Questions on 8th, 9th, 10th Teves:

1. What happened on the 8th of Teves?
2. What happened on the 9th of Teves?
3. What happened on the 10th of Teves?
4. What do we only fast on the 10th of Teves – not on the 8th and 9th?
5. How does the 10th of Teves historically fit into the other fasts remembering the churban?
6. What is so terrible about translating the Torah into Greek? Why is it worse that what Artscroll do?
7. There are many great people who died in history. Why then do we fast on the date of Ezra’s death more than by other great people?
8. What is something special about the fast of 10th of Teves more than the other fasts?
9. Why would the 10th of Teves push aside Shabbos unlike most other fasts?
10. When it brings these three fast days in Shulchan Oruch (O.C. 580:2) it brings that on the 9th it is not known what happened. Why then fast?

Ideas for answers on the general parsha:

1. On the 8^th of Teves King Talmi ordered the translation of the Torah into Greek that resulted in three days of darkness coming to the world.
2. On the 9th of Teves the Shulchan Oruch (O.C. 580:2) brings that it is not known what is the cause for this fast. However, in Selichos for Asara BiTeves we say that Ezra Hasofer died on this day.
3. On the 10^th of Teves the King of Bovel started the siege against Yerushalayim that resulted in the churban.
4. Chazal only made the public fast at times of severe sorrows. These are defined as various stages of the churban, the destruction of the Temple. The 10th of Teves is one of these. This is why everyone (who is in a fit state) must fast on the 10th of Teves. However, there are also other tragedies throughout Jewish History that involve a loss to the Jewish Nation. Chazal determined that these dates are optional fasts. The 8th and 9th of Teves are listed in this category (see O.C. 580).
5. The four fast-days which commemorate the destruction of the Temple are (in the order of the year) the 17th of Tammuz (the 4th month), the 9th of Av (the 5th month), the 3rd of Tishrei (the 7th month), and the 10th of Tevet (the 10th month). However, historically, the first stage of the churban was the 10th of Teves. (See Gemora Rosh Hashana 18b)
6. Perhaps a major difference is who is translating it and for what purpose. The Greeks were translating it to open it up to misinterpretation. However, Jews do translate it in order to just understand the meaning. They understand that this is just a springboard to then go back to the hebrew text. This is because the Loshon Hakodesh has in it many secrets. This is seen in the words and letters – how they are shaped and formed. There is the secret of gematria and structure of words that come to reveal deeper understandings that are not possible in alternative language translations.
7. The answer lies in what Ezra did historically for the Jews. …
8. Usually when a fast day falls on Shabbos it is pushed off until the next week (except for Yom Kippur). However, if the 10th of Teves would fall on Shabbos (this is only theoretical since on our calendar it never does) then the possuk says it would push aside Shabbos.
10. Perhaps the idea here is the difference in doing repentance for a known sin or unsure of a sin. A person has more regret when he knows he definitely did a sin than when he is unsure (see Rema O.C. 603). The Rambam brings that the idea of all fasts is to reflect on the cause of them – the sins of our anscestors. It follows that when we know the sorrow of a fast we can relate to it easier. The 9th of Teves not having a named sorrow means that we are unsure what the cause is. This means we do not know the cause and are therefore less related to it. On the other hand, it means that we are now aware that there are unknown sins that can also cause tragedy – this is even more scary! Not knowing why you are being punished should act as a springboard for greater reflection into our actions. Perhaps this is the message of the unknown sorrow of the 9th of Teves.

Sources:

• Meseches Sofrim (1:7)
• Megillas Taanis
• Seclichos for Asara BeTeves