Asarah b'Tevet Readings • the Open Siddur Project ✍ פְּרוֺיֶקְט הַסִּדּוּר הַפָּתוּחַ

This is an archive of works written for (or relevant to) עֲשָׂרָה בְּטֵבֵת (Asarah b’Tevet, the 10th of the month of Tevet), a fast day in rabbinic Judaism observed from before dawn to nightfall. The fasting commemorates the commencement of the siege of Jerusalem by the Neo-Babylonian emperor Nebuchadnezzar Ⅱ, which ultimately culminated in the destruction of Solomon’s Temple (the First Temple), the downfall of the Kingdom of Yehudah, and the exile of the Jewish people within the Neo-Babylonian empire. Several other events are noted in close proximity to the day including the translation of the Tanakh into Greek and the reconfiguration of the ancient Saturnalia festival by Christians in celebration of the incarnation of their deity.
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For prayers for Asarah b’Tevet, visit here.
For readings associated with (or relevant to) Nittle Nacht, visit here.

📄 עשרה בטבת | Asarah b’Tevet and the Tragic Side of Ḥanukkah, by Rabbi Shem Tov Gaguine (1934)

Contributor(s):

Shem Tov Gaguine and Abe Katz (translation)

Why is the military victory of the Maccabees not referred to in the Mishna or Gemara but is mentioned only in later writings and in the prayer of Al Ha’Nissim? . . .

💬 ספר תולדות ישו, לפי נוסח שטרסבורג | The Book of the Generations of Yeshu, according to the Strasbourg Variant, cantillated and vocalized by Isaac Gantwerk Mayer

Contributor(s):

Isaac Gantwerk Mayer (transcription & naqdanut), Isaac Gantwerk Mayer (translation) and Unknown Author(s)

One of many variants of this notorious work, the Sefer Toldot Yeshu is an irreverent retelling? a bitter deconstruction? a mocking parody? of the Christian narrative of the birth, life, and death of Jesus of Nazareth. Taking its general structure from the gospels, it coöpts and alters it to make the main character look like a petty, vindictive sorcerer, his disciples into either sectarian liars or loyal rabbinic plants, and his followers into easily duped fools. Toldot Yeshu was a very popular work in medieval times, and you can tell — this sort of a text was certainly written by someone whose primary relationship with Christians was fear. It’s the bitter invective of an oppressed people without power for themselves, the dirty laundry that two thousand years of murder leaves behind. It’s also, just, like unspeakably, hilariously crude. Have a garlicky Nittel, everyone! . . .

Stable Link: https://opensiddur.org/index.php?cat=3117

Associated Image:

The Ruins of Beth Zur, 1925" (credit: Julius Hoffmann, Stuttgart, Public Domain). The Battle of Bet Zur in 164 BCE, brought victory for the Maccabees over the army of the Seleucid kingdom of Greece.

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ויהי נעם אדני אלהינו עלינו ומעשה ידינו כוננה עלינו ומעשה ידינו כוננהו "May the pleasantness of אדֹני our elo’ah be upon us; may our handiwork be established for us — our handiwork, may it be established." –Psalms 90:17