Assara beTevet
The 10th Tevet ( Hebrew עשרה בטבת Assara b e Tevet ) is a "small" fasting day in Judaism . It falls either on the seventh or eighth day after the conclusion of Hanukkah , depending on whether Rosh Chodesh (the beginning of the month) of the month of Tevet is one or two days.
The 10th Tevet commemorates the beginning of the siege of Jerusalem by King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylonia in 597 BCE. He put a ring around Jerusalem, which ultimately led to the destruction of Solomon's Temple (the 1st Temple) and the conquest of the Kingdom of Judah and Babylonia Banishment of the Jewish people .
Fasting begins at dawn and ends at nightfall. Besides the ban on eating and drinking, there are no other restrictions. If the 10th Tevet falls on a Friday, fasting takes place on the same day, it is not moved because it says: “today” ( Ez 24.2 EU ).
In the prayers in the morning ( Shacharit ) and afternoon ( Mincha ) special connections are made for the fast day, the so-called Slichot and the “Anenu”, an additional blessing in the Amida . In some parishes, the Avinu Malkeinu prayer is also recited. In addition, a special section from the Torah is read out for the fast day, and in the afternoon a section from the book of the prophet Isaiah is read out .
The 10th Tevet was also set as the "Day of General Kaddish " in memory of the victims of the mass extermination during the Shoah , the date of which is unknown. On this day one lights a memory lamp, speaks the kaddish, and studies passages on the uplifting of souls.
literature
- Israel Meir Lau : How Jews Live. Faith - Everyday Life - Celebrations. 7th edition. Gütersloher Verlag-Haus, Gütersloh 2008, ISBN 978-3-579-02155-3 .