Tammuz is the fourth month of the Hebrew calendar. It ushers in the long hot summer, a period which continues in the following months of Av and Elul. The next major holiday comes in the fall in the month of Tishri.
One theme resonates throughout the summer months: mourning the tragedies in Jewish history, in particular the destruction of the Temple. It starts in Tammuz with the fast of the fourth month, the 17th of Tammuz—in Jewish tradition, it commemorates the day when the walls of Jerusalem were breached. Jeremiah describes that
“in the eleventh year of Zedekiah, in the fourth month, on the ninth day of the month … the city wall was broken through” (Jeremiah 52:6-7).
Six hundred years later, approximately at the same time, the walls of Jerusalem were breached by the Romans (in 69 C.E.). In both cases, destruction of the Temple followed.
17th of Tammuz marks the beginning of a period known as “the Three Weeks”, an annual mourning period, when Jews mourn the destruction of the Temple and the cause of exile. It reaches its climax and concludes with the fast of the Ninth of Av, in the next month, which is the date when both Temples were set aflame (423 BC and 69 AD, respectively).
The tradition goes back to the time of the Babylonian exile. The fast of 17th Tammuz is one of the fast days mentioned in Zechariah 8:19
(‘The fast of the fourth month, the fast of the fifth, the fast of the seventh, and the fast of the tenth, shall be joy and gladness and cheerful feasts for the house of Judah. Therefore love truth and peace.’)
It was there, in Babylon, where the leaders of Israel decided to fast on certain days in order to remember the catastrophe and the reason for their exile.
Moreover, Jewish tradition identifies 17th of Tammuz also with the day when Moses descended from Mount Sinai, only to find the Israelites falling to idolatry with the golden calf.
Another interesting aspect we learn from the only mention of the word Tammuz in the Scriptures. The name of the month is of Babylonian origin, and we find it in the Bible in Ezekiel 8:14:
“And He brought me to the entrance at the Gate of the House of the Lord which was at the north; and there were women sitting, bewailing the Tammuz.”
The prophet mentions a custom probably of Sumerian origin. After the summer solstice, which falls in the month of Tammuz, days start getting shorter, and the ancient people in Mesopotamia marked that occurrence by staging a “funeral” for Tammuz. Ezekiel hints at a practice in the First Temple period when “women were sitting, bewailing the Tammuz”. It must have been this pagan custom which found its way deep into the Jewish nation at the time. It was this idolatry, turning away from the living God, that caused anger of God and ultimately exile. The punishment started in the month of Tammuz when the enemies breached the walls of the city.
So, the theme of idolatry seems to be an important subject to ponder on in the month of Tammuz. The incident with the golden calf is one of the defining moments of early history of Israel. And to complete the picture of the spiritual state of the Jewish people before they went out of Egypt, we actually have a source: Ezekiel 20:6-8:
On that day I raised My hand in an oath to them, to bring them out of the land of Egypt into a land that I had searched out for them, ‘flowing with milk and honey,’ the glory of all lands. Then I said to them, ‘Each of you, throw away the abominations which are before his eyes, and do not defile yourselves with the idols of Egypt. I am the Lord your God.’ But they rebelled against Me and would not obey Me. They did not all cast away the abominations which were before their eyes, nor did they forsake the idols of Egypt.
It is no wonder that their old habits came to the surface soon after the Exodus. And when we look at the condition of the people at the time of the Temple destruction, we see a similar picture: they were deeply into pagan rituals. The whole history of Israel is fight against idolatry.
I believe it is a good point to pray about. Even modern history is not so much different. Israel is a stiff-necked nation and God promised he would cleanse them from all their iniquities once they are back in their land. This is the hour. God will bring his plan with Israel to successful conclusion – but He expects us to intercede, like Moses did, and God relented from his anger and revealed the 13 attributes of mercy. Let us pray for the cleansing of Israel, and for God to show His mercy.
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