The four commemorative fasts associated with the destruction of the Beit HaMikdash follow a historical sequence:
- it was on the Tenth of Tevet that Nebuchadnezzar began the siege of Jerusalem,
- The Seventeenth of Tammuz commemorates the breaching of the city’s walls,
- Tishah BeAv commemorates the destruction of the Beis HaMikdash,
- and the Third of Tishrei, the assassination of Gedaliah ben Achikam when “the flickering sparks of the remnant of Israel were extinguished.”
Since the Tenth of Teves represented the first and the beginning of these national tragedies, it has an added dimension of severity than the subsequent events. For all the other fasts are postponed if they fall on Shabbos. In contrast, were the Tenth of Teves to fall on Shabbat, it would be necessary (according to the Avudraham) to fast on that day…
At the same time, all fast days share a positive dimension: they are days of teshuvah – a generous gift, which allows us to examine our ways, identify those areas where we are losing ground, and return to our own previous state of spiritual purity. Beyond its personal impact, teshuvah carries the unique ability to reshape our future.
From the Rebbe’s explanations:
– The Rambam relates that ultimately all the fast days will be transformed into festivals and days of celebration, implying that their inner message is positive. Indeed, as the Alter Rebbe mentions in Iggeres HaTeshuvah, a fast day is a “day of will (favourable time).”
Teshuvah has the power to end the exile and bring the Redemption, for, as the Rambam states in his “Hilchot Teshuvah” (chapter 7), “Israel will be redeemed only through doing teshuvah”:
“The Torah has promised that ultimately, Israel will turn [to G‑d] in teshuvah,… and immediately, they will be redeemed.”
The fast of the Tenth of Tevet illustrates this constructive theme most distinctly. For although it reflects a tragic event, the beginning of the siege of Jerusalem, nevertheless, at that time, Jerusalem, its walls, and surely, the Beit HaMikdash, remained untouched. The city remained intact and the tragedy could have been reversed.
The hidden intent of the siege was to arouse people to rectify their past and improve their ways. Had that happened, the subsequent destruction would not have occurred.
The fast of the Tenth of Tevet powerfully highlights a positive theme: the transformative nature of teshuvah. It reminds us that teshuvah is far more than a private act of repentance; it is a collective force with the strength to shift the very path of history.
Based on the Rebbe’s talk on Shabbos Parshas Vayechi and the Tenth of Teves, 5752.
The Beit haMikdash illustrations: The Temple Institute, Jerusalem.
