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 17th 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 siege, the walls were penetrated — a prelude to the Temple’s destruction.
  • The burning of a Torah scroll: A public act of desecration by the Roman general Apostemos.
  • The placement of an idol in the Holy Sanctuary: Attributed to King Manasseh, a devastating spiritual defilement.

While all of these were severe, the breach of Jerusalem’s walls, which we especially commemorate on this fast day, marked the beginning of the end for the Second Temple and Jewish sovereignty in the land of Israel.

A fast day is not only a time of sadness — it is also a call to action. We refrain from eating and drinking not out of punishment, but to create sacred space for reflection. It is an invitation to pause, to look inward, and to ask: What are the breaches in our own lives or communities? Where have the walls of compassion, understanding, or justice begun to crumble? And how might we begin to repair them?

By engaging with this day, we align ourselves with a tradition that transforms mourning into motivation, and loss into longing for a better future.

Even if you typically fast only on Yom Kippur, I encourage you to consider observing this fast. Doing so connects us not just to our history, but to our shared hope that from these broken places, healing can begin.

May this fast day move us forward on the path of self-examination, renewal, and ultimately, redemption.

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