Rabbi Becher was live in the Old City of Jerusalem on the Fast of the Tenth of Tevet - a fast that commemorates the siege of Jerusalem - and wonders why we have a fast to commemorate a siege? View this video directly on Vimeo.
Read MoreThe fast day of the 10th of Tevet is approaching, so before I discuss its history, just a brief introduction to the idea of fasting in general. Six days a year we are forbidden to eat or drink. About eighty days of the year we are commanded to feast — a 13 to 1 ratio of feasting to fasting. Rather than being ascetic, Judaism clearly rejoices in life and seeks ...
Read MoreThe Babylonian empire first laid siege to Jerusalem on the Tenth of Tevet, in about the 5th Century BCE, cutting it off from the outside world. This not only laid the groundwork for the destruction of the Temple but also caused horrific suffering for the besieged population of Jerusalem, thousands of whom died from starvation and disease. This tragedy, in and of itself would be sufficient reason to mourn and ...
Read MoreJews fast on the 10th of Tevet to commemorate the siege on Jerusalem immediately before the destruction of the first Temple. Rabbi Becher explains that this siege exists even today, whether it is the distortions by the media, condemnation by the United Nations, or the claims by Moslems that Jerusalem was never a Jewish city. View this video directly on Vimeo.
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The Jewish calendar includes six days of fasting. Four of these days are linked to the destruction of the Temples and the exile of the Jewish people. These will be the focus of the following chapter. The other two, the Day of Atonement, Yom Kippur, and the Fast of Esther, Ta’anit Esther, will be considered along with the holidays to which they are closely related: Yom Kippur with the High ...
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