The 5 Tragedies that Occurred on the 17th of Tammuz

(1) There are days when the entire Jewish people1 because of the calamities that occurred to them then, to arouse [their] hearts and initiate [them in] the paths of repentance. This will serve as a reminder of our wicked conduct and that of our ancestors, which resembles our present conduct and therefore brought these calamities upon them and upon us. By reminding ourselves of these matters, we will repent and improve [our conduct], as [Leviticus 26:40] states: "And they will confess their sin and the sin of their ancestors."

(6) Five calamitous matters occurred to our forefathers on the seventeenth of Tammuz ... On the seventeenth of Tammuz the tablets were broken by Moses when he saw that the Jews had made the golden calf; the daily offering was nullified by the Roman authorities and was never sacrificed again; the city walls of Jerusalem were breached; the general Apostemos publicly burned a Torah scroll; and Manasseh placed an idol in the Sanctuary...

The recounting of the first time Moshe went up on Har Sinai:

(12) Hashem said to Moshe, “Come up to Me on the mountain and wait there, and I will give you the stone tablets with the teachings and commandments which I have inscribed to instruct them.” (13) So Moshe and his attendant Yehoshua arose, and Moshe ascended the mountain of God. (14) To the elders he had said, “Wait here for us until we return to you. You have Aharon and Chur with you; let anyone who has a legal matter approach them.” (15) When Moshe had ascended the mountain, the cloud covered the mountain. (16) The Presence of Hashem abode on Mount Sinai, and the cloud hid it for six days. On the seventh day [Hashem] called to Moshe from the midst of the cloud. (17) Now the Presence of Hashem appeared in the sight of the Israelites as a consuming fire on the top of the mountain. (18) Moshe went inside the cloud and ascended the mountain; and Moshe remained on the mountain forty days and forty nights.

The recounting of Moshe breaking the luchot after Hashem informed him of the creation of the cheit ha'eigel (sin of the calf) and Moshe davened for Klal Yisroel:

(15) Thereupon Moshe turned and went down from the mountain bearing the two tablets of the Pact, tablets inscribed on both their surfaces: they were inscribed on the one side and on the other. (16) The tablets were God’s work, and the writing was God’s writing, incised upon the tablets. (17) When Joshua heard the sound of the people in its boisterousness, he said to Moshe, “There is a cry of war in the camp.” (18) But he answered,“It is not the sound of the tune of triumph, Or the sound of the tune of defeat; It is the sound of song that I hear!” (19) As soon as Moshe came near the camp and saw the calf and the dancing, he became enraged; and he hurled the tablets from his hands and shattered them at the foot of the mountain. (20) He took the calf that they had made and burned it; he ground it to powder and strewed it upon the water and so made the Israelites drink it.

(1) Hashem spoke to Moses, saying: (2) Command the Israelite people and say to them: Be punctual in presenting to Me at stated times the offerings of food due Me, as offerings by fire of pleasing odor to Me. (3) Say to them: These are the offerings by fire that you are to present to Hashem: As a regular burnt offering every day, two yearling lambs without blemish. (4) You shall offer one lamb in the morning, and the other lamb you shall offer at twilight. (5) And as a meal offering, there shall be a tenth of an ephah of choice flour with a quarter of a hin of beaten oil mixed in— (6) the regular burnt offering instituted at Mount Sinai an offering by fire of pleasing odor to Hashem. (7) The libation with it shall be a quarter of a hin for each lamb, to be poured in the sacred precinct as an offering of fermented drink to Hashem. (8) The other lamb you shall offer at twilight, preparing the same meal offering and libation as in the morning - an offering by fire of pleasing odor to Hashem.

Tradition - that is to say as we received from our forefathers.

“The daily sacrifice ceased.” Rebbi Simon said in the name of Rebbi Joshua ben Levi: In the time of the hellenistic government they (officials from the Temple during the time that Jerusalem was besieged) lowered them two boxes with gold and they gave them two lambs to pull up. Once they lowered them two boxes with gold and they gave them two kid goats (which can't be used for the daily sacrifice) to pull up. At that moment the Holy One, praise to Him, enlightened their eyes and they found two lambs in the hall of lambs. About that time did Rebbi Yehudah bar Abba testify that the perpetual morning sacrifice was brought at four hours. Rebbi Levi said: Also in the days of the present (Roman) evil government they lowered them two boxes with gold and they gave them two kid goats to pull up. Once they lowered them two boxes with gold and they gave them two swine to pull up. They did not manage to get to half the height of the wall when the swine (damaged) [clawed] the wall and jumped 40 parasangs from the Land of Israel. At that time the sins caused that the perpetual sacrifice was stopped and the Temple destroyed.

Yirmiyahu's recounting of the Babylonian siege, breaching of the city walls, and destruction of the Beis Hamikdash:

(1) Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem for eleven years. His mother’s name was Hamutal, daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah. (2) He did what was displeasing to Hashem, just as Jehoiakim had done. (3) Indeed, Jerusalem and Judah were a cause of anger for Hashem, so that they were cast out of the divine presence. Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon. (4) And in the ninth year of his reign, on the tenth day of the tenth month (Teves), King Nebuchadrezzar moved against Jerusalem with his whole army. They besieged it and built towers against it all around. (5) The city continued in a state of siege until the eleventh year of King Zedekiah. (6) By the ninth day of the fourth month (Tammuz), the famine had become acute in the city; there was no food left for the common people. (7) Then [the wall of] the city was breached. All the soldiers fled; they left the city by night through the gate between the double walls, which is near the king’s garden—the Chaldeans were all around the city—and they set out for the Arabah. (8) But the Chaldean troops pursued the king, and they overtook Zedekiah in the steppes of Jericho, as his entire force left him and scattered. (9) They captured the king and brought him before the king of Babylon at Riblah, in the region of Hamath; and he put him on trial. (10) The king of Babylon had Zedekiah’s sons slaughtered before his eyes; he also had all the officials of Judah slaughtered at Riblah. (11) Then the eyes of Zedekiah were put out, and he was chained in bronze fetters. The king of Babylon brought him to Babylon and put him in prison, [where he remained] to the day of his death. (12) On the tenth day of the fifth month (Av)—that was the nineteenth year of King Nebuchadrezzar, the king of Babylon—Nebuzaradan, the chief of the guards, came to represente the king of Babylon in Jerusalem. (13) He burned the House of Hashem, the king’s palace, and all the houses of Jerusalem; he burned down the house of every notable person. (14) The entire Chaldean force that was with the chief of the guards tore down all the walls of Jerusalem on every side. (15) The remnant of the people left in the city, the defectors who had gone over to the king of Babylon, and what remained of the artisans were taken into exile by Nebuzaradan, the chief of the guards. But some of the poorest elements of the population— (16) some of the poorest in the land—were left by Nebuzaradan, the chief of the guards, to be vine-dressers and field hands.

(1)‎ ... Rabbi Akiva explained (Rosh HaShanah‏ ‏‎18b), “Thus said Hashem: the fast of the‎‏ ‏fourth and the fast ‎of the fifth and the‏ ‏fast of the seventh and the fast of the‏ ‏tenth will become days of joy and ‎rejoice‏ ‏for the house of Judah.” (Zechariah‏ ‏‎8:19) The fast of the fourth is the‎‏ ‏seventeenth of ‎Tammuz, upon which the‏ ‏city was breached, as it is written, “In‏ ‏the fourth month, on the ninth of ‎the‏ ‏month, the famine in the city become‎‏ ‏stronger,” and it is then written, “And‏ ‏the city was ‎breached”. (Yirmiyahu‏ ‏‎52:6‎‏ ‏‎-7) And why is it the fast of the fourth?‎‏ ‏Because it is in the fourth ‎month, as we‏ ‏count the months from Nisan‏ ‏‎…‎‏ ‏Even though the text (Yirmiyahu 39:2)‎‏ ‏says ‎regarding the fast of the fourth‏ ‏month, “On the ninth of the month the‏ ‏city was breached,” now ‎we fast on the‏ ‏seventeenth of the month. Initially the‏ ‏fast was established on the ninth of the‏ ‏month, since the ninth is the day the‏ ‏city was breached in the first [Temple].‎‏ ‏However, in the ‎second [Temple] the city‏ ‏was breached on the seventeenth, and‏ ‏so they established [the fast] on ‎the‏ ‏seventeenth. This is because the‏ ‏destruction of the second Temple is‏ ‏harsher for us. In any ‎event, the fast of‏ ‏the fourth is due to the breaching of the‏ ‏city, and for the pains that were‏ ‏multiplied on that day.‎

“Apostomos burned the Torah.” Where did he burn it? Rebbi Aḥa said, at the ford of Lydda. But the rabbis are saying, at the ford of Tarlosa. “And put up an idol in the Temple.” There are Tannaim who state, “was put up.” He who says, “was put up,” Manasse’s idol. He who said, “put up”, Apostomos’s idol (here has an insert from Seder Olam which identifies Apostomos with the Emperor Caligula.). Why was it not fixed as a fast day? (The question here is why the Seventeenth of Tammuz is not a full 24 hr. fast day like the Ninth of Av?) Ḥinnena the father of Bar Yanta in the name of Rebbi Banaia: Because most of the community did not accept it as obligation (And a rabbinic institution which is not accepted by a majority of the people is invalid.). Rebbi Joshua ben Levi said, all that happened on this was repeated, all that happened on that was not repeated (The happenings on Tammuz 17 do not have the severity of those on Av 9.). Rebbi Levi said, it is written, which a person shall do and live by them Lev. 18:5. (The verse shows that danger to life or limb supersedes religious obligations.), and the light in a person’s eyes only returns after 40 days (Therefore full 24 hr. fast-days must be spaced at least 40 days apart. This forbids making Tammuz 17 a full fast-day.).

(1) Manasseh was twelve years old when he became king, and he reigned fifty-five years in Jerusalem; his mother’s name was Hephzibah. (2) He did what was displeasing to Hashem, following the abhorrent practices of the nations that Hashem had dispossessed before the Israelites. (3) He rebuilt the shrines that his father Hezekiah had destroyed; he erected altars for Baal and made a sacred post, as King Ahab of Israel had done. He bowed down to all the host of heaven and worshiped them, (4) and he built altars for them in the House of Hashem, of which Hashem had said, “I will establish My name in Jerusalem.” (5) He built altars for all the host of heaven in the two courts of the House of Hashem. (6) He consigned his son to the fire; he practiced soothsaying and divination, and consulted ghosts and familiar spirits; he did much that was displeasing to Hashem—and provoked anger. (7) The sculptured image of Asherah (goddess of beauty - in form of nature, specifically trees) that he made he placed in the House concerning which Hashem had said to David and to his son Solomon, “In this House and in Jerusalem, which I chose out of all the tribes of Israel, I will establish My name forever. (8) And I will not again cause the feet of Israel to wander from the land that I gave to their ancestors, if they will but faithfully observe all that I have commanded them—all the Teachings with which My servant Moses charged them.” (9) But they did not obey, and Manasseh led them astray to do greater evil than the nations that Hashem had destroyed before the Israelites.

The events leading up to the scene in the end of Daniel 12 involve a series of visions and prophecies given to Daniel concerning the future of Israel and the world. In Daniel 10, Daniel receives a vision of a great war and turmoil that will affect his people in the latter days. This vision deeply troubles him, and he begins a period of fasting and mourning, seeking understanding from God. In Daniel 11, the angelic messenger explains the rise and fall of empires and rulers, including detailed prophecies about the kings of the North and South, who are understood to represent various kingdoms that will oppress Israel. In Daniel 12, the focus shifts to the time of the end. Daniel is given more specific details about the resurrection of the dead and the final judgment.

(4) “But you, Daniel, keep the words secret, and seal the book until the time of the end. Many will range far and wide and knowledge will increase.” (5) Then I, Daniel, looked and saw two others standing, one on one bank of the river, the other on the other bank of the river. (6) One said to the man clothed in linen, who was above the water of the river, “How long until the end of these awful things?” (7) Then I heard the man dressed in linen, who was above the water of the river, swear by the Ever-Living One as he lifted his right hand and his left hand to heaven: “For a time, times, and half a time;-a and when the breaking of the power of the holy people comes to an end, then shall all these things be fulfilled.” (8) I heard and did not understand, so I said, “My lord, what will be the outcome of these things?” (9) He said, “Go, Daniel, for these words are secret and sealed to the time of the end. (10) Many will be purified and purged and refined; the wicked will act wickedly and none of the wicked will understand; but the knowledgeable will understand. (11) (From the time the regular offering was removed , and the mute abomination was placed—it will be a thousand two hundred and ninety days. (12) Happy the one who waits and reaches one thousand three hundred and thirty-five days.) (13) But you, go on to the end; you shall rest, and arise to your destiny at the end of the days.”

The mishna also stated that on the seventeenth of Tammuz Manasseh placed an idol in the Sanctuary. The Gemara asks: From where do we derive that this occurred on the seventeenth of Tammuz? As it is written: “And from the time that the daily offering shall be taken away and the abomination that causes appallment is set up” (Daniel 12:11), which indicates that an idol was placed in the Temple on the very day that the daily offering was suspended (on the 17th of Tammuz). The Gemara asks: And was there only one idol placed there? But isn’t it written: “And upon the wing of detestable things shall be that which causes appallment” (Daniel 9:27)? The plural, “detestable things,” indicates the presence of at least two idols. Rava said: There were initially two idols, but one fell upon the other and broke its hand. Since only one idol was whole, the mishna mentions only that one. Rava continues: And an inscription was found on the broken idol that read: You want to destroy the Temple; I have given you your hand. It is as though one idol said to the other: You are seeking to destroy the Temple by causing Israel to pray to you; I, too, give you a hand to assist you.

You want to destroy the Temple; I have given you your hand - (it is as though) the idol is saying to its counterpart "you want to destroy the house of a place that Yisroel was mislead after you, and I have taken revenge on you and repaid you." An alternative understanding is "you ordered to destroy the house, and your hand accomplished it," a language of retribution, meaning to say "and it has come about by my hand."

Laws of the time period of 17th of Tammuzz until the beginning of the 9 days (Rosh Chodesh Av):

(1) Since the Seventeenth of Tammuz, marks the beginning of the anguish of the destruction of the Beis Hamikdash, it is customary to observe a partial mourning, from that day until after Tishah beAv. It is proper for every God-fearing person to recite Tikun Chatzos (the special midnight order), daily, in the afternoon. No weddings are performed, even for a person who has not yet fulfilled the mitzvah of Piryah Verivyah ("Be fertile and have many children.") But engagement parties, even with a meal, are permitted until Rosh Chodesh Av. Although it is permissible to make engagements after Rosh Chodesh, nevertheless, it is forbidden to serve a meal (at the engagement party), but it is permitted to serve desserts and other delicacies. A Jew, who makes his living as a professional musician, is permitted to play in the house of a non-Jew, until Rosh Chodesh Av, but from Rosh Chodesh until after Tishah beAv, he is forbidden to play. On the seventeenth day of Tammuz, itself, as well as on the tenth of Teiveis. he is also forbidden to play. Some people have the custom not to eat meat, nor to drink wine from the Seventeenth of Tammuz until after Tishah beAv, except on Shabbos or at a meal that is considered a mitzvah.

(2) It is customary not to say the berachah, Shehecheyanu during these days. (According to the Vilna Gaon, this is an unnecessary stringency. Taz is also doubtful about this custom. On Shabbos, therefore, you need not be concerned, and the berachah Shehecheyanu may be said over a new fruit or on new clothing.) Therefore, you should not buy or put on a new garment, since that would make it necessary for you to say the berachah, Shehecheyanu. But at the occasion of a Pidyon haben, (redemption of the firstborn), Shehecheyanu must be said, so as not to postpone the fulfillment of the mitzvah. Concerning a new fruit, we are lenient and say Shehecheyanu on Shabbos or even on a weekday, if this fruit will not be available after Tishah beAv. Teachers should not strike students, and parents should not strike their children during these days.

(3) It is the custom not to have the hair cut during these days, neither the hair of the head, nor of the beard nor of any part of the body. Adults are forbidden to give their children a haircut.

(4) It seems to me that it should be permissible to trim the mustache, until the week in which Tishah beAv occurs, if it interferes with your eating, but during the week in which Tishah beAv occurs, it should be forbidden. (Mishnah Berurah disagrees and rules that you need not be stringent regarding the mustache, even during the week of Tishah beAv.)

(5) Cuting the nails is forbidden only during the week of Tishah beAv, (According to Mishnah Berurah, you are permitted to cut your nails in honor of Shabbos, even during the week of Tishah beAv.) but for the purpose of immersion in the mikveh, a woman is permitted to cut her nails during that week. Also, a mohel is permitted to trim his nails for the requirements of periah (removal of the thin membrane).

(6) On the three Shabbosos between the seventeenth of Tammuz and Tishah beAv, we read the "Three haftaros of retribution," which are: Divrei Yirmiyahu (The words of Jeremiah) (Jeremiah 1:1), Shim'u devar Hashem, (Hear the word of Hashem) (Jeremiah 2:4), Chazon Yeshayahu, (The vision of Isaiah) (Isaiah 1:1). Their initials form the acronym DeShaCh. If, by mistake, the reader recited on the first Shabbos the haftarah of the weekly portion, on the second Shabbos, he should read the haftarah of both Divrei Yirmiyahu and Shim'u, because they are close to each other. If Rosh Chodesh Av occurs on Shabbos, he reads the haftarah Hashamayim Kis'i (The heaven is My throne) (Isaiah 66), but in some communities, the haftarah Shim'u is read.