Community Magazine December 2013

16 COMMUNITY MAGAZINE In fact, our tradition teaches that theoretically, if Asarah Be’Tevet falls on Shabbat, we would still fast. Practically, the way the calendar is structured this could never happen. But in principle, Asarah Be’Tevet shares this unique property with Yom Kippur; they are the only two fasts that override the requirement to feast on Shabbat! What do we commemorate through the Asarah Be’Tevet fast, and why is it so significant? The events of this day are briefly described by the prophet Yehezkel (24:2), who says that on the 10 th of Tevet, “ samach melech Bavel el Yerushalayim – the Babylonian emperor laid siege to Jerusalem.” On this day, the Babylonian emperor Nevuchadnetzar surrounded the wall of Jerusalem with his large, fierce army, effectively beginning the process that resulted in the destruction of the First Temple in 586 BCE. In short, the fall of the Bet Hamikdash and the Babylonian exile began on this day. Supp�ting and Breaking �e Wa� But the prophet’s curious terminology did not escape the keen, discerning eyes of our commentators. The word “ samach ” in this context means “besiege,” but it is more commonly used to mean “support.” It could hardly be coincidental that the prophet chose this particular term in referring to the Babylonian siege of Jerusalem, but the question begs itself, how could the context of this verse possibly accommodate the meaning of “support”? Nevuchadnetzar came to destroy the wall of the Jerusalem (and the city itself), certainly not to support it! The answer is that whenever calamity befell the Jewish people, it was a moment of squandered potential. If tragedy strikes, it means that there was an opportunity for spiritual greatness, an especially propitious time for elevation and achievement, but the opportunity was wasted, resulting in tragedy. For example, several generations before Nevuchadnetzar’s assault, the Assyrian Empire, led by Sanheriv, besieged Jerusalem with 180,000 soldiers. The Jews in the city, under the leadership of King Hizkiyahu, stood firm in their belief in Gd, and the city was miraculously spared. They achieved such great spiritual heights at the time that Gd nearly proclaimed Hizkiyahu the Mashiah and brought the Messianic Era. In the time of Nevuchadnetzar’s siege, too, the Jews had the unique opportunity to achieve greatness, but they failed to seize it, resulting in a devastating tragedy. And thus the prophet describes Nevuchadnetzar’s offensive with the term “ samach .” The Babylonian Empire at that moment was in "Magic The W�ds" Thr� The tragic st�y of Yosef and his �o�ers gives us plenty to �ink about going into �e fast of Asarah Be’Tevet. It’s �e sh�test fast day on �e Jewish calendar, but is by no means �e least imp�tant. RABBI ELI J. MANSOUR