Broken Symbols, Broken Ideals

July 23, 2024
The Western Wall in Jerusalem (Shutterstock.com)
The Western Wall in Jerusalem (Shutterstock.com)

Today is the 17th of the Hebrew month of Tammuz, the fourth month on the Hebrew calendar. It is a day of both reflection and anticipation. Our sages recount that five tragedies befell our ancestors on this very day: the breaking of the tablets, the cessation of the daily sacrifice, the burning of the Torah scroll, the placement of an idol in the Temple, and most significantly, the breaching of the walls of Jerusalem, which led to the burning of the Temple three weeks later. As a result, it has historically been a day of tragedy and is observed as a fast day, a time for reflection and introspection.

But it is also a day of anticipation, as the prophet Zechariah foretells a future where all fasts that commemorate the stages of Jerusalem’s destruction will transform into days of joy and celebration:

We hope and pray for that time to come quickly, but until the arrival of the Messiah and the rebuilding of the Temple, we continue to fast.

Rabbanit Debbie Zimmerman insightfully points out that each of the five tragic events listed above involved physical objects: tablets, walls, animals, Torah scrolls, and idols in the Temple. Yet, these objects were not just mere artifacts; they were powerful symbols representing profound ideas. Their destruction signified a deep flaw in the way the children of Israel related to the ideals they represented.

The breaking of the tablets by Moses was not merely the destruction of stone. The tablets were a physical reminder of our covenant with God. When the Israelites worshipped the Golden Calf, they violated the commitment symbolized by the tablets. Moses’ act of breaking the tablets highlighted the serious breach in our relationship with God, a physical sign of a spiritual failure.

Similarly, the daily sacrifice represented our continuous devotion and service to God. Its cessation marked a significant disruption in this relationship. But this was just a physical manifestation of the fact that the ideals represented by this Divine service had been lost long before the daily sacrifice was stopped.

More than just a physical barrier meant to protect the city, the walls of Jerusalem symbolized the unity and security of the political and spiritual capital of the Jewish people. By the time the Romans breached these walls in 70 CE, internal strife and conflict had already weakened the city. Jerusalem, once a city of righteousness and unity, had descended into factionalism and discord. The physical breach was merely the culmination of a deeper, internal collapse.

The placement of an idol in the sanctuary was a profound desecration of God’s Temple. It represented the ultimate triumph of falsehood and misunderstanding over truth and sanctity. This act symbolized the degradation of our spiritual and national identity that plagued our nation. The idol, a symbol of paganism and misconception, stood in stark contrast to the monotheistic ideals that the Temple once embodied.

Finally, the burning of the Torah by Apostamus was not just an attack on a physical scroll but an assault on the very essence of Jewish life and learning. The Torah is described as a “tree of life” for those who hold fast to it, guiding us through lifeā€™s complexities. When Apostamus burned the Torah, it symbolized an attack on our intellectual and spiritual heritage. The burning of the Torah scroll was a physical act that symbolized the rejection of what it stood for by the children of Israel.

Throughout our history, the destruction of symbols often followed the deterioration of the ideals they represented. Our fast on the 17th of Tammuz is not just about mourning the loss of physical objects but about recognizing and repairing the deeper spiritual and moral breaches they signify.

Fast days are times of introspection. They challenge us to move beyond the superficial preservation of symbols and to engage deeply with the ideas and values they represent. Our sages teach us that every generation in which the Temple is not rebuilt is as if it had been destroyed in that generation. The continued absence of the Temple means that we still do not have the merit for it to be rebuilt and that we are perpetuating the reasons for its destruction. By focusing on the underlying reasons for its destruction, as well as all the tragedies that occurred on this day, we can strive to heal and fix the internal problems within our community and ourselves. Only then can we hope to truly restore the ideals and values that these symbols represent, paving the way for a future filled with joy and celebration.

The Hebrew Bible is a very big book – actually, 24 books, to be exact. Studying it can feel very overwhelming. Where do you start?


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Shira Schechter

Shira Schechter is the content editor for TheIsraelBible.com and Israel365 Publications. She earned masterā€™s degrees in both Jewish Education and Bible from Yeshiva University. She taught the Hebrew Bible at a high school in New Jersey for eight years before making Aliyah with her family in 2013. Shira joined the Israel365 staff shortly after moving to Israel and contributed significantly to the development and publication of The Israel Bible.

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