Candlelighters
a place for women who cherish the TorahArchive for public fast days
Foodlessness
by eshetkayil
Yesterday, the 17th of Tammuz, was a public fast day. It’s not commanded in the Bible – it’s purely traditional. It commemorates five sad things that historically and traditionally happened that day:
- Moses broke the first set of Ten Commandments tablets at Mount Sinai, in response to the sin of the golden calf.
- The daily offerings at the First Temple were suspended during the siege of Jerusalem, when the priests could not obtain any animals.
- The walls of Jerusalem were breached, heralding the destruction of the Second Temple three weeks later (on Tisha B’Av).
- Apostamos, a Roman General, burned a Torah scroll, setting a precedent for the burning of Jewish books for centuries.
- An idolatrous image was placed in the sanctuary of the Temple.