The next point we will consider is the public fasts in the days of the Second Temple mentioned in the prophecy.
In chapter 7, from verse 1 onward, we read: “And it came to pass in the fourth year of the reign of King Darius… and they sent Sharezer and Regem-melech and his men to Bethel to entreat the L-rd, saying to the priests who were in the house of the L-rd of Hosts (that is, in the Temple), and to the prophets, as follows: Should I weep in the fifth month, should I abstain, as I (the Jewish people) have done for so many years? And the word of the L-rd of Hosts came to me (Zechariah), saying: Say to all the people of the land and to the priests as follows: When you fasted and wept in the fifth and seventh months—for 70 years now—was it for Me that you fasted? And when you eat and when you drink, is it not you who eat (for yourselves) and you who drink (for yourselves)? After all, the words that the L-rd proclaimed through the (earlier) prophets, when Jerusalem was inhabited and at peace, (were meant for you)…
...And the word of the L-rd came to Zechariah, saying: Judge with true justice, and show fairness and mercy—each to his brother. Do not oppress the widow or the orphan, the stranger or the poor, and do not devise evil…”
What, then, is the prophecy speaking about? That Jews must be righteous?
We have four fasts that we observe in remembrance of the destruction of the Temple.
In the Book of Zechariah, they are named by month rather than by date. The first fast falls in the 10th month, Tevet. The siege of Jerusalem began on the 10th of Tevet. Next, the 4th month, Tammuz, is mentioned. Jerusalem's wall was breached on the 17th of Tammuz.
The 5th month is Av. As a reminder, we count the months beginning with Nisan (with Pesach, when the Jews left Egypt; it was then that the Creator commanded us to count this month as the first). The 9th of Av is the date of the Temple's destruction.
And the 7th month is Tishrei. Gedaliah was killed in Tishrei. In his memory, we fast immediately after Rosh Hashanah, before Yom Kippur.
During the exile—after the destruction of the 1st Temple and before the construction of the 2nd—the Jews fasted on each of these four dates. Now the Temple has been rebuilt. What should we do? Continue fasting or not?
The emissaries ask Zechariah to inquire of G-d. Speaking in His name, the prophet replies: if you eat and drink, it is for yourselves, not for Me, just as your fasts are not for Me, but for yourselves. If you ask Me what pleases Me, then be righteous in your dealings with one another.
On the one hand, it is clear that G-d commands His chosen people to be righteous; on the other, it remains unclear whether they should fast or not.
Oral tradition teaches that during the Second Temple period, the Jews did not fast when circumstances were favorable, but did fast when circumstances were unfavorable.
The same subject is raised not only in chapter 7, but also in chapter 8—in verses 11, 12 and 16...
To be continued