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The fast of Shiva Asar Be-Tamuz was established to commemorate our enemies' breach of the walls of Jerusalem before they destroyed the Second Temple. The Romans fought for three years to capture Jerusalem but were unable to do so. They prevailed because the Jews were weakened by baseless hatred and infighting. On the seventeenth of Tamuz, the Romans broke through the walls of Jerusalem and entered the city. This turned the tide of battle in their favor, although the fighting continued for another three weeks. On the ninth of Av, the Temple Mount was captured, the Temple set aflame, and the long exile began.
In addition to the breach of the walls, we commemorate four additional tragedies that occurred on Shiva Asar Be-Tamuz: 1) Moses broke the Tablets of the Covenant following the sin of the golden calf (15:22 above), 2) During Temple times, the daily offering ceased, 3) Apostomus burned a Torah scroll, and 4) an idol was placed in the Temple courtyard. These last three events were signs of a spiritual crisis that was ignored, consequently leading to the destruction of the Temple.
