Question of the Week: What are the best-selling items at

Jerusalem Pizza?

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HUM Buo isJailes tsallot J!GH4 Alcipciaid ago slaus poeiq puo
slails eseetp sAos 'play4Inos ui ozz!d welpsruGr sapJado
pup sumo uo!Limanal uo.ilat_is GLIT
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Elizabeth Applebaum
AppleTree Editor

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These ceramic jars and bowls were found in houses destroyed in the
Babylonian onslaught.

Destruction

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Repentance

A fast cay recalls massive
suffering anc the siege
of Jerusalem.

arely a week after
Chanukah, our joy turns
to sadness as we
observe Taanit Asara B/Tevet, the
fast day or the 10th day of the
Jewish month of Tevet. This year,
the fast comes on Friday, Jan. 5.
The fast commemorates the
siege of Jerusalem by Neb-
uchadnezzar, king of Babylon, i n
586 B.C.E.
Nebuchadnezzar ;or Neb-
uchadrezzar), probably of
Chaldean origin, Was an
aggressive military campaigner,
eager to restore Babylon to its
former glory. He began his
career by waging war against
the Egyptians and in 605 B.C.E.
defeated Pharaoh Necho at
Carchernish on the Euphrates.
He drove the Egyptians from
Asia and annexed Syria and the
Land of Israel to the Babylonian
Empire. Yehoyakim, king of
Judah, was one of the local
rulers forced to pay tribute.
The following year, Nebuchad-
nezzar succeeded his father
Nabopolassar on the Babylon-
ian throne, and three years later
he tried to conquer Egypt.
His failure led to the revolt of
local kingdoms, including Judah.
In 598, he seized Jerusalem,
deposed and exiled King Yehoy-
achin and installed Yehoyachin's
uncle, Tzidkiyahu (Zedekiah), in
his stead. This campaign, how-
ever, is not what the fast day
commemorates; the day we
mourn was to come later.
Tzidkiyahu was a weak ruler.
Much of the country's top politi-

cal and military leadership fol-
1 lowed his uncle Yehoyachin into
exile, and Tzidkiyahu was easily
swayed by the inexperienced
and, at times, irresponsible sec-
: ond-tier advisers who remained
in Judah. Many of them wanted
revenge against Babylon. For the
first three years of his reign, Tzid-
kiyahu, to his credit, adhered to
the words of the prophet Yir-
miyahu (Jeremiah), who coun-
t seled against war With the Baby-
lonian superpower.
Yirmiyahu argued that the
people should devote their
attention to building a just soci-
ety and let God deal with those
who would seek to subjugate
the Jewish people.
Egged on by Egyptian King
Hophra and some of the other
surrounding local rulers, Tzid-
kiyahu turned away from the wis-
dom of the prophet andinstead
listened to his hotheaded gener-
als who urged rebellion.
Alarmed at the nation's foolish-
! ness, Yirmiyahu cautioned that
war with the mighty Babylonia
would bring utter defeat. He
was shouted down by princes,
false prophets and shortsighted,
egotistic military men.
Nebuchadnezzar had little
patience for rebels. He took a
force to Syria, which made its
way south to Judah. The Jews
were prepared for war, and the
siege of Jerusalem lasted about
two-and-a-half years.
Hophra, king of Egypt, sent a
force northward that lifted the
siege of Jerusalem. But the Egyp-
tians did not stay long, and
when they withdrew, the Babylo-

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1/5
2001

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