Teaching Team
The Fast of Tammuz
Sunday is the Fast of Tammuz, which comes three weeks before the Ninth of Av. This is traditionally associated with the "fast of the fourth month" in Zechariah 8:19 and takes place on the seventeenth of the fourth month. It is said that this day is the anniversary of Moses breaking the first set of tablets at Mount Sinai upon seeing the Golden Calf (Exodus 32:19, b.Ta'anit 28b).
Trouble came upon Jewish communities in Spain and Prague during the Middle Ages on this date. The Fast of Tammuz is also associated with both the destruction of First and Second temples. The walls of Jerusalem during the First Temple period began to be breached around this time as is recorded in the book of Jeremiah (Jeremiah 52:6-7). Most notably, in 70 CE the city walls were again breached in the Second-Temple Period, and the destruction of the entire edifice became apparent.
This day also is observed as a day of mourning for the destruction of the Temple. It begins a three-week period of remembrance and solemnity. This is a fast from both food and drink. Unlike the fast of the Ninth of Av which is an all day affair, this one only lasts from sunup to sundown. As with all the fasts of Zechariah, this fast will also eventually be a day of rejoicing. There is a tradition that on this day Noah released the dove from the ark, and Scripture indeed indicates that it happened around this time (Genesis 8:5-8). Just as this day provided hope for Noah and his family after the great destruction the flood, so may it provide hope for us as we eagerly await the return of the Messiah Yeshua.
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Visitor Feedback:
One of the aspects I appreciate with G-d's cycle of feasts and fasts is the amount of time allotted for serious introspection for the purpose of "house cleaning". Be it Pesach prep, Counting the Omer, the three weeks between the 17th of Tammuz and the 9th of Av (Tisha B'Av),the 30 days of Elul leading up to Rosh Hashannah, or the 10 days leading up to Yom Kippor, G-d has given up ample opportunity for teshuva. Yeshua told us in Matthew:
Mat 24:42 "Therefore be on the alert, for you do not know which day your Lord is coming.
Mat 24:43 "But be sure of this, that if the head of the house had known at what time of the night the thief was coming, he would have been on the alert and would not have allowed his house to be broken into.
Mat 24:44 "For this reason you also must be ready; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour when you do not think {He will.}
David_B | July 22, 2008 6:13 PM
Mat 24:45 "Who then is the faithful and sensible slave whom his master put in charge of his household to give them their food at the proper time?
Mat 24:46 "Blessed is that slave whom his master finds so doing when he comes.
May we all use this time to re-evaluate our lives using His Word as the guide and be quick to fix what needs fixing, doing teshuva. May our Master find us faithful and sensible upon his return.
David_B | July 22, 2008 6:22 PM