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Written by WUJS Main
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Monday, 29 May 2006 |
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Tammuz
What is Tammuz?
Tammuz is the tenth month in the Jewish calendar. It falls in the middle of the summer, after the harvest in Israel and the celebration of Shavuot (the festival commemorating the giving of the Torah). Tammuz does not contain any festivals. The month, however, is marked with a minor fast day. It is also when Moses returned to the B'nei Yisrael and witnessed the worshipping of the Golden Calf. What is the Seventeenth of Tammuz?
The 17th of Tammuz is one of the four fast days on which we remember the destruction of Jerusalem and of the two Temples. The fast commemorates the destruction of the walls of Jerusalem after a long siege in the year 70 CE. As soon as the walls were breached, the Romans, under the leadership of Titus began destroying the Second Temple and the city. Their conquest was complete three weeks later, in the month of Av. What are the "three weeks"?
The "three weeks" or the period known as "bein ha metzarim" (between the straits), is the name given to the mourning period that begins on the 17th of Tammuz and ends three weeks later on the Ninth of Av. Tradition designates this period as a time for Jews to reflect upon the traumatic events that took place throughout Jewish history. They do so by not celebrating joyous occasions during this time, by not going on extended trips or holding marriages. Observant Jews also refrain from saying shehechiyanu, the blessing made on acquiring or doing something that is seasonally new, for example wearing new clothes or eating new fruit. Back to Index of Jewish Months Also on the WUJS site:
17th Tammuz
Rosh Chodesh Ceremony - Tammuz
Suggested Activities for Tammuz Origins of Rosh Chodesh and Jewish Lesbianism
Jewish Activities on various topics.
Jewish Festivals: Historical, traditional, and contemporary sources.
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Last Updated ( Thursday, 19 October 2006 )
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