Destruction of the Second Mikdash

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1. Multiple Reflections Upon the Fast of Tammuz

   Rabbi Dr. Aharon Adler

   תאריך פרסום: תשע"ג | |

   Turning to the book of Zekharya, we begin with a question posed to the prophet: are the fast days still to be in place after the exile? An ambiguous and lengthy answer ends with the response that they will be transformed into days of joy. Conspicuously absent in the answer is a time frame. To better understand what is going on, we explore what happened on the day commemorated by the “fast of the fourth month.” Excerpts from poetry of Ibn Gabirol, among other sources, contribute to a richer picture of what the fast day is about.

2. Rachel's Death and Burial

   Rabbi Yaakov Medan

   Where was Rachel buried? Why is she the one crying for her children, and why does God answer her prayers? The answers to these questions leads us on a fascinating journey that begins with the Yosef and Binyamin (from the birth of Binyamin and the selling of Yosef through the Concubine on Givah, the destruction of Shiloh, and the exile of the ten tribes), continues with the civil wars throughout the generations (from the selling of Yoself through the murder of Gedalia to the destruction of the Second Temple and the Bar Kokhva Revolt). Rachel's prayer for Binyamin in the merit of her selflessness for him, and her prayer for Yosef and for all of Israel in the merit of her ability to conquer her natural jealousy toward her sister - these prayers have stood by Israel throughout the generations.

3. Midrash Eikha Rabbah

   Part 9

   Dr. Yael Ziegler | 55 minutes

   This shiur is about Eikha Rabba, one of the earliest compilations of midrashim. Chazal read Eikha as speaking to their own situation - the aftermath of the second Churban. Chazal succeed magnificently in transforming Megillat Eikha from a book of mourning into one that provides consolation, hope, and restoration of dignity.

4. The Weeping of Yosef and Binyamin and the Exiles to Come

   Rabbi David Silverberg

5. The Five Fast Days of Tevet

   Rabbi Dr. Aharon Adler

   תאריך פרסום: 5777 | | Hour

   What are the "five fast days of Tevet?" Well, there are at least four possible dates in traditional Jewish sources, as well as a fifth idea. We examine some of them, and explore the different aspects of the Fast of Tevet.

   We begin with an unusual phenomenon in Tanakh: a Halakhic question and answer. The question is posed to the prophet Zechariah: is it proper to cry and fast for the four Fast Days of mourning once the second Beit HaMikdash is being built? Zechariah's answer is not clear, and neither are the dates of the fasts.

   When is the Fast of Tevet meant to be, and what is it really marking? Aside from signifiying another stage of the protracted Destruction of Jerusalem, the Fast of Tevet also marks the time when the Jewish community already in Babylonia heard that Jerusalem was destroyed in the time of the prophet Yehezkel - months after the burning of the Beit HaMikdash! This and other events linked to the Fast of Tevet lead us to identify another dimension what this fast may be mourning: assimilation of the Jewish people.