What we celebrate and why: Tenth of Tevet

The 10th of Tevet is a fasting day in the Jewish annual cycle. Samuel, a participant in DialoguepersPectives, describes what the date is all about:

“On the 10th day of the Jewish month of Tevet, observant Jews observe the fast day of the same name. Fasting from sunrise to sunset commemorates the encirclement of Jerusalem by the Babylonian army. This event is mourned because it led to the later fall of the city and the destruction of the Temple.
On this day, I fast with a friend and try to go to the synagogue for morning and evening prayers. Both help to make fasting easier, because then you don’t have to think about hunger and thirst all the time. It also helps me focus on the importance of the fasting day.”

The photo shows the Western Wall in Jerusalem, which we visited during the Spring Seminar in March 2019.

DialoguePerspectives Spring Seminar 2019 in Israel