TAMMUZ:
Month 4 | Tammuz: See the good in all things—guard your eyes.
- Prayer Request
- Praise Report
Focus: Seeing the good/blessing in all things—guarding your eyes
Letter: Chet (ח)
Tribe: Reuben
Sense: Sight
On the 3rd day of this month, the Lord miraculously stopped the sun in its tracks (allowing for sustained vision), allowing Joshua and his armies to deal a decisive blow to their enemies.
The sages declared Tammuz 17 a day of fasting and mourning for the terrible events associated with this day:
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- Moses broke the tablets when he saw the Jewish people worshipping the Golden Calf.
- During the siege of Jerusalem, the Babylonians forced the Jews to cease offering daily sacrifices due to the lack of sheep.
- Apostomos (possibly a Roman soldier or philosopher) burned the holy Torah.
- An idol was placed in the Holy Temple.
- The Romans breached the walls of Jerusalem in A.D. 69 after a lengthy siege.
The 17th of Tammuz starts a period of minor mourning known as the “three weeks,” concluding on the 9th of Av. This time is considered spiritually hazardous, as most of the major calamities that afflicted Israel happened during this period.
Major Jewish and Biblical Events in History in Tammuz:
03 Tammuz: Joshua Stops the Sun (1273 BC)
09 Tammuz: Jerusalem walls breached by Nebuchadnezzar II (423 BC)
17 Tammuz:
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- Golden Calf Offered / Moses Broke Tablets (1313 BC)
- Jerusalem Walls Breached (AD 69) – Roman conquest of Jerusalem and their destruction of the Second Temple
- The walls of the besieged city of Jerusalem were breached
- Roman general Apostomus burned the Torah
- Placed an idol in the Holy Temple
18 Tammuz: Golden Calf Destroyed
DON'T MISS THE CALENDAR
Adar: The Month of Joy in the Hebrew Calendar
There are many joyous dates on the Jewish calendar, but besides Purim, none affect an entire month, causing it to be auspicious and joyous. Purim is the celebration of Israel’s rescue from the Persian leader Haman’s genocidal plot (as recorded in the Book of Esther). The Rabbis teach that Purim is like Yom Kippur (the “Day of Atonement”). While on Yom Kippur we achieve holiness through the mortification of the flesh and long hours of prayer, we realize that same level of holiness on Purim through feasting, celebration, and joy.
Shevat: The Month of Blessings and Fruitfulness in the Hebrew Calendar
According to Tradition, the first of Shevat is when Moses began giving his final address to Israel. “Across the Jordan in the land of Moab, Moses began to explain this Torah saying, ‘Adonai our God spoke to us at Horeb saying: ‘You have stayed long enough at this mountain’” (Deuteronomy 1:5-6). For the entire month of Shevat, he would sit in the meeting tent and elucidate the Torah.
Tevet: The Month of Divine Grace in the Hebrew Calendar
2 Kings 25 tells us Nebuchadnezzar began Babylon’s siege of Jerusalem on the 10th day of Tevet (a fast day known as Asarah B’Tevet). Ironically, the Jewish people adopted the name “Tevet” during the Babylonian exile. It is believed to connote “sinking” or “immersing.”