This Sunday, We Fast to Remember And to Rebuild
This Sunday, we observe Shivah Assar B'Tammuz — the fast of the 17th day of the Hebrew month of Tammuz. While it is one of the minor fast days on the Jewish calendar, its spiritual and historical weight is deeply significant. It begins a three week period of mourning, introspection, and repair in the Jewish calendar, culminating in Tisha B’Av , the 9th of Av, the saddest day of the Jewish year, when we remember the destruction of both the First and Second Temples in Jerusalem. This year, the fast of Shivah Assar B’Tammuz will be observed from 4:26 AM to 8:58 PM. The Mishnah (Ta’anit 4:6) lists five tragic events that occurred on the 17 th of Tammuz: The breaking of the Tablets : Moses shattered the first set of Tablets upon witnessing the sin of the Golden Calf. The cessation of the daily Temple offering ( Tamid ): Due to Roman siege, the sacrificial service was halted. The breach of Jerusalem's walls : In the year 69 CE, after a prolonged Roman...