Tevet 10 is observed as a day of fasting, mourning and repentance, in remembrance of the siege of Jerusalem (see “Today in Jewish History”). We refrain from food and drink from daybreak to nightfall, and add the Selichot and other special supplements to our prayers. (More recently, Tevet 10 was chosen to also serve as a “general kaddish day” for the victims of the Holocaust, many of whose day of martyrdom is unknown.)
More in the Extended Article.
Tenth of Tevet – the Siege of Jerusalem
The fast begins at 5:51am and ends at 5:16pm (Crown Heights specific)
On the 10th of Tevet of the year 3336 from Creation (425 BCE), the armies of the Babylonian emperor Nebuchadnezzar laid siege to Jerusalem. Thirty months later — on Tammuz 9, 3338 — the city walls were breached, and on Av 9th of that year, the Holy Temple was destroyed. The Jewish people were exiled to Babylonia for 70 years.
Tevet 10 is observed as a day of fasting, mourning and repentance, in remembrance of the siege of Jerusalem (see “Today in Jewish History”). We refrain from food and drink from daybreak to nightfall, and add the Selichot and other special supplements to our prayers. (More recently, Tevet 10 was chosen to also serve as a “general kaddish day” for the victims of the Holocaust, many of whose day of martyrdom is unknown.)
More in the Extended Article.
Tevet 10 – Jerusalem Under Siege: A Tevet 10 Anthology
On the 10th of Tevet of the year 3336 from Creation (425 BCE), the armies of the Babylonian emperor Nebuchadnezzar laid siege to Jerusalem. Thirty months later — on Tammuz 9, 3338 — the city walls were breached, and on Av 9th of that year, the Holy Temple was destroyed. The Jewish people were exiled to Babylonia for 70 years.
Tevet 10 (this year December 31, 2006) is observed as a day of fasting, mourning and repentance. We refrain from food and drink from daybreak to nightfall, and add the Selichot and other special supplements to our prayers. More recently, Tevet 10 was chosen to also serve as a “general kaddish day” for the victims of the Holocaust, many of whom the day of their martyrdom is unknown.
An ancient Jewish custom, which was revived by the Lubavitcher Rebbe, is to deliver words of inspiration and arousal to repentance on fast days. Presented here is our modest contribution to our duty as Jews to reflect on the significance of the tragic events of our history and come away motivated, encouraged, and — yes — even inspired:
Faster than freser!
Thirty months later — on Tammuz 9, 3338 — the city walls were breached, ??????
Wasen’t it the 17th?
AH
The 17th of Tammuz was when the walls were breached by the Romans, before the destruction of the Second Beis HaMikdash. Nevuchadnetzar’s army breached the walls on the 9th of Tammuz. (See Yirmiyah 52:6-7 and Gemara, Taanis 28b.)
ani ma-amin bemunah shelayma
The tenth day of Tevet was also the day of Saddam Hussein’s burial. (He was hung on Shabbos sha’as ha’mincha (afternoon) which is already connected to the following day, the 10th of Tevet.
What hashgacha protis!
Saddam, on numerous occasions, would portray himself as the successor to Nebuchadnezzar. Believing that he
is, if not the reincarnation of the “greatest of all Babylonian Kings”,
Nebuchadnezzar II, then a “worthy” successor.In 1979, he was quoted by his semi-official biographer as saying: “Nebuchadnezzar stirs in me everything relating to pre-Islamic ancient history. And what is most important to me about Nebuchadnezzar is the link between the Arabs’ abilities and the liberation of Palestine. Nebuchadnezzar was, after all, an Arab from Iraq, albeit ancient Iraq. … That is why whenever I remember Nebuchadnezzar I like to remind the Arabs, Iraqis in particular, of their historical responsibilities. It is a burden that should… spur them into action because of their history.”
-Fuad Matar, Saddam Hussein: A Biographical and Ideological Account of His Leadership Style and Crisis Management (London: Highlight Publications, 1990 [originally published in 1979]) 235. See also Efraim Karsh and Inari Rautsi, Saddam Hussein: A Political Biography (New York: The Free Press, 1991) 122-123, 152-153.
I believe the Rebbe spoke about Saddam on Tes Tevet, 1991 and mentioned this concept of Saddam’s connection with Nebuchadnezzar.
I also recall on a Shabbos during the FIRST Gulf War the Rebbe stated that Saddam was killed. After Shabbos, he was told by those who write up the sichos (Hanochas) that the rumors were false, and Saddam was NOT killed! The Rebbe replied calmly, that it will happen in due time.
WOW – boruch Hashem we are zoycha to see once again how EVERYTHING the Rebbe said comes true!
May we soon see his promise that we are the last generation of Golus come true, NOW!!!