From Isolation to Global Transformation
The 10th of Tevet symbolizes the collapse of Judaism's universal vision, but it is destined to become a day of joy for all mankind
Based on the teachings of Rabbi Yitzchak Ginsburgh
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The 10th of Tevet marks the beginning of the Babylonian siege on Jerusalem, which ultimately led to the destruction of the First Temple. It is considered a relatively "minor" fast day in Judaism, lasting only from dawn until nightfall. Sadly, a significant portion of the public today remains unaware of its existence. In this essay, we aim to delve into the deeper meanings of this day, which, like all other occasions on the Jewish calendar, holds hidden dimensions far beyond its apparent themes.
Four Fasts
The 10th of Tevet is the first of four fast days that commemorate stages in the destruction of the First Temple:
10th of Tevet: The start of the Babylonian siege on Jerusalem.
17th of Tammuz: The breach of Jerusalem’s walls two and a half years later.
9th of Av: The destruction of the Temple itself (many years later, the Romans destroyed the Second Temple on the same date).
3rd of Tishrei (Fast of Gedaliah): The assassination of Gedaliah ben Ahikam, who governed the remnants of the Jewish people remaining in the Land of Israel after the Babylonian exile. This event marked the end of Jewish autonomy and the beginning of the exile.
Among these four fasts, the significance of Tisha B’Av, commemorating the Temple’s destruction, is clear. However, one might ask: Why are the other three events—the siege, the breach of the walls, and the assassination of Gedaliah—important enough to merit their own fast days? Is Tisha B’Av not enough? Why do these intermediate losses in the conflict, as well as an assassination that occurred afterward, deserve collective remembrance?
Wings, Body, Spirit
One thought-provoking way to understand the sequence of these fasts is to view the Temple as consisting of four concentric circles, each reflecting a dimension of Jewish existence. Each stage in the Temple’s destruction shattered a different, more inner circle.
The two events preceding the Temple’s destruction—the imposition of the siege on the 10th of Tevet and the breaching of Jerusalem’s walls on the 17th of Tammuz—can be seen as the severing of the Temple’s "wings," which extended outward. The Temple, though stationary, can be imagined as spreading two wings outward: a national wing, covering the city of Jerusalem in which the Temple stood, and a universal wing, extending beyond the city walls to the rest of the world.
When the Babylonians besieged Jerusalem and isolated it from the outside world on the 10th of Tevet, they metaphorically clipped the Temple’s universal wing, confining Judaism within a purely national context. When they breached the walls and captured the city on the 17th of Tammuz, they severed the national wing, leaving only the religious core—the Temple itself. The eventual destruction of the Temple on the 9th of Av was akin to the death of a bird whose wings had already been clipped.
What about the assassination of Gedaliah, which occurred about two months after the Temple's destruction? Continuing with our metaphor, this symbolizes the final extinguishing of the Temple’s last lingering "spirit." The small Jewish population that remained in the Land of Israel after the exile represented the final ember of hope for the Temple’s restoration. When their leader was murdered and they were scattered, it marked the last throes of the Temple’s spiritual vitality, leaving nothing but a lifeless shell of its former glory.
This understanding provides profound insight into the significance of each of these fast days and their role in commemorating not just the physical destruction of the Temple but the gradual loss of its broader dimensions—national, universal, and spiritual.
A House of Prayer for All Nations
Let us now focus on the 10th of Tevet, representing the universal wing of the Temple. Contrary to the common perception that the Temple is solely a national symbol, it was, from its inception, intended to be a spiritual center for the entire world, uniting humanity under the service of Hashem:
"For My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations" (Isaiah 56:7).
This vision is not merely a later innovation of the prophets but was declared in King Solomon's prayer during the dedication of the Temple:
Moreover, concerning the stranger that is not of Your people Israel but comes out of a far country for Your Name’s sake… and shall come and pray toward this house. Hear in heaven Your dwelling place, and do according to all that the stranger calls to You for, so that all the peoples of the earth may know Your Name, to fear You as Your people Israel… (I Kings 8:41–43).
While the Temple did not fully realize this universal mission, it always aspired toward it. From its foundation, it was oriented toward a global horizon. This universal aspect of the Torah, longing for humanity’s unification in the service of Hashem, is a recurring theme in the visions of the prophets. Perhaps the most well-known is Isaiah’s prophecy, which also focuses on the Temple:
And it shall come to pass in the last days that the mountain of Hashem’s house shall be established at the top of the mountains and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it. And many peoples shall go and say: Come, let us go up to the mountain of Hashem, to the house of the God of Jacob, and He will teach us of His ways, and we will walk in His paths. For out of Zion shall go forth Torah and the word of Hashem from Jerusalem. And He shall judge among the nations and shall decide among many peoples; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore. (Isaiah 2:2–4).
These verses remind us that, although the Torah often seems focused on the Jewish people, its broader aim is the elevation and rectification of all humanity. The role of Israel is to pave the way for unifying humanity around the service of Hashem. The relationship between Israel and the nations is analogous to the relationship between the Kohanim (priests) and the rest of the Jewish people: Just as the Kohanim serve in the Temple on behalf of all Jews, so too is Israel as a whole meant to serve humanity and unite it around the Temple. This is why the Torah designates Israel as a "kingdom of priests" before calling it a "holy nation" (Exodus 19:6).
We can now better understand the meaning of the 10th of Tevet. The siege of Jerusalem symbolizes the obstruction of the Temple’s universal horizon. The siege metaphorically blocked Judaism's potential to expand outward toward the nations and forced it, at least for the time being, to retreat into its own limited space. The fast of the 10th of Tevet, therefore, mourns the concealment of Judaism’s universal vision, the loss of its ability to shine its light upon the world, and its constriction to a state where it shines only to itself.
Failed Attempts at Universality
This interpretation connects intriguingly with two additional events associated with the 10th of Tevet:
The Septuagint translation: The Torah’s translation into Greek was completed on the 8th of Tevet. However, Jewish sources describe this event as one that “darkened the world for three days”—essentially until the 10th of Tevet. (Indeed, the 8th and 9th of Tevet are classified as “fasts of the righteous,” and in earlier times, select individuals would fast on all three consecutive days.)
The birth of Jesus: According to Jewish tradition, the birth of Jesus is dated to the 9th of Tevet. This tradition even associates the Christian persecution of Jews with this event, suggesting it as a contributing factor to the fast of the 10th of Tevet.
What unites these two events? Simply put, both represent failed attempts to universalize the Torah.
The Septuagint translation made the Bible accessible to the educated classes of the Greek Empire but in a distorted manner. By stripping the Torah of its unique essence, it reduced it to a mere philosophical text—a work of “Jewish philosophy” devoid of its divine distinctiveness. This led to the blurring of boundaries between Judaism and Greek culture, fostering Hellenization, assimilation, and ultimately the persecution of observant Jews.
Christianity represents an even more extreme case. Early Christianity did not define itself as a new religion but as the updated version of Judaism, the “true Israel,” open to all humanity. However, in doing so, it abolished the commandments and the Oral Torah, embraced asceticism and a rejection of the physical, and eventually incorporated numerous idolatrous elements. In this way, Christianity severed itself entirely from Judaism, becoming an independent religion that claimed to replace it and often persecuted it.
The fact that these two misguided attempts at universalizing Judaism occurred around the 10th of Tevet reinforces the idea that this day symbolizes a failure to spread the light of the Torah to the nations. It mourns the dimming of the Torah’s universal message and the missed opportunities to illuminate the world.
The Future Holiday of the 10th of Tevet
Before we fully mourn the loss of Judaism’s universal vision, let us remember the prophetic promise that all four fasts associated with the Temple will one day transform into joyous festivals:
Thus says Hashem, Master of Legions: The fast of the fourth month [the 17th of Tammuz], the fast of the fifth [the 9th of Av], the fast of the seventh [the Fast of Gedaliah], and the fast of the tenth [the 10th of Tevet] will become for the house of Judah days of joy, gladness, and festivals of goodness. Love truth and peace (Zechariah 8:19).
This prophetic vision raises the following possibility: If the 10th of Tevet represents the missed opportunity for Jewish universalism, perhaps it will also be the day when this vision is realized in its rectified form. For us, the 10th of Tevet is a day of mourning over the closing of Judaism’s universal horizon. Yet, if we attune ourselves to its deeper significance, we might hear within it the quiet formation of a renewed vision—one that will emerge and shine in the future.
What kind of holiday could the 10th of Tevet be? While we cannot know for certain, we can speculate and suggest possibilities. Here is one idea, inspired by two Talmudic sources connected to this time of year.
1. Adam’s Festival
The first source is a midrashic story about Adam, the first human being. According to the midrash, when Adam experienced the shortening of the days in winter, he feared that this was a punishment for his sin and that the world was heading toward destruction. In response, he fasted and prayed for eight days, pleading with God to spare the world. When the winter solstice passed and the days began to grow longer, Adam realized that this has been a natural phenomenon and not a divine punishment. In relief and gratitude, he established an eight-day festival. From the following year onward, Adam designated all sixteen days—eight days of fasting followed by eight days of celebration—as a time of joy.
The midrash explains that this festival was later adopted by various nations, but its original significance was lost, and it became entangled with pagan rituals. Indeed, many cultures around the world mark the winter solstice in different ways. The most well-known version is the Christian Christmas, which falls on December 25, close to the time of the winter solstice.
This story inevitably reminds us of Hanukkah. Hanukkah lasts for eight days, occurs near the winter solstice, and focuses on the battle of light against darkness. It is likely that the Sages who established Hanukkah recognized the connection between the victory over the Greeks and the natural turning point of the year, creating a festival that offers a Jewish alternative and rectification to pagan winter celebrations.
Which of Adam’s sixteen days does Hanukkah correspond to? Clearly, it aligns with the first eight days, which reflect the intensification of darkness and the need to increase light in response. But what about the next eight days, when the days grow longer, and light naturally increases? For this, we turn to the second Talmudic source.
2. Adding and Diminishing Light
The second source is the Talmudic debate between Beit Hillel (the House of Hillel) and Beit Shammai (the House of Shammai) regarding the lighting of Chanukah candles. According to Beit Hillel (the practice we follow), one begins with one candle on the first night and adds an additional candle each night, culminating in eight candles. Beit Shammai, however, maintains the opposite approach: one begins with eight candles on the first night and reduces the number each night, ending with a single candle.
One explanation for Beit Shammai’s position is that the amount of light should correspond to the diminishing darkness that remains to be dispelled. At the start of the festival, when the darkness is greatest, more light is needed. As the festival progresses and the darkness lessens, fewer candles are required. This approach corresponds to the latter eight days of Adam’s festival, during which the natural light increases.
Although we do not currently follow Beit Shammai, tradition holds that in the future, the halacha will align with his views. How might this affect Hanukkah? One possibility is that Beit Shammai’s practice will simply replace that of Beit Hillel. However, inspired by the story of Adam’s festival, we can imagine another option: that after completing the usual eight days of Chanukah according to Beit Hillel, we would continue the holiday for another eight days, this time following Beit Shammai’s approach.
In the first eight days—corresponding to the pre-solstice period—the darkness grows stronger, and Beit Hillel’s method of increasing light is appropriate. In the following eight days—corresponding to the post-solstice period—the light grows naturally, and Beit Shammai’s method of decreasing light fits. If such a festival were instituted, it would serve as a complete rectification of Adam’s original festival.
How is all this connected to the 10th of Tevet? Well, a simple calculation will show you that if Hanukkah were extended by eight days, it would end precisely on the 10th of Tevet! In this way, Hanukkah and the 10th of Tevet would merge into one great Festival of Lights, transitioning from increasing light to diminishing light.
From Isolation to Rectification
The unification of Chanukah and the 10th of Tevet would be deeply meaningful, symbolizing a two-stage process in the relationship between Judaism and the cultures of the nations: separation and rectification.
The stage of separation, represented by Hanukkah as we know it, focuses on distancing from the negative and "dark" elements of other cultures while strengthening the unique qualities of Torah and Judaism. This stage is essential for preserving the integrity of the Jewish people and its mission.
The additional eight days would represent the stage of rectification, dedicated to integrating the wisdom of the nations with Torah and rectifying global culture, bringing it to shine with divine light. During these days, the need for illumination from the Jewish people would diminish as the all of humankind would increasingly reflect divine truth.
The culmination of this process would be a global 10th of Tevet festival, where the entire world would light a single candle—a symbol of the peace and unity that would reign. May this vision soon become a reality, and may the light of Torah illuminate the entire world.
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This essay was translated through the kind help of my Patreon supporters:
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