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This Friday is the 10^th of the month of Tevet, which is a fast day. The reason we fast is connected to the destruction of the Temple. On this date, Nebuchadnezzar, King of Babylonia, started the siege around Jerusalem, which would eventually lead to the destruction of the city and of the Temple. We fast because this was the beginning of the tragedy.

What is a fast day? On a practical level, the fast (in Hebrew Taanit) means that we do not eat, and we do not drink anything during the entire day (from the dawn until the evening)

There are 4 fasts which start at dawn: The 3^rd of Tishri, the 10^th of Tevet, the 13^th of Adar (Fast of Esther) and the 17^th of Tamuz start at dawn. There are 2 others fasts, Tisha Beav and Yom Kippur, which starts from the eve before. Thus, there is a total of six fasts in the Jewish calendar.

But there is something deeper in the fast beyond the remembrance of a specific fact. It is a day where we leave our self a little, without being connected that much to our body and its needs, allowing us to connect more to our soul. The fast helps us to get closer to G-d. This is why on fast days, we increase our good deeds, especially in charity and Torah study.

Shabbat Shalom,

Arie from the Yeshiva

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This Monday, 6 Tevet, will be my 19th birthday. This year’s birthday has something very interesting. It’s going to be the first time since my birth that my birthday on the Jewish calendar will coincide with my birthday on the Gregorian calendar. 

As we know, the Jewish holidays (as well as the Jewish birthdays) do not always occur on the same date in the Gregorian calendar. For instance, Chanukah this year started on December 10 while last year, it started on December 22.

Why is there such a difference?

There are various ways to count the years. One way is to follow the yearly cycle of the sun. This cycle is about 365 days, which we divide in 12 months.

Another way is to follow the monthly cycle of the moon, with each new moon signaling the beginning of a new month. This monthly lunar cycle is 29 ½ days. It follows that 12 lunar months make a year of 354 days.

Whoever knows arithmetic will see that there is a difference of 11 days between the solar and the lunar year.

The Gregorian calendar follows the first way, the solar cycle. The Jewish calendar combines both ways. In other words, it is based on the lunar month but also on the solar year. How is this possible and why is it needed?

The Torah commands us to count the years according to the moon, and this is why the Jewish people count the months according to the New Moon. But the Torah commands us as well to celebrate Passover during the spring season. 

There is a problem here. If we count the year only according to the moon, we “lose” 11 days every year in comparison with the solar cycle. After a few years, we will have “lost” so many days that Pesach will fall in the winter. 

This is why our Sages have devised the Jewish calendar, where we add an extra lunar month (Adar I) every couple of years. In this way, after 19 years, the gap between the solar and the lunar years is resolved. In other words, after 19 years, the same number of days will have passed in the Jewish calendar as well as in the solar cycle (the Gregorian calendar).

Thus, the Jewish Holidays occur on various days in the Gregorian calendar, but Pesach is always celebrated in the spring. And every 19 years, the Jewish date coincides with the Gregorian date.

The next time my Jewish birthday (6 Tevet) will coincide with my Gregorian birthday (December 21), I will be 38 years old!

Shabbat Shalom,

Arie from the Yeshiva

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Chanukah lasts for 8 days and we light eight candles, starting with one candle on the first night and adding one candle every following night. Why then does the Chanukiya have 9 candles? Why do we need the 9th candle for?

The exclusive purpose of the candles of Chanukah is to remind us of the miracles of the past. This is why it is forbidden to use them for any other purpose, such as getting light, light up a cigarette or other candles. We cannot use the 8 candles of Chanukah for any other purpose, even to light one another. This is the role of the Shamash. It is a candle that is not part of the Chanukah lights, and it serves as a lighter for the other candles. This is the meaning of its name, Shamash, from the Hebrew word Meshamesh, one who serves and helps the other candles.

We usually place the Shamash on the Chanukiya, not on the same level as the other candles, but higher. This teaches us something important. When we help someone with something, not only do we no lose anything, but we reach higher, we become better people ourselves.

Shabbat Shalom and Chanukah Sameach!

Arie from the Yeshiva