Teves “gathers us in” and lifts us up , Grasp the Light,Teves “gathers us in” and lifts us up
I magine experiencing exhilarating light and joy. And then from one week to the next plunging into darkness and despair. The contrast alone can break a person.
The month of Teves seems to have this dynamic. The month begins with the last few days of Chanukah: days of light and celebration. Just a few short days later we’re thrust into three days designated as days of darkness and fasting.
The eighth of Teves marks the translation of the Torah into Greek which Chazal liken to the making of the Golden Calf and which led to the descent of darkness upon the world. The ninth of Teves marks the death of Ezra the Sofer. To give us a glimpse of the significance of his passing Chazal tell us that had the Torah not been given by Moshe Rabbeinu it would have been given by Ezra. The tenth of Teves — on which we fast — marks the siege of Yerushalayim in the time of the first Temple which led to the breach of its walls two and a half years later and the eventual destruction of the Beis Hamikdash.
How are we to understand the shift in this month? Further why do we focus on the siege of the city? Not only did it take place a few years before the destruction it seems to be ancillary to the actual destruction.
