The Three Weeks:
This Tuesday, July 23 is the 17th of Tamuz, the fast day which starts the period of national morning called the three weeks culminating in Tisha Baav the ninth day of Av on August 13.
The ninth day of is the saddest day in the Jewish calendar. Commemorates the origin of Jewish tragedy from millennium. The crying that the Jewish people did when they heard the bad report of the spies pertaining to the land of Israel what is the cause for this being A Day of crying for the Jewish people until the redemption of the Messiah. The people cried because they didn’t believe their own worthiness and doubted God’s ability to give them the land of Israel.
The first day of the 17th of Tamuz commemorate five tragedies that happened to Jewish people on that day.
- The first set of tablets that had the 10 Commandments were broken when Moses saw the golden calf.
- At the end of the first temple (Beit Hamikdash) the daily sacrifice was suspended.
- The walls of the city of Jerusalem were breached by Roman soldiers at the end of the second temple.
- Apustumus A Roman leader publicly burned a Torah scroll to agitate and antagonize the Jewish population in Israel.
- An idol was placed in the Beit Hamikdash
Because of the many calamities the befell the Jewish people during these 21 days, our sages established them as a time of mourning and introspection. We therefore minimize our happiness but not having any weddings, live music or dance parties etc. during the three weeks.
The fast day starts at 4:20 AM and ends at 9:01 PM.
-Rabbi Yosef David Aish St. Louis
