Mazal/Constellation

Crab.

Significance of the Month

Tammuz is the fourth month of the Jewish calendar. It is a month known for the tragedies that befell the Jewish people.

Holidays

The 17th of Tammuz is one of four fast days associated with the destruction of the Temple and the Exile of the Jews. The 17th of Tammuz marks the day when the walls of Jerusalem during the Second Temple were breached. According to Jewish tradition, four other tragedies occurred on this day: the tablets containing the Ten Commandments were broken; the daily sacrifice was discontinued; Apustamus, a Greek officer, burned a Torah scroll; and an idol was erected in the sanctuary of the Temple. The 17th of Tammuz begins a three-week period known as bein ha-metzarim (literally, "between the straits") or more colloquially known as the "Three Weeks." From the 17th of Tammuz until Tisha B'Av, customs vary over what prohibitions one follows. Many people do not shave or get haircuts or listen to live music from the 17th of Tammuz. Additionally, many refrain from having weddings during this period. With the advent of the month of Av, the mourning practices intensify.

Women to Celebrate

Rachel the Matriarch - Rachel has become associated with the 17th of Tammuz and Tisha B'Av because of an often-cited Midrash. The Midrash comments on Jeremiah's prophecy which says: "A cry is heard in Ramah - wailing, bitter weeping - Rachel weeping for her children. She refuses to be comforted for her children who are gone" (Jeremiah 31:14). The Midrash wonders why Rachel is buried in Bethlehem when all of the other patriarchs and matriarchs are buried in the Cave of Machpela in Hebron. The Midrash explains that as the Jews were being exiled after the destruction of the first Temple, all of the matriarchs and patriarchs petitioned God that the exile should not be permanent, but none of them succeeded. Rachel then argued that when she was set to marry Jacob, her father Lavan plotted to switch her with her sister Leah. Rachel could have sabotaged the plan but chose not to so as not to embarrass her sister. God agreed that the exile would not be permanent because of Rachel's unselfish act.

Famous Women's Yahrzeits

Zivia Lubetkin - 7 Tammuz (July 12, 1978). A leader of the Polish Underground and the Warsaw Ghetto uprising. She later was a found of Kibbutz Lochamei ha-Ghetta'ot (Ghetto Fighters Kibbutz).

Gertrude Stein - 28 Tammuz 5706 (July 27, 1946). Famed poet, author and critic.

Text Studies

Tisha B'Av Text Study - Explore the reasons for fasting on the 17th of Tammuz and Tisha B'Av.

A Tisha B'Av Learning (PDF file 49Kb)
[Requires Adobe Acrobat Reader version 4.0 or higher.] 
 
Oh Jerusalem: A Conversation - Explore your own vision of Jerusalem through these evocative verses. This conversation weaves together three texts: a Psalm that includes a prayer for the peace of Jerusalem, the Babylonian Talmud, and Midrash Esther Rabba.

Oh Jerusalem: A Conversation (PDF file 108Kb)
[Requires Adobe Acrobat Reader version 4.0 or higher.]

Conversations

Does it upset you that the Temple is no longer standing in Jerusalem? How do you relate to the 17th of Tammuz and Tisha B'Av?