Jewish Traditions: A JPS Guide

Fast Days and Summer Observances

Fast Days and Summer Observances 17th of Tammuz The 17th of Tammuz commemorates the breaching of the walls of Jerusalem by the Romans (70 C.E.), which occurred three weeks before the destruction of the Second Temple on Tisha b’Av. The Jerusalem Talmud maintains that the break in the walls of Jerusalem by the Babylonians that led to the fall of the First Temple (586 B.C.E.) also occurred on this date (JT Taan. 4:8, 68c), although the Babylonian Talmud accepts the citation of Jeremiah (52:6–7) that this event took place on the ninth of the month (Taan. 28b). According to the Mishnah, other catastrophes that occurred on the 17th of Tammuz—the only Jewish observance that begins and ends during the declining moon—include the breaking of the first tablets by Moses in response to the incident of the Golden Calf; the cessation of the daily sacrifices in the First Temple; and the burning of a Torah scroll and the erection of an idol in the Temple by the heathen Apostomos, about whom nothing is known (Taan. 4:6). The minor fast of the 17th of Tammuz lasts just from sunrise to sunset . Only eating and drinking are prohibited; the other deprivations of the major fast days of Yom Kippur and Tisha b’Av are not observed, and work is permitted.1 Zechariah (8:19) prophesied that ultimately the 17th of Tammuz, along with other fast days associated with the destruction of the First Temple in Jerusalem (Tisha b’Av, Tzom Gedalyah, 10th of Tevet), “shall become occasions for joy and gladness, happy festivals for the House of Judah.” 303 304 The JPS Guide to Jewish Traditions The Three Weeks The Three Weeks is a period of mourning that extends from the 17th of Tammuz through the Ninth of Av. Also known in Hebrew as bein hameitzarim (between the straits; i.e., between the two fasts), it commemorates the period leading up to the destruction of the First and Second Temples in Jerusalem. The traditional mourning rites during the Three Weeks include abstention from weddings and other joyous celebrations, instrumental music, and entertainment and the prohibition against the purchase or wearing of new clothing or the eating of new fruit, for which the Shehecheyanu blessing (an expression of joy) must be recited.1 Beginning with the First of Av, the mourning customs become intensified . During this period, known as the Nine Days, eating meat and drinking wine are forbidden, except for Sabbath meals. Also prohibited are cutting hair, shaving, bathing, swimming, washing clothes, or wearing freshly laundered garments. Traditional Jews generally avoid any activities that could bring joy—such as going to a concert or the theater and redecorating a room. On the Sabbaths of the Three Weeks, special haftarot are read from Jeremiah (1:1–2:3, 2:4–3:4) and Isaiah (1:1–27), in which the prophets warn the people that their unfaithfulness to God will lead to the impending punishment of Israel at the hands of its enemy.2 The Sabbath immediately preceding Tisha b’Av is called Shabbat Hazon (Sabbath of the Vision). It takes its name from the opening words of the Haftarah of Admonition, which is filled with such harsh language hurled against the people by the prophet Isaiah that in Yiddish it became known as Schwarz Shabbos (Black Sabbath).3 Tisha b’Av (ba=b<4 hi=D4t<1) Tisha b’Av, the ninth day of the month of Av (July–August), is the saddest day in the Jewish calendar. It is a fast day that marks the anniversary of the destruction of the First Temple by the Babylonians in 586 B.C.E. and the Second Temple by the Romans in 70 C.E. Tisha b’Av eventually became a symbol for all the catastrophes that have befallen the Jewish people throughout its history. According to the Mishnah, Tisha b’Av was the date of several other disasters for the Jewish people (Taan. 4:6): Tisha b’Av 305 • The 10 spies brought back to Moses their negative report about Canaan, condemning the Israelites to spend 40 years wandering in the wilderness until they were permitted to enter the Promised Land. • The Bar Kokhba revolt was finally crushed when Betar, the last stronghold, was captured by the Romans in 135 C.E. • One year later, the Roman emperor Hadrian rebuilt Jerusalem as a city he renamed Aelia Capitolina (from which Jews were barred) and erected a pagan shrine on the site of the destroyed Temple. According to tradition, Tisha b’Av was also the date of the expulsions of the Jews from England (1290) and Spain (1492). The importance of Tisha b’Av as a fast day was emphasized in the Talmud, which observes: “He who eats or drinks on the Ninth of Av must be considered as guilty as one who has eaten on Yom Kippur” (Taan. 30b). The final meal before the fast often consists of hard-boiled eggs and lentils, which are customarily prepared for mourners, and some people used to even put ashes in their food In addition to fasting, Tisha b’Av (known as the Black Fast), like Yom Kippur (which is termed the White Fast), is observed by refraining from wearing leather shoes, anointing with perfume, bathing, and sexual intercourse. If the ninth day falls on the Sabbath, the entire Tisha b’Av observance is moved to the next day, because no mourning is permitted on the Sabbath. From sunset to sunset, the general rule in the Talmud is that a person is obliged to observe all the mourning rites that apply in the case of the death of a next of kin (Taan. 30a). It is the only day when even the study of Torah is forbidden, since this would be a source of joy. All one is permitted to study is the Book of Job and the sections of Jeremiah and the Talmud that relate to destruction, especially of Jerusalem. In synagogue, the congregation sits on the floor, footstools, or low benches (as would private mourners in their homes), reading by the light of candles or dim lights as a symbol of the darkness that has befallen Israel on that day. The curtain covering the ark (parochet) is removed; in some Sephardic synagogues in which the ark normally has no curtain, a black curtain is hung and the Torah scrolls themselves are draped in black mantles. Certain congregations even place the Torah scroll on the floor and strew ashes over it, while those in 306 The JPS Guide to Jewish Traditions attendance recite the words “the crown has fallen from our head” (Lam. 5:16). The megillah of Lamentations (Eikhah) is recited in a haunting melody, with the next-to-last verse repeated by everyone so that the book ends on the hopeful note of “Take us back, O Lord, to Yourself, and let us come back; renew our days as of old” (Lam. 5:21). (This same verse is the final line sung as the ark is closed after the scroll has been returned to it following the Torah reading.) The chanting of Lamentations is followed by the recitation of a series of special piyyutim called kinot, medieval dirges that recount the destruction of the Temple and the sins of the Jewish people. The prayer leader recites the service in a monotonal and melancholy tune. Tallit and tefillin are not worn, since the community is considered to be as mourners, who do not wear them between the time of death of a loved one and the funeral; some sprinkle ashes on their heads as a symbol of mourning. Congregants do not exchange greetings upon entering or leaving the synagogue.1 Work is not forbidden, though traditionally it is minimized as much as possible in accordance with the observation of Rabbi Akiva that “anyone who does work on the Ninth of Av will never see in his work any sign of blessing” (Taan. 30b). There is a tradition that the Messiah will be born on Tisha b’Av, reversing the centuries of travail and suffering that have been the lot of the Jewish people. Like the mystical phoenix rising from the ashes, ultimate redemption will result from the depths of destruction and despair . An expression of this surprisingly hopeful mood as the day progresses is the custom of sweeping the house on the afternoon of Tisha b’Av in case the Messiah should come. For a similar reason, women in some communities don fine clothes and put on perfume. At the afternoon service, tallit and tefillin are worn (both are usually worn during the morning service, with the exception that the tallit is worn on Kol Nidre night), a sign that the mourning practices of Tisha b’Av will end at sundown. The ark curtain and Torah mantles are restored, the Torah is read again, and the full Kaddish is recited (including the line requesting that God accept our pleas [titkabeil]). There is an additional paragraph stressing comfort and looking hopefully to the future redemption .2 After sundown and the breaking of the fast, some go outside for the joyful service of Kiddush Levanah (Sanctification of the Moon; see p. 168).3 Tu b’Av 307 The Sabbath immediately following Tisha b’Av is called Shabbat Nachamu (Sabbath of Comfort). It takes its name from the opening Hebrew word of the haftarah, “Be comforted, [be comforted, My people , says your God]” (Isa. 40:1). This is the first of the seven “haftarot of consolation” (leading up to the observance of Rosh Hashanah), which prophesy the redemption of Israel, its restoration to the land, and the coming of the messianic days of peace and justice.4 Tu b’Av (ba=b<4 V"e) Tu b’Av, the 15th day (full moon) of the month of Av (July–August), is a minor holiday that in Second Temple times celebrated the beginning of the grape harvest in ancient Israel. The term “Tu” derives from the Hebrew alphabetical form for the number “15”: e (9) plus v (6). Although adding y (10) plus h (5) to get hy (15) would be mathematically more logical, this spelling is not used because it is one of the holy names of God.1 According to the Mishnah, on this day (as well as on Yom Kippur) “the daughters of Jerusalem used to dress in white garments [which they borrowed so as not to put to shame anyone who had none] and go out and dance in the vineyards [and young men would follow after them]” (Taan. 4:8; 26b). This may imply that the afternoons of Yom Kippur and the 15th of Av, which follows the mourning fast of the Ninth of Av, are periods of forgiveness. According to one tradition, during the 40th year of their wandering in the wilderness, on Tu b’Av the Israelites were finally forgiven for the sins of the spies. Those from the Exodus generation who had survived received a divine pardon sparing them from death, and thus they were permitted to enter the Promised Land (Taan. 30b).2 The Talmud reports other events that occurred on this date as reasons for this minor holiday (Taan. 30b–31a; BB 121a,b). No longer was an Israelite woman prohibited from marrying a man from a different tribe if she had inherited land from her father in the absence of any male heirs. Originally established in the case of the daughters of Zelophehad (Num. 36:8) to prevent land shifting from the inheritance of one tribe to another, this rule was no longer required once the land had been divided after the conquest of Canaan. Also on this date, the Benjamites were readmitted into the community and were no longer 308 The JPS Guide to Jewish Traditions prohibited from marrying members of the other tribes (because of the incident of the concubine of Gibeah in Judges 21:18). These two events, combined with the talmudic description of young maidens dancing in the vineyards, led to Tu b’Av eventually becoming a day when women could actively search for an eligible husband.3 On Tu b’Av, the Romans finally permitted the burial of the remains of the Jewish soldiers who had fallen three years earlier in the defense of Betar, the last stronghold of Bar Kokhba. This event was considered so momentous for the Jews of that time that it led to the composition of a fourth blessing in the Grace after Meals (ha-tov v’ha-meitiv; “Who is good and does good”), which thanks God both for not permitting these corpses to decay and spread disease and for making the Romans finally allow the Jews to bury them.4 Tu b’Av was the last day that kindling for the Temple altar could be chopped, because thereafter the sun would no longer be hot enough to dry the wood (Taan. 31a). It therefore represented the turning point of the sun’s heat from scorching to bearable—a first hint of the revivifying autumn, just as Tu b’Shevat (exactly six months earlier) was the harbinger of the upcoming spring.5 The prohibition against planting crops during the sabbatical year began on Tu b’Av, a month and a half before the actual beginning of the sabbatical year on the following Rosh Hashanah. In Israel today, the radio airwaves on Tu b’Av are filled with songs of love. After the absence of weddings throughout the Three Weeks, the matrimonial season gets into high gear on Tu b’Av. As a minor festival, Tu b’Av is considered a day of joy, so that the bride and groom are not required to fast on their wedding day. Tzom Gedalyah (hy+l4d_g$ Mox) Tzom Gedalyah (Fast of Gedalyah), which occurs on the day after Rosh Hashanah (Third of Tishrei), commemorates the assassination of the last governor of Judea, who in 586 B.C.E. was named to the post by the conquering Babylonians. The murder of Gedalyah was apparently instigated with the hope of overthrowing Babylonian rule, but instead his death was the final blow to any immediate hope of restoring Jewish sovereignty and independence and led to the further dispersal of the Jewish people.1 Zechariah (8:19) prophesied that ultimately Tzom Gedalyah, along with other fast days associated with the destruction of the First Temple in Jerusalem (17th of Tammuz, Tisha b’Av, and 10th of Tevet), “shall become occasions for joy and gladness, happy festivals for the House of Judah.” 10th of Tevet The 10th of Tevet, which comes shortly after Hanukkah, is a minor fast day marking the beginning of the siege of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar that eventually resulted in the Babylonians destroying the First Temple. Along with Tzom Gedalyah, the 17th of Tammuz, and Tisha b’Av, the 10th of Tevet is one of the four fast days mentioned by the prophet Zechariah (8:19) that commemorate the destruction of the Temples in Jerusalem and the demise of an independent Jewish state in ancient times but that ultimately will be celebrated as “happy festivals for the House of Judah.”1 10th of Tevet 309 ...