This Sunday we observe a fast day from sunup to sundown; The Fast of the 17th of Tammuz. According to the Talmud (Ta’anit 26a-b) among the calamities that occurred on this day was the breaching of the walls of Jerusalem by the Babylonians in the year 586 BCE and the shattering of the Tablets by an angry Moses upon first viewing the Golden Calf. The 17th of Tammuz begins a three week period of mourning that culminates with the fast of the 9th of Av (Tisha b’Av) when we recall the destructions of the Temples by the Babylonians and then the Romans.
The ruin of the Temples, the breaking of the walls of Jerusalem and the breaking of the Tablets are all examples of the sacred being shattered by violence and mistrust. It is so very painful and difficult when people or objects we revere fail us and shatter our perceptions. For three weeks each year we as a people mourn our collective losses focusing on the exile from land and God these tragedies wrought.
During this brief time of mourning we do not hold wedding ceremonies. After the three weeks, weddings resume. Each ceremony always ends with the smashing of a glass in remembrance of the shattering of Jerusalem. Our tradition, in this way, reminds us that although much is broken in our world our primary responsibility everyday is to put together the shattered pieces into a whole. Joy, hope and dedication one to another has the power to repair our world.
Shabbat Shalom, Rabbi David Rose
