Today is Tisha B'Av, the 9th day of the month of Av. We commemorate the destruction of both the first and second holy Temples. They stood in Jerusalem, on the Temple Mount. The famous Western Wall is all that remains of these two magnificent structures, and is a place that thousands of Jewish people flock to every year to pray, and place notes on the wall.
There are many customs associated with commemorating this day, to remind us to be in a state of mourning over the exile of the Jewish people, with the main one being to fast from sunset yesterday until nightfall tonight.
An interesting take on the meaning of this day, is that this is the saddest day in the Jewish calendar. But surprisingly, apart from a few other fast days, there are no other designated "sad" days throughout the year of a similar nature. This is because as Jewish people, we must always be looking to the future. True, we have suffered and been persecuted for thousands of years, but we cannot let this be the focal point of our lives.
We therefore dedicate a single day to commemorating the suffering, and live the rest of the year looking forward, focusing on increasing in doing Mitzvahs, and celebrating the rich traditions that Judaism has to offer.
Wishing everyone well over the remainder of the fast. May we merit to the coming of Moshiach - the world in its true and best state - speedily in our times.