Minors: children under 13 and girls under 12 are completely exempt from this fast.

Pregnant women are exempt from this fast.

Nursing women, in many Sephardic communities the tradition is that after giving birth, women are exempt from fasting for 24 months, even when they are no longer breastfeeding their baby. In other Sephardic communities, and in most Ashkenazi communities, a woman is excused from fasting for 24 months only if she is still nursing her baby.

A person who feels sick, with symptoms of flu or fever, or a person with a chronic illness, such as diabetes, should not fast.

Elders should consult with their doctors to determine if fasting would affect their health. In which case they are exempt from fasting.

In addition, extreme your caution and try to keep yourself indoors protected from heat. In case of any sign of dehydration, nausea, vomits, very dry mouth, etc. DO NOT HESITATE TO BREAK THE FAST. 

אֶת-הַכֶּ֥בֶשׂ אֶחָ֖ד תַּעֲשֶׂ֣ה בַבֹּ֑קֶר וְאֵת֙ הַכֶּ֣בֶשׂ הַשֵּׁנִ֔י תַּעֲשֶׂ֖ה בֵּ֥ין הָֽעַרְבָּֽיִם

The rabbis mentioned 5 tragic events that happened on the 17th of Tamuz.  One of them was that the daily sacrifice in the Temple was discontinued.

Every day, in the Bet haMiqdash, two sacrifices were offered, one in the morning and one in the afternoon. The daily sacrifice was so important that it was also offered on Shabbat and even on Yom Kippur. This Mitsva was fulfilled uninterruptedly from the time it was commanded to Moshe Rabbenu until the 17th day of Tamuz in the year 586 BCE, that is, for about 700 years.

At the time of the first Bet haMiqdash, the Babylonian army invaded Jerusalem. The walls of the city were destroyed on the 9th day of Tammuz. But the Bet haMiqdash, which was protected by internal walls, continued to operate, and the offering of the daily sacrifice was the best evidence of it. The Gemara says that on the 13th of Tamuz the Cohanim, the priests who were in charge of the public sacrifices, began to run out of animals. The Cohanim tried to bribe the soldiers of the invading army and get the animals at any cost. This worked for four days, until the 17th of Tamuz. That day, for the first time in 700 years, the daily sacrifice was not brought. And the Bet HaMiqdash, though still standing for three more weeks, virtually ceased to function as such.

The Gemara (Yerushalmi Ta’anit Chapter 4) tells us that something similar happened in the days of the second Bet haMiqdash (year 68 of the common era). The Kohanim were trying to acquire animals from the enemy army. Two buckets filled with gold coins were being handed over to them thru the wall. And in return the Romans gave them two Kosher animals for the daily sacrifice. Until one day, the Romans took the gold and in the buckets they placed two pigs, which fortunately jumped out of the bucket before reaching the other side of the wall. This event, however, remained in the memory of the people as a national trauma.

In the famous book “The War of the Jews” (volume 6) author Flavius ​​Josephus writes: “Titus, the Roman general who led the conquest of Jerusalem in the year 68, ordered his army to open a breach in the wall of the city so that its soldiers could access it without difficulties. That day Titus heard that the daily sacrifice had not been offered [for the first time since 516 BCE] and the Jewish people, hearing this sad news was completely demoralized. “

Today, unfortunately, we do not have the Bet haMiqdash. But according to the indication of our prophets, the sacrifices have been replaced by the Tefilot (prayers). The first Tefilla we say in the day is called Shaharit, which comes to replace the morning sacrifice (tamid shel shahar), and the second Tefila of the evening, Minha,  replaces the sacrifice of the afternoon (tamid shel ben Ha’arbayim).

We also recite in the mornings a text from Tehilim, religious poems written by King David, called Shir Shel Yom. Every day of the week we recite a different text. And before the recitation we say: “This was the song that the Leviim were singing in the dukhan. The Levites, who were the assistants of the Cohanim, were in charge, among other things of the music and the songs that were sung in the Bet haMiqdash. These poems of Tehilim were sung by the Leviim, a choir of a minimum of twelve men, in the dukhan, which was a platform with three steps, at the moment that the daily sacrifice was offered, in the morning and in the afternoon.

APOSTOMUS BURNED A SEFER TORA 

A Jewish commando attacked an expedition of Romans who brought weapons and supplies to the invading army. The Roman governor, Komanos, besieged the city of Bet-Horon from where this attack was organized, and ordered that the attackers be seized and brought to him. The Roman soldiers complied with the governor’s orders, but exceeded them. A Roman military man named Apostomus took a Sefer Tora and burned it publicly. This occurred on the 17th of Tammuz. The Yehudim heard this great tragedy –it was the first time this happened but unfortunately, not the last one– and started a great revolt, which was only appeased when the Romans executed the soldier who had committed this aberration.

A BREACH IN THE WALL

The Jews’ rebellion against the Romans did not prosper, and the Romans ended up destroying the Bet haMiqdash in 68 of the common era. The Jews living inside Yerushalayim defended themselves behind the walls, which were originally built in the days of King Solomon. The walls of the second Bet haMiqdash were built by Nehemiah, 5th century BCE. These walls were obviously there to keep the enemies out of the city and were especially strong. The people fought with bravery and ingenuity to defend the city and repel the powerful enemies. But the Romans, the most powerful world superpower at that time, had very advanced military technology. They used catapults to throw very heavy rocks that struck and broke the walls. They also built towers to climb the walls and weaken the Jewish defenses. The enemy soldiers carried in these towers a “battering ram’”, an enormous trunk with an iron ending with the image of a ram’s head, to strike and damage the walls and gates of the city.

On the 17th of Tammuz one of the walls of Yerushalayim –the fortress of Antonia, built by Herod 40 years before, in honor of the Emperor Marcus Antonius– yielded, and the Roman soldiers began to enter the city. This was the beginning of the end of Yerushalayim.

The Jews fought ferociously from within the walls, but they were not united, and were fighting with one another. And as our Sages explained, when this happens (sinat chinam), HaShem is not with us.

Today, Thursday, July 9, 2020, we commemorate the 17 of Tamuz, a day of public fasting, in memory of five tragedies that occurred on that day. Previously we mentioned two of these tragedies (see below) and today we will mention the other three

APOSTOMUS BURNED A SEFER TORAH
A Jewish command attacked an expedition of Romans bringing weapons and supplies to the invading army. The Roman governor, Komanos, besieged the city of Bet Horon, from where the Jewish attack had been organized, and ordered that the attackers be arrested. Roman soldiers complied with the governor’s orders but a Roman officer, named Apostomus, took a Sefer Torah and publicly burned it. This happened on the 17 of Tamuz 17. Upon hearing of this great tragedy –which had never happened before, but unfortunately it happened many times after that– the Jews started a great revolt, which was only placated when they executed the roman officer that committed this aberration.

THE DAILY SACRIFICE WAS CANCELLED
Every day at the Bet haMiqdash two sacrifices were offered, one in the morning and one in the afternoon. The daily sacrifice was so important that it was also offered on Shabbat and even on Yom Kippur. This Mitsva was fulfilled uninterruptedly from the time Moshe Rabbenu until the 17th day of tammuz in 586 BCE, that is, every single day for around 700 years.
When the Babylonian army invaded Jerusalem the city’s walls were destroyed on the 9th day of Tamuz. But the Bet haMiqdash, which was protected by other internal walls, continued to operate, and the daily sacrifice was the best proof of this. The Gemara tells that on the 13th of Tamuz the Cohanim, the priests who were in charge of the public sacrifices, could not find any animals left. Then, they tried to bribe the invading army soldiers and get animals at any cost. This worked for four days, until the 17th of Tamuz. That day, for the first time in 700 years, the daily sacrifice was not offered. And so the Bet haMiqdash, while still standing for three more weeks, virtually ceased to operate as such.

THE WALLS WERE DESTROYED
In the time of the Second Bet haMiqdash the Jews rebelled against the Romans and they recover the control of Jerusalem for a few years, defending the city protected by strong walls. These walls were originally built in the days of King Solomon. The people fought with all their might and ingenuity to survive and repel the powerful enemy and they knew that as long as the walls stood, they could be safe.
The Romans, the most powerful world-power at that time, had very advanced military technology. They used catapults with which they threw very heavy rocks of up to 25 kilograms that impacted and broke the stones of the walls. They also used towers through which the soldiers climbed the walls and attacked the Jewish fighters. The Romans attacked with “ram’s heads”, huge logs with an iron ram’s head to knock down the city walls and gates.

On the 17th day of Tamuz one of the walls of Yerushalayim, the fortress of Antonia, built by Herod 40 years ago in honor of the emperor Marc Antony, collapsed, and a breach was opened through which Roman soldiers began to enter the city. This was the beginning of the end of the city of Yerushalayim.

The Jews fought valiantly from within the walls, but as our Sages explained, they were not united but separate. Our strength and survival depends on HaShem, and He is with us when we are united. This does not mean that all the Jews of the world should think alike (that is impossible!) but it does mean that we should make our maximum effort to accept and tolerate each other and feeling not only part of the same people but part of the same family .