Tales of the Ninth of Tevet: A Day Shrouded in Mystery

The Megillat Ta'anit notes that aside from the fast of the 10th of Tevet, devout individuals used to fast on the 9th of Tevet due to an unspecified calamity that occurred on this day. However, the nature of this calamity was never explicitly detailed.

It seems that on this day, there was indeed a calamity, as the Romans laid siege to the walls of Jerusalem during its destruction. But it raises a question since the fast of the 10th of Tevet was established for this reason. It's unlikely they would set two consecutive fast days for the same calamity.

Great sages throughout the generations have continued to attempt to resolve this conundrum:

Some say that the reason is that on the 8th of Tevet, the "Septuagint", the translation of the Torah into Greek by seventy Jewish sages forced by Ptolemy of Egypt, was completed. This event caused significant mourning, and a fast for the righteous was established on the 9th of Tevet. "And the world was darkened for three days," meaning the world was dark from the 8th to the 10th of Tevet, hence the darkness and mourning also fell on the 9th of Tevet (Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chayim 580:2).

Rabbi Avraham Abele Gombiner, the "Magen Avraham", resolved this issue by stating that Ezra the Scribe passed away on the 9th of Tevet. He noted that a hint to this is found in the lament, "Terribly torn away was the giver of eloquent words," referring to Ezra the Scribe (Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chayim 580).

Rabbi Moshe Isserles (the "Rema") wrote in his "Machir Yayin" on the Book of Esther that Queen Esther was taken to Achashverosh's palace on the 9th of Tevet, and therefore a fast was established.

Rabbi Baruch Te'omim-Frankel (the "Baruch Taam") wrote that on the 9th of Tevet, Shimon HaKlapposi, who saved Israel from great peril during the "rebellions", was killed in Jerusalem.

The prevalent opinion is that the birth of Jesus occurred on the 9th of Tevet, which is why the sages did not want to mention it explicitly due to Christian persecution.

On the 9th of Tevet, the Granada Massacre occurred, in which Rabbi Yosef HaNagid, the son of Rabbi Shmuel HaNagid, and more than 4,000 Jews were murdered in the city of Granada, Spain.