The fast of 17th of Tamuz

Today is the 16th of Tamuz, 5770
Tomorrow Tuesday June 29th is a fast day, Shiva Asar beTamuz. The fast begins at dawn and ends at 8.59 PM.
 
On the 17th of Tamuz there are only two prohibitions: eating and drinking. NO additional limitations apply, such as the prohibition of washing the body, wearing leather shoes, working, driving, etc.
 
Who is exempted from fasting?
Minors: boys under 13 and girls under 12 years old are completely exempted from fasting.
Nursing women: According to the Sephardic Minhag, after giving birth women are exempted from fasting for 24 months, even if they are not actually nursing their baby.
Pregnant women, especially after the first 3 months, are exempted from fasting.
A person who is sick, for example, flu or fever or one who has a chronic disease, for example, diabetes, is exempt from fasting.
Elders should consult with their physicians if the fast will not affect their health. If it will, they are exempted (and in some cases, prohibited) from fasting.
 
All other healthy people should fast and remember the tragedies that fell onto the Jewish people in this period.
 
Our custom is to authorize to wash one’s mouth or brush the teeth in this Taanit, provided one will be very careful to lower his head as to avoid swallowing water unintentionally.
 
Tomorrow, B’H, I’ll explain why we fast on this day.



What do we commemorate on the 10th of Tebet?(2)

8th of Tebet, 5770

This coming Sunday, Dec 27, is Asara beTebet (10th of Tebet) a fast day, which commemorates several tragedies that happened to the Jewish people.
Yesterday we mentioned 1. The translation of the Torah. 2. The death of Ezra haSofer.
The main tragedy that happened in this day was the onset of the siege of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar, the King of Babylonia, and the beginning of the battle that ultimately destroyed Jerusalem and the Bet haMikdash in the year 586 BCE, and sent the Jews into the 70-year Babylonian Exile. The date of the Tenth of Tebet is recorded for us by the prophet Yechezkel, who himself was already in Babylonia as part of the first group of Jews exiled there by Nebuchadnezzar, 11 years earlier than the actual destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem itself.

 

In modern day Israel, the 10th of Tebet has been designated as Yom haKaddish Haklali – the day on which we mourn those whose date or place of death is unknown, including mainly victims of the Shoa .

 

 

In N.Y. the fast starts Sunday at 6:05 AM and ends Sunday at 5:05 PM. Besides the fast, no other restrictions apply.

For more information see: http://www.ou.org/chagim/roshchodesh/tevet/fast.htm

 



What do we commemorate on the 10th of Tebet?(1)

7th of Tebet, 5770

Approximately in the year 300 BCE, on the 8th of TebetKing Ptolemy of Egypt forced 70 Jewish scholars to translate the Hebrew Bible into Greek. The Talmud relates that this project was blessed with a miracle, the 70 scholars were all placed in separate cubicles and yet they all came up with the same translation. Still, the rabbis of the time considered this project negative. The Talmud records that when this translation became public “darkness descended on the world”.
Why? Because the Greek Bible –known as the Septuagint- aided the advance of the agenda of the Hellenist Jews to bring Greek culture into Jewish life and was strategically used by other religions to, eventually, create a new religion. In fact, as the Talmud tells us, the translation of the Bible would allow the nations of the world to claim, “Anu Israel!” “We are the NEW Israel!”

The 9th day of Tebetcommemorates the death of Ezra the Scribe (5thCentury BCE). Ezra led the return of the Jews to Jerusalem from their Babylonian exile. It was under his direction and inspiration, together with the help of the court Jew, Nechemiah, that the Second Temple was built. (adapted from rabbi Berel Wein)
This coming Sunday 12/27 is the 10th of Tebet, a fast day, and these two events are among the tragedies that we commemorate then.

 

More on the impact of the Septuagint: http://www.ou.org/publications/ja/5763/5763winter/THINKING.PDF