If I forget you Jerusalem May I forget my right hand May my
tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth If I ever don't think of
you If I don't raise up Jerusalem above my highest joy - Psalms
137:5,6 The first historic tragedy to occur on Tisha B'Av was
when the Jews in the generation of Moses accepted the Spies'
slanderous report, thereby squandering the chance to fulfill
their destiny in Israel. Upon realizing the gravity of their
mistake, the people sat down to cry (Deut. 1:45). They realized
that the land had been promised, but only their fears prevented
them from going forward. At which point God responds: "Today you
cried for nothing; in the future I'll give you a real reason to
cry." (Talmud - Ta'anit 29a) And we've been crying ever since.
Both tears of sadness and tears of hope. The Western Wall in
Jerusalem is also called the "Wailing Wall," because of all the
Jewish tears Jews have shed there over the centuries. During the
1900-year exile, Jews would travel to Jerusalem at great expense
and danger, just