Today is the Fast of Tevet , being the 10th of Tevet . Chazal instituted Asoroh Be ' Teives for four calamities that took place on this date : - - Nebuchadnetzar , king of Bovel , laid siege to Yerushalayim - Those already exiled to Bovel got news of the destruction in Yerushalayim - The Holy Torah was translated into greek two days before , limiting its depth and helping the Hellenists grow - Ezra , the holy sage and prophet and Kohein Gadol passed away just the day before . ( Rabbi Chrysler Luach ) . Talmud Yerushalmi Yoma 1 , teaches that , " Any generation in which the Beis Ha - Mikdash is not rebuilt , is considered as if they had destroyed it . " ( The Book of our Heritage - Eliyahu Kitov ) . While our Beis Ha Mikdash Temple remains unbuilt , so is that generation unworthy for it to stand again . Being unworthy , is just the same as when It was destroyed at the time for not being worthy to have It , and thus , such a generation is like the generation that existed when It was destroyed . Our Gemorrah tells us that when HaShem Allowed the Temple to be destroyed , HaShem Rather Destroyed His House , rather than His People . We are told that the remaining Kohanim , went up onto the roof of the Temple and A Hand Appeared From Heaven and the Kohein handed over three the Keys of the Temple up to It and so , are the Temple Keys , In HaShem's Care . Each of us is responsible for doing our Torah Mitzvos and thus becoming worthy to have our Temple Rebuilt . To Have HaShem In our midst , we need to work very strictly on ourselves and make ourselves worthy , keeping Shabbos And All Of HaShem's Torah And Mitzvos . So today we Fast and remember these calamities and the much Holier Yerushalayim , in times of old . We also remember The Holiness Of our Torah Gift and how we must delve into It's Learning And Keep it Holy and Pure and stay away from other false beliefs , only keeping Faithful To HaShem , The One And Only G-D . We also remember the holiness of dearest Ezra the Scribe and Prophet , to whom , much of our Tefillos that we Daven today is ascribed to him . A Most Holy Tzaddik . So as we Fast today on Asoroh Be ' Teveis , may we plead with HaShem for forgiveness and may all Jews come to The Holy Light Of Torah and may all Jews look deeper into their Holy Traditions and remember our standing at Har Sinai and us all as a Nation , saying , " Na'aseh Ve Nishma " - " We will do and we will listen . " May we all work to and see the Rebuilding of our Holy Beis Ha - Mikdash - Our Holy Temple , Speedily In Our Days , With The Return Of HaShem's Holy Shechinah . Wishing all my fellow Jews , a Meaningful Holy Ta'anis Fast and A Holy Blessed Special Shabbos Kodesh .