Tzom Tammuz 2027 — צום י״ז בתמוז
Tzom Tammuz, also called Shivah Asar B’Tammuz, is the Fast of the Seventeenth of Tammuz. It is a Jewish fast day that remembers several tragedies in Jewish history, especially the breaching of the walls of Jerusalem before the destruction of the Second Beit HaMikdash.
In 2027, the fast falls on Thursday, July 22, which is 17 Tammuz 5787. The fast begins at dawn and ends after nightfall. Exact beginning and ending times depend upon location.
Tzom Tammuz also begins a serious period of the Jewish calendar called Bein HaMetzarim, the Three Weeks. These weeks gradually lead us from remembering the breaching of Jerusalem’s walls to mourning the destruction of the Beit HaMikdash on Tisha B’Av.
The Sequence of Days and Events in 2027
The observance in 2027 follows this sequence:
Wednesday, July 21, 2027 is 16 Tammuz. The fast has not yet begun during the evening because Tzom Tammuz is a daytime fast rather than a 25-hour fast. A person may normally eat and drink during the night before the fast. Someone planning to wake before dawn to eat should follow the halachic rules concerning making that intention before going to sleep.
Thursday, July 22 is 17 Tammuz and Tzom Tammuz. The fast begins at dawn. Healthy adults who are obligated to fast refrain from both food and drink until nightfall. Special prayers and Torah readings are added during the day.
The morning service includes fast-day prayers and the Torah reading from Shemot 32:11-14 and 34:1-10. These passages describe Moshe asking HaShem to forgive Bnei Yisrael following the sin of the Golden Calf.
During Mincha, the same Torah section is read again. In communities that follow the custom, the Haftarah is Yeshayahu 55:6-56:8, beginning with the call to seek HaShem and return to Him.
Thursday night, after nightfall, the fast ends. However, the Three Weeks have only begun, so the mourning customs associated with that period continue.
Wednesday, August 4 is Rosh Chodesh Av, 1 Av 5787. This begins the more intense portion of the Three Weeks commonly called the Nine Days.
Saturday, August 7 is Shabbat Chazon, the Shabbat immediately before Tisha B’Av.
Wednesday evening, August 11 begins Tisha B’Av.
Thursday, August 12 is 9 Av 5787, Tisha B’Av, when we mourn the destruction of both the First and Second Beit HaMikdash and other tragedies in Jewish history.
In this way, Tzom Tammuz begins a spiritual journey that moves from the walls of Jerusalem being breached to the destruction remembered three weeks later on Tisha B’Av.
Summary
Tzom Tammuz commemorates five tragedies traditionally associated with the 17th of Tammuz.
The Mishnah records that on this date Moshe broke the first Luchot after seeing the Golden Calf, the daily offering in the Beit HaMikdash ceased, the walls of Jerusalem were breached, Apostomos burned a Torah scroll, and an idolatrous image was placed in the Temple.
The most important historical event associated with the later destruction of the Second Beit HaMikdash was the Roman breach of Jerusalem’s walls. After the Romans entered through the city’s defenses, fighting continued. Three weeks later, the Beit HaMikdash was destroyed around Tisha B’Av.
From an Orthodox perspective, fasting is not intended simply to remind us that terrible things happened to our ancestors. A Jewish fast is supposed to lead us toward teshuvah. We examine the failures that contributed to destruction and ask whether similar problems exist in our own lives and communities.
Tzom Tammuz therefore begins with mourning, but its ultimate purpose is repair.
The First Event: Moshe Breaks the Luchot
One of the earliest events remembered on the 17th of Tammuz occurred shortly after Matan Torah.
Moshe had been on Har Sinai for forty days.
When he descended carrying the Luchot, the Tablets of the Covenant, he saw Bnei Yisrael worshiping the Golden Calf.
The Torah tells us that Moshe threw down the tablets and shattered them.
This was an enormous spiritual crisis.
Only a short time after standing at Sinai and accepting the Torah, part of the nation had turned toward idolatry.
Tzom Tammuz therefore begins with a broken relationship between the Jewish people and HaShem.
But the Torah story does not end there.
Moshe prayed for the people.
Teshuvah became possible.
New tablets were eventually given.
Something had been broken, but it could be repaired.
This idea becomes important for understanding the entire fast.
The Daily Offering Ceases
The second tragedy was the interruption of the Korban Tamid, the daily offering in the Beit HaMikdash.
The Tamid was offered every morning and afternoon.
Its regularity represented the continuing service of HaShem.
During the siege of Jerusalem, conditions became so severe that the offering could no longer continue.
This was more than a logistical problem.
A service that had taken place every day suddenly stopped.
There is a lesson here about consistency.
Jewish life is often built through things we do repeatedly.
Prayer.
Torah learning.
Shabbat.
Brachot.
Tzedakah.
Small mitzvot performed consistently can become the structure of a Jewish life.
When that regular connection disappears, something important can slowly weaken.
The Walls of Jerusalem Are Breached
The event most strongly associated with the fast is the breaching of Jerusalem’s walls.
During the Roman siege preceding the destruction of the Second Beit HaMikdash, Roman forces broke through the city’s defenses on the 17th of Tammuz.
Once the walls were breached, the destruction of the city became increasingly difficult to prevent.
Three weeks later came the catastrophe remembered on Tisha B’Av.
This is why the 17th of Tammuz begins the Three Weeks.
The wall had protected Jerusalem.
Once that protection failed, the danger moved inward.
There is also a useful spiritual lesson in the image of a wall.
People and communities need boundaries.
Halachah creates boundaries.
Shabbat creates boundaries around time.
Kashrut creates boundaries around food.
Jewish ethics create boundaries around behavior.
Those boundaries are not intended simply to restrict us. They can also protect what is valuable.
Apostomos Burns the Torah
The Mishnah also records that a man named Apostomos burned a Torah scroll.
The exact historical circumstances are not completely clear.
What matters to Jewish memory is the symbolism.
Burning a Torah scroll is not simply destroying parchment.
It represents an attack on Torah itself.
Throughout Jewish history, enemies have sometimes understood that attacking Jewish books, Torah study, and religious institutions could weaken Jewish identity.
Tzom Tammuz reminds us that preserving Torah learning is part of preserving Am Yisrael.
An Idol Is Placed in the Beit HaMikdash
The fifth tragedy remembered on this day is the placement of an idolatrous image in the Temple.
The precise historical details are discussed in traditional sources, but the meaning is clear.
The Beit HaMikdash was supposed to be dedicated entirely to the service of HaShem.
Introducing idolatry into that sacred place represented a terrible violation of its purpose.
This reminds us that holiness requires more than having a holy building.
What happens inside matters.
The same can be said about our own Jewish lives.
Having a mezuzah on the door is meaningful.
So is making the home itself a place of honesty, kindness, Torah, and respect.
Why Do We Fast?
The purpose of the fast is not simply suffering.
Jewish fasting is connected with teshuvah.
We intentionally reduce our physical comfort so that we can pay greater attention to spiritual matters.
The fast asks us to remember what happened and then look at ourselves.
Where have we allowed something important to weaken?
Have we become careless about a mitzvah?
Have we treated another person badly?
Have we contributed to division within the Jewish community?
Have we forgotten HaShem while becoming absorbed in everyday life?
These are more important questions than simply counting the hours until we can eat again.
How the Fast Is Observed
For healthy adults who are obligated to fast, eating and drinking are prohibited from dawn until nightfall.
Tzom Tammuz is a minor fast, so it does not include all the restrictions of Yom Kippur or Tisha B’Av.
Ordinary washing is permitted.
Leather shoes may be worn.
Work is permitted.
Driving and ordinary weekday activities are allowed.
The main physical restriction is fasting from food and drink.
Health and Fasting
Judaism does not ask a person to endanger their health to observe a minor fast.
Someone who is ill may be exempt.
Pregnancy, nursing, medication, and other medical circumstances can affect the obligation.
A person with a medical concern should follow medical advice and appropriate halachic guidance.
Someone who cannot fast can still observe the spiritual purpose of the day.
They can pray.
They can learn Torah.
They can give tzedakah.
They can think about teshuvah.
Being medically unable to fast does not remove a person from the Jewish community or from the meaning of the day.
Selichot — סליחות
Special penitential prayers called Selichot are added to the morning service.
Selichot ask HaShem for mercy and forgiveness.
The exact wording and melodies differ among Ashkenazi, Sephardic, and Mizrahi traditions.
A Sephardic service may sound very different from an Ashkenazi service, even though both communities are observing the same fast.
The differences in melody do not change the purpose.
We are asking HaShem to hear our prayers and help us return to Him.
Aneinu — עננו
A special prayer called Aneinu is included on fast days.
The word means “Answer us.”
The prayer asks HaShem to answer us in the time of our distress and to hear our prayer.
Different Orthodox traditions insert Aneinu at slightly different points or services.
In common Ashkenazi practice, an individual who is fasting adds Aneinu during Mincha, while the chazzan includes it during the repetition of the Amidah at Shacharit and Mincha.
Sephardic customs differ in some details, and worshipers should follow their siddur and community practice.
The Torah Reading
During both Shacharit and Mincha, the Torah reading comes from Shemot.
It includes Moshe’s prayer after the sin of the Golden Calf and HaShem’s revelation of His attributes of mercy.
This is a powerful choice for a fast day.
The Torah reading does not simply describe destruction.
It describes Moshe asking HaShem to forgive the Jewish people.
The message is that even after serious failure, teshuvah and mercy remain possible.
The Haftarah at Mincha
In Ashkenazi and various other communities, a special Haftarah is read during Mincha.
It begins:
דרשו ה׳ בהמצאו
Dirshu HaShem b’himatzo.
“Seek HaShem while He may be found.”
The passage comes from Yeshayahu 55 and continues into chapter 56.
It calls upon a person who has gone in the wrong direction to return to HaShem.
That makes it particularly appropriate for a fast day.
Ashkenazi Observance
Ashkenazi Orthodox communities generally fast from dawn until nightfall.
Selichot are included in Shacharit.
The Torah is read during Shacharit and Mincha.
Aneinu is added according to Ashkenazi practice.
The special fast-day Haftarah is commonly read at Mincha.
The beginning of the Three Weeks also brings mourning customs such as avoiding weddings, haircuts, and music according to the established community practice.
Sephardic Observance
Sephardic Jews observe the same daytime fast and remember the same historical events.
The prayer service may use different Selichot and melodies.
There are also differences in the placement of Aneinu and in some details concerning the fast-day service.
Sephardic communities have their own customs for the mourning period beginning on the 17th of Tammuz.
Some restrictions become especially intense only after Rosh Chodesh Av or during the week in which Tisha B’Av occurs.
A person should therefore follow the halachic tradition of their own community rather than assuming every Three Weeks practice is identical.
Mizrahi Observance
Mizrahi communities from Iraq, Iran, Syria, Yemen, Kurdistan, and other parts of the Middle East also observe the 17th of Tammuz as a fast.
Many follow Sephardic halachic rulings while preserving their own melodies, pronunciation, piyutim, and synagogue customs.
An Iraqi fast-day service may sound different from a Yemenite or Syrian service.
The cultural expression may differ, but everyone is remembering Jerusalem and the Beit HaMikdash.
This is another example of how Am Yisrael can preserve many traditions while sharing the same Torah and historical memory.
The Three Weeks — בין המצרים
Tzom Tammuz begins the period called:
בין המצרים
Bein HaMetzarim.
“Between the straits.”
It is commonly called the Three Weeks.
The period runs from the 17th of Tammuz through Tisha B’Av and commemorates the events leading to the destruction of Jerusalem and the Beit HaMikdash.
The mood becomes gradually more serious as Tisha B’Av approaches.
Mourning During the Three Weeks
Common Orthodox practices during the Three Weeks include avoiding weddings and certain other major celebrations.
Many communities avoid haircuts.
Music and some forms of entertainment are limited according to community custom.
The exact rules are not identical in every Jewish community.
The goal is not to make Jewish life miserable for three weeks.
These practices help us remember that we are living in a world where the Beit HaMikdash has not yet been rebuilt.
Rosh Chodesh Av and the Nine Days
In 2027, Rosh Chodesh Av falls on Wednesday, August 4.
This begins a more intense period of mourning commonly called the Nine Days.
Ashkenazi communities generally add restrictions concerning meat, wine, bathing for pleasure, freshly laundered clothing, and other activities according to halachah and custom.
Sephardic and Mizrahi practices can differ, with some restrictions beginning later.
This is why someone learning Orthodox Judaism should not assume that every practice seen in one community automatically applies in exactly the same way to another.
The Road Toward Tisha B’Av
The mourning period continues toward Tisha B’Av.
In 2027, Tisha B’Av falls on Thursday, August 12.
Tzom Tammuz remembers the wall being breached.
Tisha B’Av remembers the destruction that followed.
Together they create a historical and spiritual sequence.
First there is a breach.
Then there is a period when destruction might still be imagined or feared.
Finally comes the catastrophe itself.
That sequence encourages us to notice problems early.
Jerusalem at the Center
Tzom Tammuz is deeply connected with Jerusalem.
Jerusalem is not simply the location where these events happened.
It remains central to Orthodox Jewish prayer and belief.
We face Jerusalem when we pray.
We ask HaShem to rebuild Jerusalem in the Amidah.
We mention Jerusalem in Birkat HaMazon.
We remember Jerusalem at weddings.
Pesach ends with the hope of Jerusalem.
The fast reminds us that Jewish memory has never abandoned the city.
The Beit HaMikdash
The destruction of the Beit HaMikdash remains part of traditional Jewish consciousness.
Orthodox Judaism does not view the Temple simply as an interesting archaeological subject.
Our prayers continue to ask HaShem for the rebuilding of the Beit HaMikdash and the restoration of its service.
The Three Weeks therefore mourn something that Jewish tradition still hopes will one day be restored.
Jewish Unity
There is another important lesson connected with this period.
Rabbinic tradition famously associates the destruction of the Second Beit HaMikdash with sinat chinam, baseless hatred among Jews.
Tzom Tammuz therefore gives us an opportunity to examine how we speak to and about other Jews.
Jews will disagree.
Orthodox Jews disagree with one another.
Ashkenazi, Sephardic, and Mizrahi communities maintain different customs.
Religious and secular Jews may understand Jewish life very differently.
Disagreement does not require hatred.
A person can believe strongly in Torah and halachah while still treating another Jew with dignity.
What Should We Do Besides Fast?
The fast becomes more meaningful when it leads to action.
Learn some Torah.
Give tzedakah.
Say Tehillim.
Improve one mitzvah.
Repair a damaged relationship if possible.
Reach out to someone who has become isolated.
Learn something about Jerusalem or the Beit HaMikdash.
Think about something in your own life that has developed a small “breach” before it becomes a much larger problem.
The goal is not simply to arrive at nightfall hungry.
The goal is teshuvah.
Tzom Tammuz for Someone New to Jewish Observance
Someone who has never observed Tzom Tammuz may find the fast unfamiliar.
Begin by understanding why it exists.
If you are healthy and halachically obligated, fast from dawn until nightfall.
Attend Shacharit or Mincha if you can.
Listen to the Torah reading.
Learn about Jerusalem and the Beit HaMikdash.
If you do not know the Selichot, follow along in English.
Ask questions.
If you cannot fast for medical reasons, do not assume the day has nothing to offer you.
You can still participate through prayer, Torah learning, tzedakah, and reflection.
A Tevel Zion Lesson From Tzom Tammuz
Tzom Tammuz begins with something being broken.
The Luchot are broken.
The daily Temple service stops.
The walls of Jerusalem are broken.
A Torah scroll is attacked.
The holiness of the Beit HaMikdash is violated.
But Jewish history did not end there.
That may be one of the most important lessons of the day.
Something can be broken without being permanently lost.
A Jew may feel that their connection with Judaism has been broken.
Someone may not have entered a synagogue in twenty years.
Another person may know almost nothing about Torah.
Someone may have become angry with religion or may feel uncomfortable around more observant Jews.
A person may simply feel alone.
Tzom Tammuz tells us to notice the breach and begin repairing it.
Learn something.
Do a mitzvah.
Remember HaShem.
Call another Jew.
Welcome someone into the community.
Repair a relationship when you can.
The fast begins three weeks of mourning, but mourning is not the final Jewish message.
The purpose of remembering destruction is to inspire rebuilding.
We rebuild our relationship with HaShem.
We strengthen Torah in our lives.
We rebuild relationships between Jews.
We make room for people who feel distant.
And we remember Jerusalem while hoping for the day when the mourning associated with these fasts will be transformed into joy.
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