Meaning and Rituals in Tammuz
The following ritual was submitted by Nechama Lurie. She belongs to a Well Circle outside of Detroit.
17th of Tammuz
The 17th of Tammuz is an important day for Hebrew calendar geeks. It marks the day the Jerusalem walls were breached by the Romans, kicking off a period of mourning which culminates in the destruction of both Temples in the upcoming month, on the 9th of Av.
But back to the 17th of Tammuz. On this day, centuries earlier, while wandering in the desert, Moses smashes the Tablets of the Ten Commandments after descending from Mount Sinai to witness the Israelites worshipping a Golden Calf. This day is a rather destructive day, and Jews the world over commemorate this moment with a fast (observed from dawn on the 17th of Tammuz until the sun goes down on the 18th of Tammuz).
Whether you fast on this day or not, you’re invited to pay specific attention to the natural human inclination to lose one’s faith and get distracted by anger.
Rosh Chodesh: a Holiday Specially for Jewish Women
Because the Israelite women didn’t participate in the sin of building the Golden Calf (in spite of the men’s demands that the women donate their gold jewelry to construct the bovine idol, the women refused), the great commentator Rashi declared Rosh Chodesh a holiday specifically for Jewish women.
(Rashi is a mega important, 11th century Jewish thinker and commentator on the Torah. So much of modern Jewish thought comes from him. He should really have a hashtag — #WWRS - What Would Rashi Say?)
For this, the Divine gifted Jewish women Rosh Chodesh, an extra time of rest and study each month. It just so happened this holiday coincided with our traditional menstruating time. (But let’s be real; there are no coincidences.)
Where Did We Get the Name Tammuz?
The Hebrew names for the Jewish months originated in Babylon during the 70-year exile (after the destruction of the First Temple in 586 B.C.E.). “Tammuz” was actually the name of a Babylonian idol and deity. Maimonides, aka the Rambam, tells us that Tammuz was a false prophet who, according to ancient Mesopotamian lore, was crowned by the gods and flies away following his tragic death.
How sacrilegious to then attribute one of Hebrew months to an icon that contradicts the very core of Judaism’s monotheistic beliefs, right?! But actually, not really; Judaism is all about striving towards more light and learning from our mistakes. The Israelites indeed struggled to adhere to the prohibition against idol worship as they wandered. Naming this month after a false idol is a reminder of past mistakes and a commemoration to overcoming them.