Tzom Gedalia holds a special significance as a fast day, extending beyond its commemoration of the destruction of the Beit Hamikdash, like all other Rabbinical fast days. Tzom Gedalia is intentionally scheduled during the period of Teshuva, the season between Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur, and there is a profound message inherent in this timing.
In addition, this Shabbat is called Shabbat Shuva, a day with its own unique significance. The words "Shabbat" and "Shuva" share the same root word, "Shav," which means both "return" and "rest." It precedes Yom Kippur, which is dubbed in the Torah as “Shabbat Shabbaton,” the ultimate Shabbat. Therefore, in a sense, this is the most fundamental Shabbat of the year. Understanding the significance of this Shabbat and its connection to teshuva will enhance our understanding of Shabbat throughout the year.
To understand the pattern connecting these special days of teshuva, it is helpful to look at what transpired on Tzom Gedalia. The events occurred near the end of the first Temple period, after the Ten Tribes were exiled and King Nebuchadnezzar destroyed the first Temple in Jerusalem. Nebuchadnezzar permitted the Jews to remain in Israel, functioning as a vassal state. A righteous Jew named Gedalia was appointed as governor of Jerusalem and much of Israel, and many Jews who had fled the war-ridden country were able to return.
Gedalia understood that his sovereignty over Israel was possible only because of Nebuchadnezzar's support, and he placed importance on cooperating with Babylonia. However, Gedalia’s conciliatory approach to Babylonia was met with resistance by some Jews, and a rebel faction emerged, led by Yishmael ben Netanya, who plotted to kill Gedalia. Yochanan ben Keireiach approached Gedalia and warned him that Balis, King of Ammon, had conspired with Yishmael to assassinate Gedalia. Gedalia, however, refused to heed the warning, not wanting to entertain Lashon Hara (manipulative/evil speech) about Yishmael.
Following these events, Yishmael proposed a secret meeting at the governor's palace to discuss a compromise. Gedalia agreed to the meeting and welcomed Yishmael and his entourage with open arms. As Gedalia had been warned, Yishmael and his followers betrayed his trust and killed Gedalia, along with his household. Yishmael later encountered a group of pilgrims on the road, who were unaware of the destruction of the Beit Hamikdash, and massacred all but ten of them, disposing of their bodies in a pit.
Strangely, the verse in Jeremiah attributes this final horrific act to Gedalia, instead of Yishmael:
וְהַבּוֹר אֲשֶׁר הִשְׁלִיךְ שָׁם יִשְׁמָעֵאל אֵת כָּל־פִּגְרֵי הָאֲנָשִׁים אֲשֶׁר הִכָּה בְּיַד־גְּדַלְיָהוּ
The cistern into which Ishmael threw all the corpses of the men he had killed at the hands of Gedaliah [Jerimiah 41:9]
The Gemara in Mesechet Nida raises the obvious question:
"וכי גדליה הרגן? והלא ישמעאל הרגן! אלא מתוך שהיה לו לחוש לעצת יוחנן בן קרח ולא חש, מעלה עליו הכתוב כאילו הרגן. אמר רבא: האי לשנא בישא אע"פ שלקבולי לא מבעי, מיחש ליה מבעי."
Did Gedalia kill these people? Wasn’t it Yishmael who murdered them? But since Gedalia should have heeded Yochanan's warning, it was as though HE killed them. Rava said this teaches us an important lesson: Although one should not unquestioningly accept lashon hara, it is also wrong to dismiss it out of hand. [Nidah 61a]
This is an astonishing conclusion because we know that the original sin that led to the Temple's destruction, and the root of Tisha B'av, was the lashon hara spoken by the spies:
תניא א"ר אלעזר בן פרטא בוא וראה כמה גדול כח של לשון הרע מנלן ממרגלים ומה המוציא שם רע על עצים ואבנים כך המוציא שם רע על חבירו על אחת כמה וכמה
It is taught in a baraita that Rabbi Elazar ben Perata says: Come and see how great the power of malicious speech is. From where do we derive this? From the punishment received by the spies. And if one who defames the wood and rocks of Eretz Yisrael received such a severe punishment, then with regard to one who defames another person, all the more so will he be punished severely. [Arachin 15a]
Yet, now, the final phase of the first Temple's destruction occurred because Gedalia did not accept lashon hara! It is remarkable that the very behavior of not speaking lashon hara, that could have saved the Temple, is now the same behavior that put the final nail in the coffin.
The Rambam teaches that the reason we fast on all the Rabbinical fast days is not solely to commemorate the destruction of the Beit Hamikdash. We fast to stop in our tracks, as Rambam writes:
ומעשה אבותינו שהיה כמעשינו עתה
In our daily lives, we tend to repeat the behavior of our forefathers. [Rambam, Taaniyot 5:1]
And what specifically do we commemorate on Tzom Gedalia? As Rambam explains in Halacha 2:
ונכבת גחלת ישראל הנשארה.
The remaining ember of hope of the Jewish people was extinguished.
In other words, fasting is a reminder that we must learn from the mistakes of our ancestors that caused the final ember of hope to be extinguished. When we fail to act urgently in critical moments, as if the last ember of Israel were on the verge of extinguishing, we inadvertently perpetuate our state of exile. When you recognize an opportunity as your final chance, your approach should differ significantly from routine circumstances. Consequently, Gedalia found himself shouldering the blame for the tragic murder of innocents because he failed to grasp the gravity of his situation.
While concerns surrounding the seriousness of lashon hara persist, it was imperative for Gedalia to approach matters through a lens of logic, as dire consequences could and did materialize. After all, every sports fan understands that you can't treat the last minute of the Super Bowl like an ordinary moment – you can't simply run the ball.
Similarly, in Mesechet Gitin, [55-56], in the famous story of Kamtza and Bar Kamtza, the blame for the destruction of the second Temple was not placed on the evil Bar Kamtza but rather on the rabbi, Rav Zecharia ben Avkulas, who was afraid to accept the Romans’ defective sacrifice to avoid any perception of Jews rebelling against the Romans. He failed to fully comprehend the grave risks associated with his decision, including the potential destruction of the entire Temple due to his inaction. He approached this crisis as though it were an ordinary time, committing the same error as Gedalia. They both acted as though it was the beginning of the game instead of crunch time.
The message of Tzom Gedalia, Shabbat, Shabbat Shuva, and the days before Yom Kippur is one of urgency. Shabbos and Teshuva share a root word which hints that in order to do Teshuva, we must rest from the day-to-day activities that constantly distract us. Tzom Gedalia adds to that a sense of urgency. As Rambam states in Hilchot Teshuva (2:7):
יוֹם הַכִּפּוּרִים הוּא זְמַן תְּשׁוּבָה לַכּל לַיָּחִיד וְלָרַבִּים וְהוּא קֵץ מְחִילָה וּסְלִיחָה לְיִשְׂרָאֵל
Yom Kippur is the time of Teshuvah for all, both individuals and the community at large. It is the apex of forgiveness and pardon for Israel.
This period is our last opportunity to ask God for forgiveness, our very last chance to restore our relationship with God and demonstrate that we care about God and what he wants from us. When it's your last chance, you go all out, because, with so little time left, we must treat this time with the gravity it warrants. Shabbat in general, and this Shabbat especially, is not a day of rest where we should rest on our laurels, sit back and relax. It is a unique opportunity to return and restore our connection to God that will never, ever come again. The last ember is burning—don't let it burn out.
Shabbat shalom.
Eliezer Hirsch