Today is the Tenth of Tevet, an important day on the Jewish calendar. A day on which in 425 BC (2,436 years ago!) the walls of Jerusalem were surrounded by the army of Nebuchadnezzar. This was the first of a series of events that eventually led to the tragic destruction of the First Temple in Jerusalem, so this day is considered a day of mourning and is for many a fast day.
The interesting thing about events on the Jewish calendar is that we don't just commemorate history, we actually re-live it.....we believe that even today thousands of years later we can help rectify this tragedy by our actions. We as a People take collective responsibility for all that has occurred in the past, and rather than assuming an attitude of "let bygones be bygones" we roll up our sleeves and get to work. What kind of work you may ask? Well of course that is highly individual, but the main points are to be truly grateful for all that we have, to work towards bringing goodness into the world, to have compassion for others, and to believe that we each individually have the power and ability to make positive changes in ourselves and in the world around us. Wishing you a meaningful Tenth of Tevet!
(Oh and by the way, I had hoped to do a craft project with the boys, but since they ran out to play in the winter sunshine I crocheted around a page my six year old brought home from school instead. A fun idea to keep in mind if you ever need to dress up a little sign or notice or even some pieces of children's art, and if you don't crochet, well a blanket stitch with some thick yarn or ribbon would work too.)