Summary of the day
The Seventeenth of Tamuz is a fast day from dawn until nightfall, and begins the Three Weeks (“Bein HaMetzarim”) that end with Tisha BeAv. The fast recalls the breaching of Jerusalem’s walls before the destruction of the Second Temple, and four further calamities.
The mitzvot of the day
- Fasting (no eating or drinking), for healthy adults.
- Selichot and “Aneinu” in the prayers, and reading “Vaychal Moshe” at Shacharit and Mincha.
- A haftara at Mincha: Isaiah 55:6-56:8.
- The start of mourning: no weddings, no Shehecheyanu, and reduced joy throughout the Three Weeks.
Origin in history
The Mishnah (Ta’anit 4:6) lists five calamities that occurred on 17 Tamuz: (1) Moses broke the tablets; (2) the daily offering ceased in the First Temple; (3) the walls of Jerusalem were breached (in the Second Temple, and in the First Temple according to Jeremiah on a different date); (4) Apostomos burned the Torah; (5) an idol was placed in the Sanctuary. In the days of Nebuchadnezzar the city was breached on 9 Tamuz, and in the days of Titus on 17 Tamuz, three weeks before the destruction of the Temple.
The message for today
Every destruction begins with a crack. The message: to repair the small cracks, at home, in the community and in society, before they become a breach. And the fast is not the goal but the path: as Isaiah calls “Seek the Lord while He may be found”, we are called to strengthen ourselves while we can. And in the Three Weeks the goal is to rebuild, first of all in the bonds between people.
Torah and haftara readings
The passages read in synagogue, with their start and end.
Fast day (17 Tamuz, or the 18th if it falls on Shabbat)
- Torah · Morning
Exodus 32:11–14
Morning: "Vaychal Moshe"
- Torah · Morning
Exodus 34:1–10
Morning: the thirteen attributes of mercy
- Torah · Afternoon
Exodus 32:11–14
Afternoon: the same reading
- 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", because fasting is a time of repentance and asking for mercy. The passage also recalls the sin of the Golden Calf, when the tablets were broken, one of the five calamities of 17 Tamuz. In the Mincha haftara, Isaiah calls us to return to God.