70+ years passed between the destruction of the first Temple and the building of the second one. Zechariah was a prophet living in Israel in the time of the rebuilding of the second Temple.
A group of Jews were sent from Babel to Jerusalem to ask Zechariah a question. “What is to happen with the four fasts commemorating the destruction of the first Temple?” I.e. should we still be fasting now that we are rebuilding the Temple?
After receiving a prophecy from G-d, Zechariah answers them with something very different than what they asked:
“When you fasted and lamented… all these 70 years, did you fast for my benefit?” – Seemingly brushing them off.
The next thing G-d says is “execute true justice; deal loyally and compassionately with one another. Do not defraud the widow, the orphan, the stranger, and the poor; and do not plot evil against one another.” – Where did that come from?
Rabbi Menach Leibtag explains that G-d wasn’t happy with the question the people asked. It shouldn’t have been a matter of whether they had to fast or not, they should have been thinking about the reason they were fasting in the first place. They were too caught up in the details of the tradition while completely missing the meaning behind it.
Why was the Temple destroyed? G-d explains through Zechariah that only through Justice and Truth will the Temple be rebuilt and the city of Jerusalem restored to its full glory. When the Jewish people learn to treat one another kindly and to take care of one-another then they will merit the rebuilding of the Temple, then they will turn the mourning of the 9th of Av to celebration.
It is easy to get caught up in the ‘Whats’ and completely ignore the ‘Whys.” Always be mindful of your actions, and never act on something without thinking about the motivation you have for doing it.
