The Fast of Tammuz and the Three Weeks of Sorrow


	The Fast of Tammuz


	And the Three Weeks of Sorrow


	calendar


	The fast of the 17th of Tammuz (Shivah Asar B'Tammuz) occurs in June/July and marks the beginning of the "Three Weeks of Sorrow," a 21 day period of national mourning which is completed on Tishah B'Av. The purpose of this fast is to instill a sense of teshuvah (repentance) by recalling specific tragedies that befell the Jewish people on this date.


	The Five Tragedies


	The Mishnah (Tractate Ta'anit 4:3) lists five specific tragedies that are all said to have occured on the 17th of Tammuz:

The tablets upon which the Ten Commandments were written were broken on this day when Moses came down from Sinai and found the Jews worshipping the golden calf.
The Tamid (daily) sacrifice was discontinued on this day shortly before the destruction of the first Bet HaMikdash (Temple) because Jerusalem was under a state of siege by the Babylonians and they were unable to get the necessary animals for the sacrifices.
Jerusalem's city walls were breached by the Romans (under Titus) before the destruction of the second Bet HaMikdash.




	Moses breaks the tablets


	King Manasseh, one of the worst of the Jewish kings, had an idol placed in the Holy Sanctuary of the Temple on this date (2 Kings 21:7). The Torah was burnt on this day by Apustemus, a Greek oppressor who served Antiochus Epiphanes.


	More Recent Tragedies

In addition to the Mishnah's list of tragedies, there are five more recent tragedies that are said to have befallen the Jewish people on Tammuz 17:

In 1239, Pope Gregory IX ordered the confiscation of all manuscripts of the Talmud.
In 1391, more than 4,000 Spanish Jews were killed in Toledo and Jaen, Spain.
In 1559 the Jewish Quarter of Prague was burned and looted.
In 1944, the entire population of the Kovno ghetto was sent to the death camps.
In 1970, Libya ordered the confiscation of all Jewish property.




	The fast of the 17th of Tammuz is observed from the break of dawn until night (a "half-day" fast). Additional prayers (vayechal and anenu) are included in the morning and afternoon prayers. The Mishnah further associates the 17th of Tammuz as the "Fast of the Fourth Month," mentioned by the prophet Zechariah (Zechariah 8:19). When the Mashiach Yeshua returns (may it be speedily in our time), Shivah Asar B'Tammuz will turn into a day full of "gladness and cheerful feasts."

	Fasts Surrounding the Destruction of the Temple


	There are four fast days (tzomot) on the Jewish calendar, based on Zechariah 8:19. Each of these fast days is related to some aspect of the loss of the Jewish Temple. The sages reckoned the months based on Nisan as the first month, and therefore identified the four fasts as follows:

Month	Event	Fast (Tzom)
10	Jerusalem Beseiged	10th of Tevet (Asarah B'Tevet)
4	Walls Breached	17th of Tammuz (Fast of Tammuz)
5	Temple Destroyed	9th of Av (Tishah B'Av)
7	Self-imposed Exile	3rd of Tishri (Tzom Gedaliah)


	The Three Weeks of Sorrow




	On the Jewish calendar, 21 days (running from the 17th of Tammuz through the 9th of Av) are set apart to commemorate the three weeks of tragedy that immediately preceded the destruction of the Holy Temple and the exile of the Jewish people from the Promised Land. In Jewish tradition, these are called yemei bein ha-metzarim (יְמֵי בֵּין הַמְּצָרִים), "the days between the straights," a phrase taken directly from the doleful Book of Lamentations: "Judah has gone into exile ... her pursuers have all overtaken her in the midst of her distresses" (בֵּין הַמְּצָרִים).


	Note that the word "distress" (i.e., metzar: מֵצַר) comes from a root word (i.e., tzarah: צָרָה) that means to "make narrow or restricted" (the Yiddish word "tsuris" comes from this root), whereas the word for "deliverance" or "salvation" (i.e., yeshuah: יְשׁוּעָה) means to "make wide" or "make sufficient." These two ideas can be seen in a verse from the Psalms: "Out of my distress (מִן־הַמֵּצַר) I called on the LORD; the LORD answered me and set me in a wide open place" (Psalm 118:5). Among other things, deliverance (salvation) is always a transition from bondage to freedom...




	During this period of national mourning, the weekly prophetic readings are all "Haftarahs of Rebuke," and teshuvah (repentance) is a theme of most Jewish services. In addition, no joyous events are scheduled during this time. For example, marriages are not held during these weeks, and many Jews deliberately refrain from ostensibly pleasurable activities, such as listening to music, dancing, taking vacations, and sometimes even shaving! In fact, most Orthodox Jews will refrain from any activity that might require the recitation of the Shehecheyanu blessing. In short, the "Three Weeks of Sorrow" (or Distress) is a time for reflection and mourning over the destruction of the Temple that is intended to lead Israel to teshuvah. The First Nine Days of Av When the month of Av begins, more serious reflection is given in preparation of the solemn day of the 9th of Av. Beginning from Rosh Chodesh Av, all luxuries are carefully avoided and many common actions (such as washing clothes, taking baths for pleasure, etc.) are discouraged. Mourning customs are traditionally practiced in anticipation of the great fast day of Tishah B'Av, when the Book of Lamentations (Megillat Eichah) is plaintively recited during the evening service.



	The Three Weeks of Sorrow (culminating in Tishah B'Av) are undoubtedly the saddest and most solemn days of the Jewish calendar, with great emphasis placed on the need for repentance and heartfelt cries for the salvation of the Jewish people.

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