Summary of the day
The Tenth of Tevet is a public fast recalling the beginning of Nebuchadnezzar’s siege of Jerusalem, which ended in the destruction of the First Temple. It is one of the four fasts mentioned in the prophecy of Zechariah (8:19), which the oral tradition fixed after the destruction. This fast is the only one that can fall on a Friday.
The mitzvot of the day
- Fasting from dawn until nightfall: no eating or drinking, but washing and wearing leather shoes are permitted.
- Selichot, “Aneinu” and “Avinu Malkenu” in the prayers of the day.
- The Torah reading (“Vaychal Moshe”) at Shacharit and Mincha, and a haftara at Mincha.
- The general Kaddish day: since 1950 the Chief Rabbinate of Israel has set the Tenth of Tevet as a day to say Kaddish for Holocaust victims whose date of death is unknown.
- If 10 Tevet falls on Friday, the fast ends at the moment Shabbat begins.
Origin in history
On the Tenth of Tevet, around 588 BCE, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon began to besiege Jerusalem (II Kings 25:1; Jeremiah 52:4; Ezekiel 24:1-2). The siege lasted about a year and a half; on the ninth of Tammuz the city was breached, and on the ninth of Av the Temple was burned. The prophet Ezekiel, who was in exile, received the news on the very day and recorded it: “In the ninth year, in the tenth month, on the tenth day of the month, the word of the Lord came to me: Son of man, write down the name of the day, this very day: the king of Babylon has laid siege to Jerusalem this very day” (Ezekiel 24:1-2). Hence the fast.
The message for today
The fast of the Tenth of Tevet is the start of a whole process: the siege, the breach, and the destruction. It reminds us that great destructions begin small: a quarrel, forgetfulness, silence. And it is also a chance to listen to the prophets, who say that the fast itself is not the goal: “Thus says the Lord of hosts: the fast of the fourth month, the fast of the fifth, the fast of the seventh and the fast of the tenth shall be to the house of Judah joy and gladness and cheerful feasts; therefore love truth and peace” (Zechariah 8:19). The fasts are destined to become days of joy, on condition of truth and peace.
Torah and haftara readings
The passages read in synagogue, with their start and end.
Fast day (10 Tevet)
- Torah · Morning
Exodus 32:11–14
Morning and afternoon: "Vaychal Moshe"
- Torah · Afternoon
Exodus 34:1–10
Afternoon: the second tablets and the attributes of mercy
- Haftara · Afternoon
Isaiah 55:6–56:8
Afternoon: "Seek the Lord while He may be found"
Why this reading? On every public fast we read "Vaychal Moshe", the plea for mercy that succeeded after the Calf, and at Mincha we add the haftara of Isaiah 55:6, which calls for return. So what was lost (besieged Jerusalem) is joined to the hope that repentance is possible.