Remembrance breeds deliverance, while forgetfulness feeds oblivion.
1. According to a legend, one night, Napoleon heard lamentations emanating from a synagogue in Paris. When told that the wailing commemorated the 586 BCE destruction of the First Jewish Temple in Jerusalem (on the 9th Day of Av), he proclaimed: “People who solemnize ancient history are destined for a glorious future!”
2. The verb “to remember” (זכור) appears almost 200 times in the Old Testament, including the Ten Commandments. Judaism obligates parents to transfer the lessons of tradition/memories to their offspring.
3. Some of the most calamitous events in Jewish history occurred on the 9th Day of Av and are commemorated annually, in order to minimize future calamities, by avoiding past errors, such as social and ideological polarization which could lead to civil war and self-destruction.