By Mord Maman
Just over a week following Chanukah, and a celebration of the rededication of the temple, Jewish people around the world spend the tenth day of Tevet marking some of the darker days of our history.
Primarily it recalls the seige on Jerusalem laid on by Nebuchadnezzar and his army. This would culminate with the walls of Jerusalem being breached thirty months later on the 17th of Tammuz and ultimately the destruction of the First Temple and the end of the First Commonwealth as the Jews were exiled to Babylon.
The Tenth of Tevet is also a day commemorating other woeful events t have befallen the Jewish people around this time of year.
The Talmud relates that King Ptolemy ordered 72 Jewish people into 72 spearate locations and ordered them to translate the Torah. Miraculously each translation was identical but nevertheless this event has been marked as a tragedy ever since. Ultimately the Torah, the connection between God and his people, when it was translated became diluted. In its translated form it is not a true representation of holiness and spirituality, and is a symbol of a degradation of the relationship between God and ourselves.
The ninth of Tevet is the anniversary of the death of Ezra the Scribe, one of the leaders of the Jewish people at the beginning of the Second Commonwealth. He oversaw the rebuilding of the Temple and a return of many Jews to observance. He was a leader of the Jewish people whose legacy lasts until today.
The Tenth of Tevetp predominanlty marks events that signify a deterioration of the state of the Jewish people. The seige makred the beginning of the end of the Temple and independence. The translation of the Torah into Greek was an initial crack in our intimate relationship with the written word of God. The death of Ezra can be seen as a deterioration of our leadership.
As always as fast means we don't eat, however the fast is not about the fact we are not eating. If we spend the day counting down the hours until we can tuck into some food we miss the point. Perhaps we should focus on the how we can stop the decline in our relationships with God, the Torah and our leaders? Just as the darkest nights of winter are approaching and we can look forward to the equinox and the brightening of our day, may the Tenth of Tevet, this Tenth of Tevet see Jewish fortune and destiny brighten for us all.
