B"H
Thursday, Tammuz 17, 5783 (Hakhel Year) / July 6, 2023
Today (Thursday), the 17th of Tammuz, known as Shiva Asar B'Tammuz, is a fast day decreed by the sages, in association with the destruction of the Holy Temples in Jerusalem.
Q. Why do we commemorate tragic events through fasting?
A. Our sages explain that the Temples were destroyed as a result of the sins of the people. The way to correct them is through repentance and bettering our ways. Fasting is a way to bring a person to humility and thus get the people to repent and fix their ways. Thus, say our sages that the fasting is not the end result. It is a means to get us to properly repent.
Q. What happened on the 17th of Tammuz?
A. Five tragic events occurred on this day in the course of Jewish history:
1) The First Tablets were broken on the 17th of Tammuz, in the Hebrew year 2448. After spending 40 days on Mount Sinai, Moshe descended from the mountain with The Two Tablets. Upon seeing the people worshipping the Golden Calf, Moshe broke the Tablets on which the Ten Commandments were engraved. Worshipping the Golden Calf was one of the greatest sins performed by the Jewish people.
2) The two mandatory daily sacrifices were stopped. Two sacrifices, called, “Korban Tamid,” were brought upon the altar in the Temple each day, as we read in this week’s Parsha, Pinchas. One was offered in the morning and one in the evening. The morning sacrifice was the first offering of the day and the evening one was the last sacrifice of the day. This went on for hundreds of years. When the city of Jerusalem was under siege it became difficult to obtain animals for sacrifices. It was on the 17th of Tammuz that the Tamid sacrifice was stopped.
3) The walls of Jerusalem were breached. On this day, the Romans succeeded in breaching the walls of the Holy city of Jerusalem, which eventually led to the fall of the city.
4) A Torah was burnt. Apustmus, captain of the Roman occupation forces, publicly burned the Torah Scroll on the 17th of Tammuz.
5) An idol was placed in the Beth Hamikdash (Holy Temple) on this day. Idol worshipping is the gravest sin in Judaism. For all of the above, the 17th day of Tammuz was decreed a fast day.
The 17th of Tammuz begins the "Three Week" period called, "Bein Hamtzarim" ("between the straits"), which ends with Tisha B’Av (9th of Av), the day in which both Holy Temples were destroyed.
Weddings are not performed during these three weeks, as we remember and mourn the destruction of the Holy Temples in Jerusalem. May we merit the coming of Moshiach and the rebuilding of the Holy Temple very soon! May we merit everlasting peace for Israel, in Israel and everywhere. Amen!
HAVE A VERY GOOD, HAPPY, HEALTHY AND SUCCESSFUL DAY