From Chabad.org
The Day Jerusalem’s Walls Were Breached
Begins at sundown July 14th
The
fast of the 17th of the Hebrew month of Tammuz, known as Shivah Asar
B’Tammuz, is the start of a three-week mourning period for the
destruction of Jerusalem and the two Holy Temples.
The fast actually commemorates five tragic events that occurred on this date:
The
fast of the 17th of the Hebrew month of Tammuz, known as Shivah Asar
B’Tammuz, is the start of a three-week mourning period for the
destruction of Jerusalem and the two Holy Temples.The fast actually commemorates five tragic events that occurred on this date:
- Moses broke the tablets when he saw the Jewish people worshipping the Golden Calf.
- During the Babylonian siege of Jerusalem, the Jews were forced to cease offering the daily sacrifices due to the lack of sheep.
- Apostomos burned the holy Torah.1
- An idol was placed in the Holy Temple.2
- The walls of Jerusalem were breached by the Romans, in 69 CE, after a lengthy siege. (Three weeks later, after the Jews put up a valiant struggle, the Romans destroyed the second Holy Temple on the 9th of Av.) The Jerusalem Talmud maintains that this is also the date when the Babylonians breached the walls of Jerusalem on their way to destroying the first Temple.
Practically speaking:
- Healthy adults—bar- or bat-mitzvah age and older—abstain from eating or drinking between dawn and nightfall. Click here for exact times in your location.
- Pregnant and nursing women may not have to fast. Someone who is ill should consult with a rabbi. Even those exempt from fasting, such as ill people or children, shouldn’t indulge in delicacies or sweets.
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