Misplaced Pages

Seventeenth of Tammuz: Difference between revisions

Article snapshot taken from Wikipedia with creative commons attribution-sharealike license. Give it a read and then ask your questions in the chat. We can research this topic together.
Browse history interactively← Previous editContent deleted Content addedVisualWikitext
Revision as of 03:29, 8 July 2012 edit66.87.123.89 (talk)No edit summary← Previous edit Latest revision as of 11:45, 25 October 2024 edit undoMonkbot (talk | contribs)Bots3,695,952 editsm Task 20: replace {lang-??} templates with {langx|??} ‹See Tfd› (Replaced 2);Tag: AWB 
(171 intermediate revisions by 100 users not shown)
Line 1: Line 1:
{{Short description|Jewish fast day}}
⚫ {{Infobox Holiday
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2018}}
⚫ {{Infobox holiday
|holiday_name = Seventeenth of Tammuz |holiday_name = Seventeenth of Tammuz
|official_name = {{lang-he|שבעה עשר בתמוז}} |official_name = {{langx|he|שבעה עשר בתמוז}}
|observedby = ]s in ]
|date = 17th day of ] |date = 17th day of ]
|observances = ], ] |observances = ], ]
|type = Jewish |type = ] and national
|significance = Date when the walls of ] were breached |significance = Date when the walls of ] were breached
|relatedto = The fasts of the ] and ], ] & ] |relatedto = The fasts of the ] and ], ] & ]
| date{{LASTYEAR}} = {{Calendar date/infobox|year=last}}
|date2010 = June 29, dawn to sunset
| date{{CURRENTYEAR}} = {{Calendar date/infobox|year=current}}
|date2011 = July 19, dawn to sunset
| date{{NEXTYEAR}} = {{Calendar date/infobox|year=next}}
Idate2012 = July 8, dawn to sunset
| date{{NEXTYEAR|2}} = {{Calendar date/infobox|year=next2}}
}} }}
]. (c. 1630–1660)]]
⚫ The '''Seventeenth of Tammuz''' ({{lang-he|שבעה עשר בתמוז}}, ''{{lang|he|Shiv'ah Asar b'Tammuz}}'') is a minor ] commemorating the breach of the walls of ] before the destruction of the ].<ref></ref> It falls on the 17th day of the ] of ] and marks the beginning of the ] mourning period leading up to ].<ref></ref>


⚫ The '''Seventeenth of Tammuz''' ({{langx|hbo|{{Script/Hebr|שִׁבְעָה עָשָׂר בְּתַמּוּז}}}}, ]: ''Shiv'á Asár beTammúz'', ] (]): ''Šib̲ʿāʿāśār bəṯammuz'')) is a ] commemorating the breach of the walls of ] before the destruction of the ].<ref name=mishna>{{cite wikisource |title=Mishnah Ta'anit 4:6 |wslink=Translation:Mishnah/Seder Moed/Tractate Taanit/Chapter 4/6}}</ref><ref name="jvl">{{cite web|title=Minor Fasts|url=http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/minor-fasts|website=Jewish Virtual Library|access-date=June 2, 2017}}</ref> It falls on the 17th day of the fourth ] of ] and marks the beginning of ], a mourning period leading up to ].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.torah.org/learning/yomtov/3weeks/ |title=The Three Weeks: Mourning the Destruction |publisher=Torah.org |year=2007 |access-date=July 8, 2012}}</ref>
⚫ The day also commemorates the destruction of the Twin Tablets of the ]. The Seventeenth of Tammuz occurs forty days following the holiday of Shavuot. Moses ascended Mount Sinai and remained up there those forty days. The Children of Israel built the ] on the afternoon of the sixteenth of Tammuz when it seemed that Moses was not coming down when promised. Moses descended the next day (forty days by his count), saw that the Israelites were violating many of the laws he had received, and smashed the tablets.<ref name="ohr">{{cite web|url=http://ohr.edu/yhiy/article.php/991|title=The Giving of the Torah|last=Rubin|first=Rabbi G.|year=2001|work=Shavuot|publisher=Ohr Sameach|accessdate=2009-05-28}}</ref>


The day also traditionally commemorates the destruction of the two tablets of the ] and other historical calamities that befell the Jewish people on the same date.<ref name=mishna />
The day is marked with a fast, which lasts from dawn to dusk. Traditionally observant Jews abstain from eating and drinking.


==Sources== ==History==
] (1850)]]
The fast of Tammuz, according to R. Akiva's interpretation, is the fast mentioned in the Book of Zechariah.<ref>Zechariah 8:19</ref> The verse states: "the fast of the fourth month".<ref></ref> This refers to Tamuz which is the fourth month of the Hebrew calendar. This fast was originally on the ninth of Tamuz. After the Second Temple's destruction, the fast was moved to the seventeenth. According to the ] ('']'' ) five calamities befell the Jewish people on this day:
The fast of Tammuz, according to ]'s interpretation, is the fast mentioned in the ] as "the fast of the fourth " (]). This refers to Tammuz, which is the fourth month of the ].
#] broke the two ] on ];

#The daily ] ceased to be brought;
According to the ],<ref name=mishna /> five calamities befell the Jewish people on this day:
⚫ #The walls of ] were breached (proceeding to the destruction of the ]);
#Moses broke the two tablets of stone on Mount Sinai, when he saw the ];<ref>When Moses descended from the mountain, he saw the letters engraved on the Tablets ascending. Therefore he broke the Tablets (''], ] #26''). Moses made a great rectification. When he saw the letters ascending, he realized that sanctity was returning on high and that Godliness was becoming concealed again. By breaking the Tablets, Moses made sure that people would have to search for Godliness. And if they search, they will find it (''Likutey Halakhot III, p. 33a'')</ref>
#During the ] the daily ] ceased to be brought because no sheep were available;
⚫ #During the ], the city walls were breached, leading to the destruction of the ] on ];
#Prior to ], Roman military leader ] burned a ] scroll; #Prior to ], Roman military leader ] burned a ] scroll;
#An idol was erected in the Temple. #An idol was erected in the Temple.


The ] ('']'' 28b) places the second and fifth tragedies in the ], while dating the third tragedy (breach of Jerusalem) to the ] period. The Babylonian Talmud places the second and fifth tragedies in the ] period.<ref name="taanit">'']'' 28b</ref>


The ] (39.2, 52.6–7) states that the walls of Jerusalem during the First Temple were breached on the 9th of Tammuz.
Jerusalem of the First Temple, on the other hand, was breached on the 9th of Tammuz (cf. ] 39.2, 52.6–7). However, the ] ('']'' IV,5) says that the breach of Jerusalem in the First Temple occurred on the 17th Tammuz as well; the text in Jeremiah 39 is explained by stating that the Biblical record was "distorted", apparently due to the troubled times.<ref>The Roman Titus breached Jerusalem in the Second Temple period (Encyc. Judaica). Accordingly, the ] dates the third tragedy (breach of Jerusalem's walls) to the Second Temple period.<ref name="taanit"/> However, the ] ('']'' IV, 5) states that in both eras the walls were breached on 17th Tammuz, and that the text in Jeremiah 39 is explained by stating that the Biblical record was "distorted", apparently due to the troubled times.<ref>The Roman Titus breached Jerusalem in the Second Temple period (]). Note that the ] commenting on the Babylonian Talmud at '']'' 18b cite the Jerusalem Talmud as arguing with the Babylonian Talmud.</ref>


⚫ The Seventeenth of Tammuz occurs forty days after the ] of ]. ] ascended ] on Shavuot and remained there for forty days. The Children of Israel made the ] on the afternoon of the sixteenth of Tammuz when it seemed that Moses was not coming down when promised. Moses descended the next day (forty days by his count), saw that the ]s were violating many of the laws he had received from God, and smashed the tablets.<ref name="ohr">{{cite web|url=http://ohr.edu/yhiy/article.php/991|title=The Giving of the Torah|last=Rubin|first=Rabbi G.|year=2001|website=Ohr.edu|access-date=May 28, 2009}}</ref>
Note that the ] in ('']'' 18b cite the Jerusalem Talmud as arguing with our (Babylonian) Talmud.</ref>

More recently, the 17th of Tammuz was also the date of several events in U.S. history, including the ] in 5536 (July 4, 1776), the ] in 5623 (July 4, 1863), and the ] in 5623 (July 4, 1863).<ref>{{cite web |url=http://stevemorse.org/jcal/whendid.html |title=Answering "When did?" Calendar Questions in One Step |author=Morse, Stephen P. |accessdate=31 July 2011 }}
</ref>


==Customs== ==Customs==
As a minor fast day, fasting lasts from dawn to shortly after dusk. Although it is ] among ]m to refrain from listening to music, public entertainment, and haircuts on this day, this is only because it is part of ] (see below, ''Bein haMetzarim''); other deprivations applicable to the major fasts (i.e. ] and ]) do not apply. As a minor fast day, fasting lasts from dawn to shortly after dusk. It is ] among ] to refrain from listening to music, public entertainment, and haircuts on fast days, and on this occasion because it is also part of ] (see below, ''Bein haMetzarim'').<ref>{{cite web|url=http://crownheights.info/something-jewish/446126/laws-and-customs-17-tammuz-and-the-3-weeks/|title=Laws and Customs: 17 Tammuz and the 3 Weeks|website=Crownheights.info|date=July 14, 2014 |access-date=July 1, 2018}}</ref> Other deprivations applicable to the major fasts (i.e. ] and Tisha B'Av) do not apply.<ref>Shulchan Aruch OC 550:2.</ref>


If the 17th of Tammuz falls on a Shabbat, the fast is instead observed the next day, the 18th of Tammuz (on Sunday).<ref>{{Cite web|title=Fast of Tammuz {{!}} United Synagogue|url=https://www.theus.org.uk/article/fast-tammuz|access-date=2022-01-12|website=www.theus.org.uk}}</ref> This last occurred in 2022, and will occur again in 2029.
⚫ A ] reading, a special prayer in the ] (]), and (in many congregations) ] are added at the morning ] and afternoon ] services. Ashkenazi congregations also read a ] (from the prophet Isaiah) at Mincha. Congregations also recite during ] a series of ] (special penitential prayers) reflecting the themes of the day.


⚫ A ] reading, a special prayer in the ] (]), and in many, but not all, Ashkenazic communities ] are added at the morning ] and afternoon ] services. Ashkenazi congregations also read a ] (from the ]) at Mincha. Congregations also recite during Shacharit a series of ] (special penitential prayers) reflecting the themes of the day.<ref name="chabad">{{Cite web |url=http://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/479885/jewish/The-17th-of-Tammuz.htm |title=17th of Tammuz: History, Laws and Customs - > |access-date=July 10, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170712143529/http://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/479885/jewish/The-17th-of-Tammuz.htm |archive-date=July 12, 2017 |url-status=dead |df=mdy-all }}</ref>
⚫ ==Cycle of Fasts==

⚫ The 17th of Tammuz is the second of the four fasts commemorating the destruction of the Temple and the Jewish exile. It is preceded seven months by the fast of the ] and arrives three weeks prior to the full-day fast of the ]. The last of the four fasts is the ], which is observed on the third or fourth day of Tishri.
⚫ ==Cycle of fasts==
⚫ The 17th of Tammuz is the second of the four fasts commemorating the destruction of the Temple and the Jewish ]. It is preceded by the fast of the ] and arrives three weeks prior to the full-day fast of the ].<ref name="chabad"/> The cycle is also associated historically with the ], which is observed on the third day of ].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Zechariah 8:19 |url=https://www.sefaria.org/Zechariah.8.19?lang=bi |access-date=2024-08-15 |website=www.sefaria.org}}</ref>


==''Bein haMetzarim''== ==''Bein haMetzarim''==
{{main|The Three Weeks}}
The three weeks beginning with the 17th of Tammuz and ending with the 9th of Av are known as ''Bein haMetzarim'' ("between the straits", i.e. between the days of distress) or ]. Some customs of mourning, which commemorate the destruction of Jerusalem, are observed from the start of the Three Weeks.<ref></ref> The three weeks beginning with the 17th of Tammuz and ending with the Ninth of Av are known as ''Bein haMetzarim'' ("between the straits", i.e. between the days of distress), or The Three Weeks. Some customs of mourning, which commemorate the destruction of Jerusalem, are observed from the start of the Three Weeks.<ref>{{cite web |date=June 19, 2002 |title=17th of Tammuz |url=http://www.aish.com/tishabav/tishabavdefault/17th_of_Tammuz.asp |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180815152135/http://www.aish.com/h/9av/oal/48943446.html |archive-date=August 15, 2018 |access-date=July 1, 2018 |website=Aish.com}}</ref>


The oldest extant reference to these days as ''Bein haMetzarim'' - which is also the first source for a special status of the Three Weeks - is found in Eikhah Rabbati 1.29 (], fourth century CE?). This ] glosses ] 1.3, "All pursuers overtook her between the straits." The oldest extant reference to these days as ''Bein haMetzarim'' – which is also the first source for a special status of The Three Weeks – is found in Eikhah Rabbati 1.29 (], fourth century CE?). This ] glosses ] 1:3, "All pursuers overtook her between the straits."


The "] between the 17th of Tammuz and ]" is cited <ref>'']'', Second Edition, Volume 6. "Fasting and Fast Days". 2007. ].</ref> as a ] period of fasting for the "especially pious". Such fasting is observed from morning to evening, common with other rabbi-decreed fasts. The three weeks of mourning between the 17th of Tammuz and 9th of Av is cited<ref>'']'', Second Edition, Volume 6. "Fasting and Fast Days". 2007. ].</ref> as a ] period of fasting for the "especially pious". Such fasting is observed from morning to evening, common with other rabbi-decreed fasts.


==References== ==References==
{{reflist}} {{Reflist}}



==External links==
⚫ {{Jewish and Israeli holidays}}
*Rabbi ] – ] –


⚫ {{Jewish and Israeli holidays}}{{The Three Weeks}}
<!--Categories-->
⚫ ]
]
⚫ ]


⚫ ]
<!--Other languages-->
⚫ ]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]

Latest revision as of 11:45, 25 October 2024

Jewish fast day

Seventeenth of Tammuz
Official nameHebrew: שבעה עשר בתמוז
TypeJewish religious and national
SignificanceDate when the walls of Jerusalem were breached
ObservancesFasting, prayer
Date17th day of Tammuz
2024 date23 July
2025 date13 July
2026 date2 July
2027 date22 July
Related toThe fasts of the Tenth of Tevet and Tisha B'Av, the Three Weeks & the Nine Days
Nebuchadnezzar's army burns Jerusalem. (c. 1630–1660)

The Seventeenth of Tammuz (Biblical Hebrew: שִׁבְעָה עָשָׂר בְּתַמּוּז‎, Modern: Shiv'á Asár beTammúz, Tiberian (SBL): Šib̲ʿāʿāśār bəṯammuz)) is a Jewish fast day commemorating the breach of the walls of Jerusalem before the destruction of the Second Temple. It falls on the 17th day of the fourth Hebrew month of Tammuz and marks the beginning of The Three Weeks, a mourning period leading up to Tisha B'Av.

The day also traditionally commemorates the destruction of the two tablets of the Ten Commandments and other historical calamities that befell the Jewish people on the same date.

History

"The Siege and Destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans Under the Command of Titus, A.D. 70" by David Roberts (1850)

The fast of Tammuz, according to Rabbi Akiva's interpretation, is the fast mentioned in the Book of Zechariah as "the fast of the fourth " (Zechariah 8:19). This refers to Tammuz, which is the fourth month of the Hebrew calendar.

According to the Mishnah, five calamities befell the Jewish people on this day:

  1. Moses broke the two tablets of stone on Mount Sinai, when he saw the Golden calf;
  2. During the Babylonian siege of Jerusalem the daily tamid offering ceased to be brought because no sheep were available;
  3. During the Roman siege of Jerusalem, the city walls were breached, leading to the destruction of the Second Temple on Tisha B'Av;
  4. Prior to Bar Kokhba's revolt, Roman military leader Apostomus burned a Torah scroll;
  5. An idol was erected in the Temple.

The Babylonian Talmud places the second and fifth tragedies in the First Temple period.

The Book of Jeremiah (39.2, 52.6–7) states that the walls of Jerusalem during the First Temple were breached on the 9th of Tammuz. Accordingly, the Babylonian Talmud dates the third tragedy (breach of Jerusalem's walls) to the Second Temple period. However, the Jerusalem Talmud (Taanit IV, 5) states that in both eras the walls were breached on 17th Tammuz, and that the text in Jeremiah 39 is explained by stating that the Biblical record was "distorted", apparently due to the troubled times.

The Seventeenth of Tammuz occurs forty days after the Jewish holiday of Shavuot. Moses ascended Mount Sinai on Shavuot and remained there for forty days. The Children of Israel made the Golden Calf on the afternoon of the sixteenth of Tammuz when it seemed that Moses was not coming down when promised. Moses descended the next day (forty days by his count), saw that the Israelites were violating many of the laws he had received from God, and smashed the tablets.

Customs

As a minor fast day, fasting lasts from dawn to shortly after dusk. It is customary among Ashkenazi Jews to refrain from listening to music, public entertainment, and haircuts on fast days, and on this occasion because it is also part of The Three Weeks (see below, Bein haMetzarim). Other deprivations applicable to the major fasts (i.e. Yom Kippur and Tisha B'Av) do not apply.

If the 17th of Tammuz falls on a Shabbat, the fast is instead observed the next day, the 18th of Tammuz (on Sunday). This last occurred in 2022, and will occur again in 2029.

A Torah reading, a special prayer in the Amidah (Aneinu), and in many, but not all, Ashkenazic communities Avinu Malkenu are added at the morning Shacharit and afternoon Mincha services. Ashkenazi congregations also read a haftarah (from the Book of Isaiah) at Mincha. Congregations also recite during Shacharit a series of Selichot (special penitential prayers) reflecting the themes of the day.

Cycle of fasts

The 17th of Tammuz is the second of the four fasts commemorating the destruction of the Temple and the Jewish exile in Babylon. It is preceded by the fast of the Tenth of Tevet and arrives three weeks prior to the full-day fast of the Ninth of Av. The cycle is also associated historically with the Fast of Gedalia, which is observed on the third day of Tishrei.

Bein haMetzarim

Main article: The Three Weeks

The three weeks beginning with the 17th of Tammuz and ending with the Ninth of Av are known as Bein haMetzarim ("between the straits", i.e. between the days of distress), or The Three Weeks. Some customs of mourning, which commemorate the destruction of Jerusalem, are observed from the start of the Three Weeks.

The oldest extant reference to these days as Bein haMetzarim – which is also the first source for a special status of The Three Weeks – is found in Eikhah Rabbati 1.29 (Lamentations Rabbah, fourth century CE?). This midrash glosses Lamentations 1:3, "All pursuers overtook her between the straits."

The three weeks of mourning between the 17th of Tammuz and 9th of Av is cited as a rabbinically instituted period of fasting for the "especially pious". Such fasting is observed from morning to evening, common with other rabbi-decreed fasts.

References

  1. ^ "Dates for Tzom Tammuz". Hebcal.com by Danny Sadinoff and Michael J. Radwin (CC-BY-3.0). Retrieved August 26, 2018.
  2. ^ Mishnah Ta'anit 4:6  – via Wikisource.
  3. "Minor Fasts". Jewish Virtual Library. Retrieved June 2, 2017.
  4. "The Three Weeks: Mourning the Destruction". Torah.org. 2007. Retrieved July 8, 2012.
  5. When Moses descended from the mountain, he saw the letters engraved on the Tablets ascending. Therefore he broke the Tablets (Tanchuma, Ki Tissa #26). Moses made a great rectification. When he saw the letters ascending, he realized that sanctity was returning on high and that Godliness was becoming concealed again. By breaking the Tablets, Moses made sure that people would have to search for Godliness. And if they search, they will find it (Likutey Halakhot III, p. 33a)
  6. ^ Taanit 28b
  7. The Roman Titus breached Jerusalem in the Second Temple period (Encyclopedia Judaica). Note that the Tosafot commenting on the Babylonian Talmud at Rosh Hashana 18b cite the Jerusalem Talmud as arguing with the Babylonian Talmud.
  8. Rubin, Rabbi G. (2001). "The Giving of the Torah". Ohr.edu. Retrieved May 28, 2009.
  9. "Laws and Customs: 17 Tammuz and the 3 Weeks". Crownheights.info. July 14, 2014. Retrieved July 1, 2018.
  10. Shulchan Aruch OC 550:2.
  11. "Fast of Tammuz | United Synagogue". www.theus.org.uk. Retrieved January 12, 2022.
  12. ^ "17th of Tammuz: History, Laws and Customs - >". Archived from the original on July 12, 2017. Retrieved July 10, 2017.
  13. "Zechariah 8:19". www.sefaria.org. Retrieved August 15, 2024.
  14. "17th of Tammuz". Aish.com. June 19, 2002. Archived from the original on August 15, 2018. Retrieved July 1, 2018.
  15. Encyclopaedia Judaica, Second Edition, Volume 6. "Fasting and Fast Days". 2007. Keter Publishing House.

External links

Jewish and Israeli holidays and observances
Jewish
holidays and
observances
Shabbat
High Holy Days
Three Pilgrimage
Festivals
Israeli public
holidays
Israeli ethnic
holidays
Hebrew months
The Three Weeks
Periods of observance
Days of obervance
Observances and events
Texts
Historic events
Categories: