1,388. The Four Fasts

Hilchos Taaniyos 5:3

Five tragedies occurred on 9 Av: (i) it was decreed that the Jews in the wilderness would not enter Israel; (ii-iii) both the first and the second Temples were destroyed; (iv) the city of Beitar was captured. This city was inhabited by many thousands of Jews. Their ruler was considered by both the people and the Sages to potentially be the Moshiach. The city fell to the Romans and the inhabitants were all killed, a national disaster comparable to the Temple’s destruction; (v) Turnus Rufus plowed the site of the Temple and its environs, fulfilling the prophecy of Micah 3:12 that “Zion (referring to the Temple Mount) will be plowed like a field.”

Hilchos Taaniyos 5:4

Four fasts are mentioned explicitly in the book of Zechariah (8:19): “The fast of the fourth month” refers to 17 Tammuz, which is in the fourth month; “the fast of the fifth month” refers to Tisha b’Av, which is in the fifth month; “the fast of the seventh month” refers to the 3 Tishrei (Tzom Gedaliah), which is in the seventh month; “the fast of the tenth month” refers to the 10 Teves, which is in the tenth month.