לעילוי נשמת Karen Cohn (יוכבד רבקה בת מאיר ע״ה)  I will forever remember her beautiful smile, and the astounding care she gave to my patients

Tamuz

From Sefer HaToda’ah

Summarized by J. Sunness 5772

Associated mazal:  Sartan (crab)

3rd Tamuz:  Yehoshua halted the sun and moon. (Yehoshua 10)

Shiva Asar B’Tamuz

The main purpose of a fast is to bring us to do teshuva

Five bad things that occurred on 17 Tamuz:

  • The 1st Luchos broken (Egel); 
    • In Ma’aseh haEgel, why did only Shevet Levi answer to Moshe’s Mi laShem eilai?  The zekainim and tzaddikim felt that those few who sinned with the egel were no longer worthy of rejoining the Holy Nation;  by thinking this way, the tzaddikim gave power to the avoda zara to believe it could cause irreparable damage to nation.  Only about 3,000 more people before egel vs when counted by shekalim after)
    • Moshe broke luchos when saw letters flying off and they became heavy;  also so as not to obligate Bnei Yisrael in Lo Yihyeh lecha.
    • Great sins done in desert by Dor De’ah:  to show for all generations and all our trials that teshuva is always possible and Hashem will keep us as his nachalah.  Yetzer hara tries to persuade us that teshuva is impossible;  therefore Yeshaya 1: even if your sins are like red, they will be whitened like snow.
    • The Tamid was no longer brought (animals not available even at great price;  both temples)
    • The wall of Yerushalaim was breached in 2nd Temple (breached on 9 Tamuz in 1st Temple period, but on 17th according to Yerushalmi Ta’anis;  the terrible tzaros interfered with the calculation)
    • Apostomos burned the Torah (Roman period;  looters plundered Roman (Stephenus vs Apostomos) goods , Romans went after local Jews for not stopping looters, Romans burned Sefer Torah; others say time of Antiochus)
    • An idol was erected in the Temple (Mishna Ta’anis) (Apostomos also, or idol that Menashe the king set up)

Also, Noach sent the dove from the Ark the first time, and the dove could not find rest, like B’nei Yisrael on this harsh day.

Three weeks called ‘Bain HaMetzarim (from Eicha Rabbah;  kol rei’echa hisiguha bain hametzarim)

  • Lessen simcha
    • No weddings, dances, music
    • No pleasure outings
    • No haircuts
    • Don’t say she’hechianu because it is a time of pur’anus and don’t make shehechiyanu for this.
      • No new fruits or wearing new clothes
      • If there is a mitzvah that will pass-bris, pidyon haben, say shehechiyanu
      • It there is new fruit that won’t be available after Tisha B’av, try to save it for Shabbos.
  • Don’t undertake dangerous things
  • Set time each day to think about and mourn destruction of the Temples (some say Tikun Chatzos)