The Tenth of Tevet (עשרה בטבת) commemorates the onset of the siege that Nebuchadrezzar of Babylonia laid to ancient Jerusalem in the year 3336 from Creation (425 BCE). Thirty months later -- on Tammuz 9, 3338 -- the city walls were breached, and on Av 9th of that year, the Holy Temple was destroyed. The Jewish people were exiled to Babylonia for 70 years. , an event that ultimately led to the destruction of Solomon's Temple (the First Temple) and Babylonia's conquest of southern Israel's Kingdom of Judah

The 10th day of Tevet is observed as a day of fasting, as it is one of the annual fast days, though less famous than Yom Kippur and Tisha B'av. Those observing the fast day abstain from food and drink from daybreak to nightfall, and in their daily prayer add the Selichot and other traditional supplements for the day. The 10th day of Tevet is also a day designated as a "general kaddish day" for the victims of the Holocaust.

Mazor Guide to Shavuot, Pentecost, brings you much more about the holiday, its meaning and its traditions... See the links below.

• Asara b'Tevet Home

MazorGuide Recommended Reading

To Be A Jew: A Guide To Jewish Observance In Contemporary Life (Paperback)
by Hayim H. Donin (Author)