Now start the sad episodes, such that even though the Torah brings joy, one is forbidden to study it during the day of Tisha B'Av; the next two pages are permitted.
At the time of destruction, the Roman law was that anyone who could kill a Jew should do so – or else he would be killed. Later, he was fined four zuz. Yet later, he would be killed. During the first of these periods, there were no oppressors in Israel – they were completely free to rob Jewish land, and there was no law for them. When law and order were restored, if a Jew wanted to buy land his land back from an oppressor, he had the first right to do so. If someone else wanted to redeem this land, he had to pay a quarter to the original owner and then redeem it from the oppressor.
But how did the destruction happen? One rich person in Jerusalem was having a feast, and he invited his friend, Kamtza. By mistake, the servant invited his worst enemy, Bar Kamtza. Bar Kamtza came but was requested to leave. He pleaded to stay and offered to pay, even for the whole feast – to preserve his dignity – but it did not help. He figured out that they were all to blame since the Sages were there and nobody stood up for him. He then incited the Roman ruler to destroy Jerusalem.
The dispatched general used divination and saw, by bird's flight and by arrow's flight, that Jerusalem would indeed fall. He then asked a child what he was learning, and the child said, "I will take revenge on Edom." The general understood that God wanted to destroy Jerusalem but that he would later take revenge on him, so he ran away, converted, and Rabbi Meir was one of his descendants. Then came Titus and destroyed the Temple.
Art: Destruction of the Temple of Jerusalem by Francesco Hayez
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