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Yiboneh invites the entire Jerusalem Community to a special presentation by HaRav Yitzchak Breitowitz during the 10 days of Teshuva: “Becoming Who You Really Are”
Thursday September 17, 2015 8PM
Ya’el Shul, in Baka, Ya’el Street #4
Admission: 30 Shekels suggested donation
(student discount available)
For more information and reservations
http://www.yiboneh.com/rabbi-yitzchak-breitowitz.html
The Fast of Gedalia (/ɡɛdəˈlaɪ.ə/ or /ɡəˈdɑːljə/; Hebrew: צוֹם גְּדַלְיָּה Tzom Gedalya), also spelled Gedaliah, is a Jewish fast day from dawn until dusk to lament the assassination of the righteous governor of Judah of that name, whose murder ended Jewish autonomy following the destruction of the First Temple.
Origins
When the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar conquered Jerusalem, he killed or exiled most of its inhabitants and appointed Gedaliah, son of Achikam, as governor of the now-Babylonianprovince of Judah. Many Jews who had fled to Moab, Ammon, Edom, and other neighboring lands returned to Judah, tended the vineyards again, and enjoyed a new respite after their earlier suffering.
However, Baalis, king of Ammon, was hostile and envious of the Judean remnant and sent a Judean, Yishmael Ben Netaniah, who was descended from the royal family of Judea, to assassinate Gedaliah. In the seventh month (Tishrei) of 582/1 BCE (some four to five years following the destruction of the Temple, although the exact year is unclear and subject to dispute; others claim the assassination took place in the same year as the destruction), a group of Jews led by Yishmael came to Gedaliah in the town of Mitzpa and were 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 (in view of the fact that the King’s chosen ruler, Gedaliah, had been killed by a Jew) and fled to Egypt.,[2]
In Hebrew Bible
The events are recounted briefly in the Hebrew Bible in 2 Kings 25:25–26:
- But it came to pass in the seventh month, that Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, the son of Elishama, of the seed royal, came, and ten men with him, and smote Gedaliah, that he died, and the Jews and the Chaldeans that were with him at Mitzpah.
- And all the people, both small and great, and the captains of the forces, arose, and came to Egypt; for they were afraid of the Chaldeans.
A fuller account is in Jeremiah, chapter 41,[3] where the murder of a group of envoys and the kidnapping of the gubernatorial staff and family are also related.:
- In the seventh month, Ishmael son of Nethaniah son of Elishama, of the royal family, one of the chief officers of the king, came with ten men to Gedaliah son of Ahikam, at Mizpah.
- As they ate bread together there at Mizpah, Ishmael son of Nethaniah and ten men with him got up and struck own Gedaliah son of Ahikam son Shaphan with the sword and killed him, because the king of Babylon had appointed him governor in the land.
- Ishmael also killed all the Judeans who were with Gedaliah at Mizpah, and the Chaldean soldiers who happened to be there.[4]
Institution of fast
The surviving remnant of Jews was thus dispersed and the land remained desolate. In remembrance of these tribulations, the Jewish sages instituted the ‘Fast of the Seventh’ (see Zechariah 8:19) on the day of Gedaliah’s assassination in the seventh month.
It is suggested that Gedaliah was slain on the first day of Tishrei but the fast is not commemorated until after Rosh Hashanah, since fasting is prohibited during a festival. The Rabbis have said that the aim of this fast day is to establish that the death [i.e. murder] of the righteous is likened to the burning of the House of God. Just as they ordained a fast upon the destruction of the Jewish Temple, likewise they ordained a fast upon the death of Gedaliah.
Dates
The fast is observed immediately after the second day of the High Holy Day of Rosh Hashana, the third of Tishrei in the Hebrew calendar. The Gregorian (civil) date for The Fast of Gedalia varies from year to year based on when it corresponds with the third of Tishrei.
16 What’s your favorite late summer food? Kohlrabi Empanadas Kohlrabi croquette. This is a good dish to consume before of after a fast.
Need to sneak some vegetables by a picky eater? These empanadas, inspired by a trip to Mendoza, Argentina, are the perfect vehicle for spicing up boring vegetables. Use homemade dough if you want, but for those short on time as we all usually are, store-bought pie crust works great. Switch up the vegetables with what is in season.
Ingredients
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil- 1 tbsp butter or additional olive oil
- 3 clove garlic
- 1 piece ginger
- 2 kohlrabi bulbs
- salt and pepper
- 1 large yellow squash
- 2 scallion
- 1/2 cup chopped spinach
- 1 pinch nutmeg, ground
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp water
- 1 15 oz pastry from cusmine flour
- Heat olive oil and butter in a skillet over medium heat. Stir in garlic and ginger.
- cook and stir until fragrant, about 3 minutes. Stir in kohlrabi, and season with salt and pepper. Cook and stir until kohrabi has softened, 3 to 4 minutes. Toss in yellow squash and continue to cook until squash is tender for 4 more minutes. Stir in the green onion, spinach, and nutmeg. Add more salt and pepper, as needed. Cook until the spinach has wilted, about 1 minutes. Set mixture aside to cool.
- Preheat an oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Beat the egg with water in a small bowl; set aside.
- Roll out the pie crust by running a rolling pin over it once or twice. Cut out about 16 6-inch circles using a large cookie cutter or cereal bowl. Fill the center of each circle with about 1 tablespoon of the kohlrabi mixture. Brush the edges of the pastry with water, then fold the dough in half. Crimp the edge of the dough with a fork to seal, and place on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining pastry and vegetable filling. Prick each empanada with a fork, then brush with the egg wash.
- Bake in the preheated oven until golden brown and flaky, 5 to 7 minutes. Serve hot from the oven.
savyatseventy 