Prayer for rebuilding the Holy Temple
Prayer for rebuilding the Holy TempleYedidia Meir

Today, the fourth of Tishrei, the Fast of Gedaliah is held to mark the trragic assassination of the governor of Judea after the destruction of the First Holy Temple. Normally, the fast is on the third of Tishrei, the day following the Rosh Hashanah holiday, but since that fell on the Sabbath this year, the fast was moved to Sunday.

The beginning of the fast takes place in Jerusalem at 05:09 a.m., dawn, and it ends (in Jerusalem) at 6:35 p.m.

The Fast of Gedaliah is one of the four fasts that apply to the destruction of the Temple, in addition to the fasts on the tenth of Tevet, the seventeenth of Tammuz, all three dawn to dusk fasts, and the 9th of Av which begins the previous night.

The Fast of Gedaliah symbolizes the end of hopes for restoring Jewish life in Israel after the First Temple’s destruction in 586 B.C.E.

Under the wise guidance of Gedaliah, a Jew appointed by the Babylonians as governor of the kingdom of Judah, those Jews who had remained after the Babylonian exile began to rebuild physical and spiritual life in the land of Israel. Likewise, Jews who had fled to neighboring lands began to return to the land, hearing of the revival being spearheaded by Gedaliah.

However, hopes for revival in Israel were slashed when Gedaliah was assassinated by Ishmael, the son of Nethaniah, a descendant of the royal house of Zedekiah, the last king of Judea. Ishmael, jealous of Gedaliah's position, enlisted the help of the king of the hostile neighboring Ammon to carry out his nefarious plan, and Gedaliah, a pious man, disregarded the warnings of his follower Yohanan ben Kereah who had gotten wind of the plot.

This event led the Jewish community in Israel to flee to Egypt to escape the wrath of the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar, despite the prophet Jeremiah's advising them to stay, and most of these Jews ultimately perished during Nebuchadnezzar’s invasion of Egypt several years later.

The fast takes place during the “Ten Days of Repentance” that fall between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, days characterized by prayer, repentance, charity, careful attention to the performance of mitzvot (commandments) and requesting forgiveness not only from God but from others who we have harmed. Extra prayers are said during this period, incluidng Avinu Malkenu at the end of the Silent Prayer and inserts and word changes in the Silent Prayer itself. (See here and here for details.)

Rabbi Zalman Baruch Melamed, Shlita (may he be granted long life), venerable dean of the Beit El Yeshiva, wrote:

Our Sages (Tractate Rosh Hashanah 18) decreed this fast day in remembrance of Gedalia's murder, just as the day of the Temple's destruction was declared a fast day, saying: "To teach you that the death of a tzaddik, a rightous man, is equivalent to the burning of the House of our G-d." And of course, the death of this tzaddik who served as the pillar of strength for the remnants of Jewry in Judea and the fact that it was Jews who plotted to kill him, destroying the last vestiges of Jewish life in the land, deepens the mourning. This happened, poignantly, during the Ten Days of Repentance,

The Prophet Zachariah prophesied that one day in future times, these days would be turned into days of happiness and rejoicing: "So saith the Lord of Hosts, the fast of the fourth [month of the Jewish year], the fast of the fifth and the fast of the seventh and tenth will be days of happiness and joy and celebration for the House of Judah, and may you love peace and truth." (Zachariah, chap. 8)

There are days inbued with unique powers. If we merit it, they can be transformed into holidays, but if, G-d forbid, we do not, they become days of woe. The ten days between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur are days of that nature, and can be days of tikkun, of improvement, if we will them to be. If we do not merit that, the way it was then, the day becomes the ultimate day of destruction. But the opportunity for tikkun exists, and the day of the fast itself - and the Days of Repentance - harbor a unique possibility of becoming days of renewal, building and adding life and holiness to the world.

May it be G-d's Will that this year be one of salvation and redemption, in which the light of faith and Torah shines on all of Israel. May all our soldiers and the hostages return safely.