מלכים ב, פרק כ״ה, פסוק ח׳

The fall of Jerusalem marks a fateful turning point in the history of the Israelites, as the Babylonian army finally pushes into the city to begin the destruction of the Temple. Although the city walls were breached nearly a month earlier, on the ninth of Tammuz, the invading forces only entered the city on the seventh of Av. This delay occurred because the Jewish fighters bravely held the line for an entire month, fighting off the enemy until severe starvation completely weakened them [אברבנאל]. Arriving with the invading army was Nebuzaradan, the high-ranking official appointed by the king of Babylon to oversee executions [מצודת דוד, ביאור שטיינזלץ].

The timeline of the invasion spans several days, reflecting the gradual process of the destruction. The enemy entered the sanctuary on the seventh day of the fifth month, Av. For three days, specifically the seventh, eighth, and ninth, the foreign soldiers remained inside the Temple, eating, drinking, and vandalizing the sacred space as they pleased [רד״ק, אברבנאל, חומת אנך]. It was only on the ninth day, near nightfall, that they finally set the building on fire, and the flames continued to burn throughout the entire tenth day. Therefore, the seventh of Av represents the initial entry and the start of the ruin, while the tenth marks the end of the burning [רלב״ג, מלבי״ם]. Even though the bulk of the fire took place on the tenth, the fast day was established on the ninth because the onset of the tragedy is considered its most critical moment [אברבנאל].

The tenth day carries a complex spiritual significance, intertwining tragedy with a measure of comfort. As the fire consumed the physical structure, God poured out His anger on mere wood and stones, choosing to destroy the building rather than completely wiping out the people of Israel [חומת אנך].

The timing of these events also aligns with the reign of King Nebuchadnezzar. While some records place the invasion in his nineteenth year, other accounts mention his eighteenth. The primary approach among commentators is that these numbers reflect the same timeline from different perspectives: it was the nineteenth year since he first took power, but the eighteenth year since he conquered Jehoiakim, the king of Judah [מצודת דוד, רד״ק, אברבנאל]. An alternative perspective suggests that the destruction occurred exactly on the boundary between the end of his eighteenth year and the beginning of his nineteenth [רד״ק, אברבנאל].