached; the general Apostemos publicly burned a Torah scroll; and Manasseh placed an idol in the Sanctuary…” (Mishna, Ta’anit 4, 6)
Have an easy and significant fast.
And may these days of “Ben Hameitzarim” between the 17th of Tammuz and the 9th of Av be ones of introspection, repentance, and unconditional love.
Remarks following the historic gathering for the worldwide recitation of “Hear, O Israel”
In our difficult hour, we not only turn our eyes upward, but to one another, strengthening one another, embracing one another, sending strength and prayers and hope to those who need them most.