R. Avi Strausberg on the 17th of Tammuz: In the Depths of Sorrow

Ta Shma

Tomorrow, we arrive at the second of the four annual fasts commemorating the destruction of the Temple. According to the Mishnah (Ta’anit 4:6), 17 Tammuz marks the end of the offering of the tamid, the daily sacrifice, as well as the breaching of the city walls. Until this point, despite the siege, the routine of Temple life had continued with the tamid as the daily offering before God. But from this point forward, as a result of the siege, there were no longer lambs left to bring to the altar and the tamid went unoffered. This break in Temple life, along with the breaching of the Temple walls, must have been heartbreaking for those living in Jerusalem.