Shiva Asar B'Tamuz
Why Do We Fast? - Part I
by Rabbi Yehudah Prero
The question we will deal
with is: why do we fast on Shiva Asar B'Tamuz?
The first mention that we find of this fast day appears in Zecharia 8:19,
where the verse mentions "the fast of fourth month...." As the fourth month
counting from Nissan (which is referred to as the first month) is Tamuz, the
fast of the "fourth month" is Shiva Asar B'Tamuz. The Mishna in the tractate
of Ta'anis 4:6 explains that we fast because of the five tragedies that
befell the nation of Israel on this day. The five are: The "Luchos," the
tablets upon which the Ten Commandments were engraved, were broken by Moshe;
The Korban Tamid, the continual daily sacrifice, was discontinued; The wall
around the city of Jerusalem was breached; Apustamus burnt the Torah scroll;
As idolatrous image was placed in the "Haichal," the sanctuary of the Holy
The Gemora (28b) on this Mishna tells us the source of our knowledge that
these things happened on this day. However, in order to fully understand each
of these incidents, we will consult other commentators who fill in some more
1) The breaking of the "Luchos"
The Gemora tells us that we know the Luchos, containing the Ten Commandments,
were broken on this day by means of a simple mathematical calculation.
Although there is disagreement as to when the Ten
Commandments were given to the nation of Israel, all agree that Moshe went up
to Mount Sinai to get the Luchos on the seventh day of the month of Sivan. As
proof of this, the Gemora brings the verse in Sh'mos 24:16 which says that
Moshe "was called (to the mountain) on the seventh day." We also know from a
verse (Sh'mos 24: 18) that Moshe "was on the mountain for 40 days and 40
nights." As Sivan that year was 30 days long, Moshe was on the mountain for 24
days in Sivan, and the first 16 days of the next month, Tamuz. On the
seventeenth day of Tamuz, Moshe descended from the mountain. Seeing what the
nation was doing with the Golden Calf, he broke the "Luchos."
2) The discontinuance of the Tamid
The next tragedy the Gemora discusses is the discontinuation of the Tamid
offering. The Gemora tells us that we know this happened on this day because
we have a tradition from our forefathers that this is so. Rashi explains
that the reason why the sacrifice was no longer brought was because the
government at the time forbade it.
The Tiferes Yisroel, a commentator on the Mishna, gives another possible
explanation. We see from the Gemora in Baba Kama (82b) that there were two
brothers who were members of the Hashmonean family (of Chanukah fame). These
brothers, Aristablus and Hyrkanus, fought each other for the throne of Judea.
Aristoblus laid siege to Jerusalem, where Hyrkanus was headquartered. As
lambs were needed for the daily sacrifice and there were none in Jerusalem,
the inhabitants worked out a deal with the lamb-sellers outside of the city.
Everyday, the Jerusalemites would lower a basket full of gold coins over the
wall. In return, the lamb-sellers would supply a lamb, which was then hoisted
up. One day, an elderly man outside of the wall advised the sellers to supply
a pig instead of a lamb. As the pig was unknowingly being hoisted up, the pig
stuck its claws into the wall, and all of Israel quaked. From this day until
the end of the siege, the daily offering was not brought.
The R"av, also a commentator on the Mishna, gives another explanation. He
explains that the Tamid was discontinued during the period of time when
Jerusalem was under siege prior to the destruction of the Temple. The Tiferes
Yisroel elaborates on this and says that the R"av is referring to the three
year siege of Jerusalem by Nevuchadnezzar, at the time of the destruction of
the first Temple.
3) The Breaching of the wall around Jerusalem
The Gemora then discusses the tragedy of the wall of Jerusalem being
breached, the event which led to the overrunning of Jerusalem by our
oppressors and the eventual destruction of the Temples. The Gemora notes that
there is an inconsistency between our Mishna and the verse in Yirmiya 52:6,
which implies that the wall was breached on the ninth of Tamuz, not the
seventeenth as the Mishna says. The Gemora resolves this inconsistency by
explaining that the verse in Yirmiya is referring to the time of the
first Temple, while our Mishna is referring to the time of the second Temple.
If that is the case, why do we fast only on the 17th of Tamuz, and not on
the ninth as well?
The Talmud Yerushalmi (Jerusalem Talmud) explains that in reality, the breach
of the walls occurred on the 17th during both eras. However, in the time of
the first Temple, because of the stress and upheaval of the time, the people
became confused and miscalculated the days in the calendar. Therefore, they
thought the breach occurred on the ninth. Yirmiyah, when recording the event,
wrote it down according to the erroneous calculation of the people, which was
the prevalent belief as to the date of occurrence. The Tur in Shulchan Aruch
Orech Chayim 549 writes that the breaches did occur on different dates.
However, because having two fasts in such close proximity would be a burden on
the community, only one fast day was established. The fast day was established
on the day the wall was breached at the time of the second Temple because the
tragedy was greater regarding its impact on us: the exile that began at that
time is the exile we currently live in.
4) The Burning of the Torah Scroll by Apustamus
The Gemora tells us that we know this event happened on the seventeenth of
Tamuz as a tradition from our forefathers. The Gemora does not tell us who
Apustamus was, or what the significance of the Torah scroll was. The R"av
writes that Apustamus was a Greek officer at the time of the second Temple.
The Tiferes Yisroel offers two possible explanations as to the significance
of the scroll. One is that this scroll was the one written by Ezra HaSofer,
Ezra the Scribe. The text was the most authoritative, and all other Torah
scrolls that were written were checked against this one for accuracy and
errors. Another understanding is that he burnt every Torah scroll he could
find. No matter the explanation, the intent behind Apostamus' actions remain
the same: to eradicate Torah from the nation of Israel.
5) The Placing of an Idol in the Sanctuary
The Gemora tells us that we know from the verse in Daniel 12:11 that this
event occurred on the 17th of Tamuz, as the verse says that "on the day the
Tamid offering ceased to be brought, an idolatrous image was placed in the
Temple." Although the Gemora here does not mention who placed the idol in
the Temple, the Gemora in the Talmud Yerushalmi mentions that there is debate
as to who did it. Some say that Apustamus placed the idol in the Temple as
well as burning the Torah scroll. Others say it was placed by Menashe, an
evil Jewish king, in the time of the first Temple.
For those who are unfamiliar with the names of some of commentators mentioned
in the post, here are some brief biographical sketches:
Tosfos YomTov - Rabbi Yom Tov Lipman Heller, 1579-1654. Was Chief Rabbi of
Prague and Krakow. His work is a clarification of many complex and difficult
problems that arise in the Mishna, using the Talmud and Codes as a basis.
R"av - Rav Ovadya of Bartenura, 1440-1516. Born in Italy and lived in
Jerusalem from 1488 until death. Wrote what is now a primary commentary to
the Mishna, based on Rashi's.
Rashi - Rabbi Shlomo Yitzchaki, approx. 1040-1105. Lived in France. Wrote
commentary on Talmud and Torah that is the fundamental tool in understanding
the text of both.
Tur (Ba'al HaTurim) - Rabbi Yaacov ben HaRash. approx. 1275-1340. Lived first
in Germany, then Spain. Wrote the Arba'ah Turim, a codification of Halacha
that remains a standard source text for Halacha 'till this day.
Check out all of the posts on The Three Weeks: 17 Tammuz - 9 Av Mourning the Destruction. Head over to
http://www.torah.org/learning/yomtov/ to access the YomTov Page. Then click on the icon for the holiday of your choice.
For questions, comments, and topic requests, please write to Rabbi Yehudah Prero.