Tevet is the 10th month on
the Jewish calendar, counting from Nisan. Its name,
which is mentioned in the book of Esther, was acquired in
Babylonia, and shares a root with the Hebrew word tov,
meaning “good.”
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This month begins with the last days of Chanukah.
By internalizing the message of the ever-increasing lights of the menorah—reminding
us of the power of good over evil—we are able to reveal the good that is hidden
in our lives and in the world around us.
The 10th
of Tevet 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 Beit
Hamikdash (Holy Temple) two-and-a-half years
later on the ninth
of Av.
On a fast day, the Divine attribute of mercy is able to be drawn
down into this world. By fasting over the destruction of the Temple, one
“sweetens” G‑d’s anger with Israel, the cause of the
destruction. Our sages explain, “Every generation for which the Temple is not
rebuilt, is as though the Temple was destroyed for that generation.” As such, a
fast day is not really a sad day, but an opportune day.
It’s a day when we are empowered to fix the cause of
that first destruction, so that our long exile will end, and we will find
ourselves living in Messianic times.
May that be very soon.
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