6:45 AM
Gil Student
What happened on the 17th of Tammuz? (from Aish):
Five great catastrophes occurred in Jewish history on the 17th of Tammuz:
- Moses broke the tablets at Mount Sinai - in response to the sin of the Golden Calf.
- The daily offerings in the First Temple were suspended during the siege of Jerusalem, after the Kohanim could no longer obtain animals.
Jerusalem's walls were breached, prior to the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 CE.
- Prior to the Great Revolt, the Roman general Apostamos burned a Torah scroll - setting a precedent for the horrifying burning of Jewish books throughout the centuries.
- An idolatrous image was placed in the Sanctuary of the Holy Temple - a brazen act of blasphemy and desecration.
