The 17th day of the Hebrew month of Tammuz

This Sunday, July 17, 2022, is the observance of Shivah Assar B'Tammuz (17th day of the Hebrew month of Tammuz). It is one of several minor fast days of the Jewish year. This day also marks the beginning of a three-week period leading to the observance of Tisha B'Av, the 9th of Av, the day we remember the destruction of both the First and Second Temples. The 9th of Av is considered to be the saddest day of the Jewish Year.

The Mishnah (Ta’anit 4:6) records five tragic events that happened on seventeenth of Tammuz:

Five calamitous matters occurred to our forefathers on the seventeenth of Tammuz, and five other disasters happened on the Ninth of Av.

On the seventeenth of Tammuz the tablets were broken by Moses when he saw that the Jews had made the golden calf

The daily sacrifice (in the Temple) was nullified by the Roman authorities and was never sacrificed again

The city walls of Jerusalem were breached

The (Roman) general Apostemos publicly burned a Torah scroll

Manasseh placed an idol in the Sanctuary

On Shiva Assar B'Tammuz, we commemorate the third of the events mentioned in the Mishnah. In the year 69 CE, after a lengthy siege, the walls of Jerusalem were breached by the Romans, leading to the destruction of the Second Temple several weeks later.

The fast of Shivah Assar B'Tammuz is observed this Sunday from 4:26 AM until 8:55 PM.

A fast day is not only a sad day, but a day of opportunity. We refrain from food from early morning until nightfall to better reflect on the tragic events that this day recalls and consider the ways we can improve. By fasting, we set ourselves and our communities on a better path for our collective future. Even if you are not in the habit of fasting other than the observance of Yom Kippur, I urge you to consider it this year.

 

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