“𝑨𝒍𝒍 𝒘𝒉𝒐 𝒎𝒐𝒖𝒓𝒏 [𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒅𝒆𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒖𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒐𝒇] 𝑱𝒆𝒓𝒖𝒔𝒂𝒍𝒆𝒎 𝒘𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒎𝒆𝒓𝒊𝒕 𝒕𝒐 𝒔𝒆𝒆 𝒊𝒕 𝒊𝒏 𝒊𝒕𝒔 𝒋𝒐𝒚.”
Government Press Office 19.07.2021
On one of his travels across Europe, the great French leader, Napoleon Bonaparte led his troops through a small Jewish town. He passed by a synagogue where everyone was sitting on the floor crying and reading little books by the light of small candles.
Napoleon asked his aide, “What is this?” He was told that the Jewish people are mourning the destruction of the Temple (twice). “How long ago was that?” he inquired, “Two thousand years” was the answer.
Napoleon, astonished, was then quoted saying: “𝑨 𝒏𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒄𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒇𝒂𝒔𝒕𝒔 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒓 2,000 𝒚𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒔 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒊𝒓 𝒍𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑻𝒆𝒎𝒑𝒍𝒆 𝒘𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒔𝒖𝒓𝒆𝒍𝒚 𝒃𝒆 𝒓𝒆𝒘𝒂𝒓𝒅𝒆𝒅 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒃𝒐𝒕𝒉 𝒍𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑻𝒆𝒎𝒑𝒍𝒆.”
Tisha B’Av, the 9th day of the Hebrew month of Av, is the saddest day on the Jewish calendar. On this day we fast, deprive ourselves and pray, as we mourn the destruction of the first and second temples, and many other calamities which befell our people throughout history on this date.
Our generation is blessed to live in these times, together in our ancestral homeland, in our own independent state; in our reunified capital Jerusalem.
“𝑨𝒍𝒍 𝒘𝒉𝒐 𝒎𝒐𝒖𝒓𝒏 [𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒅𝒆𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒖𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒐𝒇] 𝑱𝒆𝒓𝒖𝒔𝒂𝒍𝒆𝒎 𝒘𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒎𝒆𝒓𝒊𝒕 𝒕𝒐 𝒔𝒆𝒆 𝒊𝒕 𝒊𝒏 𝒊𝒕𝒔 𝒋𝒐𝒚.” (𝑻𝒂’𝒂𝒏𝒊𝒕 30𝒃)
Pictured below: The menorah on the Arch of Titus in Rome, depicting the destruction of Jerusalem and the exile of the Jewish people. Today, this menorah is the national symbol of the State of Israel.
Amos Ben Gershom🇮🇱 IF YOU LOVE ISRAEL - SHARE NEWSRAEL! 🇮🇱
Did you find this article interesting?