Home > Fast of Gedalia

When the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar conquered Jerusalem, he deported the poor inhabitants and left a simple man, Gedaliah, son of Achikam, in charge of the now-Babylonian province. Many Jews who had fled to Moab, Ammon, Edom, and other neighboring lands returned to the land of Judah, tended the vineyards given to them by the king of Babylonia, and enjoyed a new respite after their earlier oppression.

The King of Ammon however - hostile and envious of the Judean remnant - sent a loyal Jew, Yishmael Ben Netaniah, to assassinate Gedaliah. In the seventh month ( Tishri), Yishmael came to Gedaliah in the town of Mitzpa , and was received cordially. Gedaliah had been warned of his guest's murderous intent, but refused to believe his informants, having the belief that their report was mere slander. Yishmael murdered Gedaliah, together with most of the Jews who had joined him and many Babylonians whom the Babylonian King had left with Gedaliah. The remaining Jews feared the vengeance of the Babylonian King (seeing as his chosen ruler, Gedalia, had been killed by a Jew) and fled to Egypt.

The surviving remnant of Jews was thus dispersed and the land remained desolate. In remembrance of these tribulations, Jewish sages instituted the 'Fast of the Seventh' on the day of Gedaliah's assassination in the seventh month.

There is some suggestion that Gedaliah was slain on the first day of Tishri, but the fast was postponed till after Rosh HashanahRosh Hashanah Observed by: Jews Name Hebrew: Translation: "Head of the year" Begins: 1st day of Tishrei Ends: 2nd day Tishrei OccasionJewish spiritual new year Beginning of the Days of Awe Symbols: Shofar, round challah bread and apples dipped in honey Re, since fasting is prohibited during a festival. Concerning this fast day, the Rabbis have said that its aim is to establish that the death of the righteous is likened to the burning of the house of GodThis article focuses on the concept of singular, monotheistic God . See deity, gods, or goddesses for details on divine entities in specific religions and mythologies. God is a term referring to the supreme being generally believed to be ruler or creator. Just as they ordained a fast upon the destruction of the Jewish Temple, likewise they ordained a fast upon the death of Gedaliah.

When Rosh Hashanah falls on Thursday and Friday, the fast is postponed till Sunday, since no public fast may be observed on ShabbatShabbat or Shabbos ( Ashkenazic pronunciation) ( shabb rest), is a day of rest that is observed once a week, on Saturday, by practitioners of Judaism, as well as by many secular Jews. Etymology The Hebrew word Shabbat comes from the Hebrew verb shabat whi (Saturday) with the exception of Yom KippurYom Kippur Observed by: Jews Name Hebrew: Meaning: "Day of atonement and repentance" Begins: 10th day of Tishri Ends: 10th day of Tishri OccasionJewish judgement day (for each person), day of atonement The end of the Days of Awe Symbols: Shofar and fastin.

The fast is observed from daybreak until the stars appear at night. The cantor includes the prayer Anenu in the repetition of the Shachrit amidahThis entry is concerned with a prayer in the Jewish liturgy known as the Amidah ("Standing") or the Shemoneh Esreh ("The Eighteen". Prayers in the weekday Amidah The prayers of the weekday Amidah are: # Known as Avot ("Ancestors") this prayer offers prais. A TorahTorah [] is a Hebrew word meaning teaching instruction or especially Law''. It primarily refers to the first section of the Tanakh, i. the first five books of the Hebrew Bible. These books are Genesis Bereishit []), Exodus Shemot []), Leviticus Vayikra [] scroll is taken (from the the ark) the Thirteen Divine Attributes are said and the Passages of Vayechal are read from the Torah (Exodus 32:14 and 34:1-10).