The Fast of Gedaliah: Did we get the message?

So we just fasted to commemorate the murder of Gedaliah ben Ahikam.  After Eretz Yisrael had been virtually emptied of its Jews following the destruction of the First Temple, Gedaliah was appointed governor over the remnant that remained. Following his murder, those remaining Jews dispersed as well.

We fast in mourning over the exit of the last Jews from our land, even while some may question the propriety of this fast since the establishment of the third Jewish commonwealth in Eretz Yisrael more than seventy years ago.

In any case, the appropriate way of honoring Gedaliah would be to pack our bags and return to our land. Somehow we continue to linger in exile, cynically dismissing the obvious significance of the Fast of Gedaliah, together with the 10th of Tevet, 17th of Tammuz, and Tisha B'Av fasts.  Clearly, these four fasts of destruction are meant to remind us of the supreme value of Eretz Yisrael and of our sacred obligation to dwell in it.


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