Understanding the Significance of High Holy Days

The High Holy Days, which are almost upon us, are at the beginning and end of a 10-day period known as the aseret y’mey teshuvah –the Ten Days of Repentance. Teshuvah (repentance) derives from the Hebrew root signifying to return, specifically returning to G-d. The Sabbath within this period – -Shabbat Shuvah — is the special Sabbath of Repentance.

Another special day between the major holidays of Rosh Hashanah (Tishre 1 and 2) and Yom Kippur (Tishre 10) is Tzom Gedaliah — the Fast of Gedaliah, which occurs usually Tishre 3. We read about the tragic death of Gedaliah in the Bible, mostly in the Book of Jeremiah, also in 2 Kings.

The Babylonian king, Nebuchadnezzar, had just destroyed the Temple that King Solomon had constructed almost four centuries before. Many Judaeans had been exiled to Babylon; the year was 586 or 587 BCE. Nebuchadnezzar appointed Gedaliah as governor of Judaea, to rule over the population which remained. Those who remained were mostly poor farmers.

One Ishmael, a Jewish officer who had familial connections to the royal line in Jerusalem, conspired to kill Gedaliah with an armed group. The Ishmael group ostensibly came to Gedaliah in peace, but double-crossed the governor, murdering him and his retinue. The assassination of Gedaliah frightened the Judaeans and angered the Babylonian king.

Many Judaeans fled to Egypt to escape the wrath of King Nebuchadnezzar for Gedaliah’s murder, as the fear was that the Babylonian monarch would blame the remaining Jewish citizens for starting a rebellion. Indeed, this is what the Chaldean (Babylonian) king thought. In fact, Nebuchadnezzar sent even more hapless Judeans into exile, east to Mesopotamia, that is to Babylonia.

The great prophet Jeremiah warned the people not to escape to Egypt, but rather to stay in Judaea and submit to the Chaldeans, which was the will of G-d. It is ironic that Jeremiah himself eventually went to Egypt, where he died. And thus, our people were scattered to the east, to Babylon (modern Iraq) and west and south to Egypt. The great prophet Ezekiel went to Babylonia with most of the exiles, the equally great prophet Jeremiah into Egypt with many others. Only poor Judeans were left behind in the land.

Many centuries later in the Babylonian Talmud, in Tractate Rosh Hashanah, we read again about the tragic death of the Jewish governor Gedaliah, killed by another Jew, Ishmael, of the royal line, for working for the Chaldean tyrant Nebuchadnezzar. But Gedaliah took the position on behalf of the Jewish people, and thus, the rabbis thought his murder a grave injustice, and yet another blow at that time to the Children of Israel. This blow, namely the assassination of the royal governor, took place very soon after the destruction of the first Temple in Jerusalem (the second would be razed by the Romans in 70 C.E.), the exile into Babylonia of many Jews, and the flight into Egypt of many more.

On this Tzom Gedalia/Fast of Gedaliah, let us remember how terrible are the results when Jew is set upon Jew, when we turn on each other. In our observance of this day, let us resolve to stay together, and work together, for a better future, as dark as these last two years have often been for the Jewish people.

L’shanah tova t’kateivu. May you all be inscribed in the Book of Life.