Asara BiTeves Questions:
- What happened on Asara BiTeves, the 10th of Teves?
- Is this the only fast day in the month of Teves?
- How does Asara BiTeves fit into the month of Teves?
- There is a significance on what day of the month an event happens. What is the significance of this tragedy happening on the tenth of the month?
- What happens when Asara BiTeves falls on a Shabbos?
- Is Asara BiTeves linked to any other fast days?
What happened on Asara BiTeves?
The 10th of Teves is a fast day, commemorating the start of the siege of Jerusalem in the year 3336 (425 BCE), which led to the destruction of the first Beis Hamikdash (Holy Temple) three and a half years later on the 9th of Av.
Its tenth day–the tenth day of the tenth month (“the tenth shall be holy to G-d”) – is a fast day, in commemoration of the siege of Jerusalem, the beginning of the destruction of the Temple.
The fasts in Teves
We already discussed about the other fasts in the month of Teves – the 8th, 9th and 10th of Teves. However, we explained the differences between these different fasts. Also, we explained elsewhere about the nature of the month of Teves. In theory, if Asara BiTeves would fall on Shabbos then unlike other fasts, it would push aside eating on Shabbos. However, in practice, in the Jewish Calendar, it never falls on Shabbos.
The four fast days remembering the churban
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 Teves (the 10th month). Of these four days (in their respective months) the prophet says: “the fast of the fourth [month], and the fast of the fifth, and the fast of the seventh, and the fast of the tenth shall [in the future] be for the House of Judah for joy and happiness and holidays.” (See Rosh Hashana 18b)
What is the significance of four fasts?
The number four represents dispersion into all four directions. The Jews underwent four exiles as a punishment for distancing themselves from Hashem – seen in the four letters of His Name, HaVaya. The four fasts mentioned reflect this four stage distancing in stages from this closeness to Hashem.
Other allusions to Asara BiTeves:
- The Zohar (I:170b) says that there are 365 sinews in a person paralleling the 365 days of the solar year. The Gid Hanoshe parallels the day of Tisha BiAv. There are four sinews included in the sinew of Gid Hanoshe. These parallel the four fasts commemorating the churban. Two of these in each thigh – the right and left leg. There is the sinew that is closest to the bone and is totally forbidden and punishable while the outer one is less severe being forbidden but not punishable. The two inner sinews represent the stricter of the four fasts, namely Tisha BiAv and The Fast of Gedalia. The outer two sinews represent the more lenient fasts of Asora BiTeves and the 17th of Tammuz. (‘יערות דבש ח”ב דרוש ז)