The end of the kingdom of Judah and its echoes in the Jewish calendar

Abstract

© 2020, Slovenska Vzdelavacia Obstaravacia. All rights reserved. This article analyzes exegetically and historically the end of the Kingdom of Judah, identifying and subsequently interpreting its echoes in the Jewish Calendar. The books of TaNaKh serve as the primary resource. The fate of the chosen people of Israel was intricately linked to the presence of God in the midst of His people as represented by the Temple. Therefore, the loss of the Jerusalem Temple entailed profound feelings of loss, forsakenness, even hopelessness. The accompanying loss of land and basic religious and political institutions engendered a cycle of mourning and repentance at the end of which a glimpse of hope emerges of a future renewal of Jerusalem. The cycle of excruciating sorrow, mournful repentance, and signs of hopeful renewal are reflected in the liturgy and Jewish Calendar.