Fast of Shiva Asar B’Tammuz 40 articles

Jewish Holidays

The Fast of Shiva Asar B’Tammuz marks the beginning of the 3 weeks. It is a sad day on the Jewish calendar when, among other events, Moshe came down from Har Sinai and Broke the Luchot after seeing the Jews worship the Egel HaZahav, the Kohanim stopped offering the korban tamid (daily sacrifice) , an idol was placed in the Beit HaMikdash, Apostomos publicly burned the Torah, and the walls of Jerusalem were breached after a long siege.

The Four Fast Days and Sefer Zechariah
The Four Fast Days and Sefer Zechariah
Why do we fast on Tisha B’av?  The primary answer, of course, is to remember the destruction of the Bet HaMikdash and Yerushalayim. Yet, according to the Navi Zechariah, not only...
Oct 3, 2017
By Rabbi Menachem Leibtag
The Broken Tablets’ Eternal Message
The Broken Tablets’ Eternal Message
The Talmud records that the first tragedy that occurred on the 17th of Tammuz was the breaking of the tablets at Mt. Sinai. This event sets the tone for a day...
Jun 29, 2015
By Rabbi Aaron Goldscheider
What Mourning Means: Reflections of Rav Soloveitchik zt”l on Tisha B’Av
What Mourning Means: Reflections of Rav Soloveitchik zt”l on...
Rabbi Koenigsberg is a Rosh Yeshiva at the Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary of Yeshiva University, and the editor of two volumes of the Shiurei HaRav series, an annotated collection of...
Jul 19, 2011
By Rav Joseph B. Soloveitchik
Digest of The Laws of Tisha B’Av and the Three Weeks
Digest of The Laws of Tisha B’Av and the...
HALAKHA GUIDE / הלכות (According to the Ashkenazic practice) Notes in based upon contributions from Rabbi Ari Kahn, whom we thank for his valuable input! Abbreviations A.H. = Arukh HaShulĥan...
Jul 18, 2011
By OU Staff
Getting Married the Night of Shiva Asar B’Tammuz
Getting Married the Night of Shiva Asar B’Tammuz
Fast days, with the exception of Yom Kippur and Tisha B’Av, begin in the morning. Does that mean we can enjoy ourselves the night before? In particular, the Three Weeks, with...
Jul 18, 2011
By Rav Joseph B. Soloveitchik
About the Three Weeks: A Chronology of Destruction
About the Three Weeks: A Chronology of Destruction
The following is a list of the major events leading up to the destruction of the First and Second Temples in Jerusalem. First Temple: 3316 Yehoyakim ben Yoshiyahu becomes King of...
Jul 18, 2011
By OU Staff
Fast of the 17th of Tammuz: Historical Background & Customs
Fast of the 17th of Tammuz: Historical Background &...
The 17th day in the Jewish month of Tammuz, Jews the world over fast and lament to commemorate the many calamities that have befallen our people on this ominous day. The...
Jul 18, 2011
By OU Staff
The Sinai Connection: Parshat Devarim, Shiva Asar B’Tammuz & Tisha B’Av
The Sinai Connection: Parshat Devarim, Shiva Asar B’Tammuz &...
What is the common theme among the 5 events that happened on the 17th of Tammuz? What is the common theme among the 5 events that happened on the Tisha B’Av?
Jul 23, 2009
By Esther Wein
Bayit Sheini Timeline
Bayit Sheini Timeline
3338/423 B.C.E. Destruction of First Temple and beginning of Babylonian Exile 3389/372 B.C.E. Babylon falls to Medes and Persians under Darius the Mede and Cyrus the Great of Persia 3391/370 B.C.E....
Jun 29, 2006
By OU Staff
History and Laws of the Fast of Shiva Asar BeTammuz
History and Laws of the Fast of Shiva Asar...
The 17th day in the Jewish month of Tammuz, Jews the world over fast and lament to commemorate the many calamities that have befallen our people on this ominous day. The...
Jun 26, 2006
By OU Staff

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