“And it came to pass in the ninth year of his reign, in the tenth month (Tevet), in the tenth day of the month (Asarah B’Tevet), that Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came, he, and all his host, against Jerusalem, and pitched against it; and they built forts against it round about. And the city was besieged...”
The Cycle of Minor Fasts and the Fall of Jerusalem
Three years after Jerusalem was besieged, Nebuchadnezzar finally broke through the city walls (on the 17th of Tammuz) and destroyed the Temple three weeks later (on the 9th of Av). Asarah B’Tevet is therefore part of the cycle of fasts connected with the events surrounding the destruction of the Temple:
- Jerusalem Besieged - The fast of Asarah B’Tevet (Tevet 10) marks the day when Nebuchadnezzer first besieged Jerusalem in 587 BC.
- Walls Breached - The Fast of the 17th of Tammuz marks the date when Nebuchadnezzer broke through the walls of Jerusalem and began the 3 week campaign to destroy the Temple (marks the start of the three weeks of sorrow)
- Temple Destroyed - The fast of Tish’ah B'Av (Av 9) marks the fateful day when the Temple was destroyed (marks the last day of the 3 weeks of sorrow).
- Exile - The fast of Gedaliah (Tishri 3) marks the dreadful consequences of the exile and further rebellion.
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