ASARA B'TEVET
The 10th of Tevet is one of the four fasts associated  with the destruction of the Beit HaMikdash.

Specifically, it marks the beginning of the siege around Jerusalem by the Babylonians, prior to the destruction of the first Beit HaMikdash. It thus commemorates the beginning of the Churban.

To the 10th of Tevet has been added events that are  associated with the 8th of Tevet - namely, the "tragedy of the Targum Shiv'im", the first (and coerced) translation of the Torah into Greek. The day is considered as "dark" as the day of the Sin of the Golden Calf. Literal translation of the Written Torah without the inseparableOral Law, opens the Torah to misunderstanding and distortion, the effects of which have haunted us throughout the generations; And the 9th of Tevet - namely, the anniversaries of the deaths of Ezra and Nechemia, who represent for us the restoration of Torah study and practice after a long spiritual drought, and the return (albeit in disappointingly small numbers) of the Jews to Eretz Yisrael from exile.

In our time, an additional element was added to Asara  b'Tevet - namely, it has been declared as Yom Kaddish K'lali - a day of saying Kaddish and remembering victims of the Holocaust whose actual dates of death will remain forever unknown to their families and all of Israel.

A major minor fast...
Asara b'Tevet, together with Tzom Gedaliya and the 17th  of Tammuz, unfortunately carries the misleading moniker - Minor Fast Day. It somehow came to convey the message that it isn't THAT important to fast on those days. Yom Kippur, of course. Tish'a b'Av? Sure. What kind of Jew  do you think I am? The others (Taanit Esther gets into the picture too, but it is treated slightly differently) - well, no, they're not that required. I'm not a fanatic.

WRONG! It is clear in the sources of Jewish law that a  healthy person - male and female, adult and child from 13/12 years of age - is REQUIRED to fast on Asara b'Tevet (and the other fasts). True, there are several  "types" of individuals that are exempt from fasting. Many authorities exempt from fasting pregnant women,nursing mothers, people with various and sundry medical conditions that can worsen as a result of a fast, frail people. If a person suspects that he/she should not fast, a Rav should be consulted. But healthy people - even those weakened by fasting, but not unusually so, MUST fast. It's as simple as that. Do not be misleadby commonly held misconceptions.

In addition to the non-fasting types mentioned in the previous paragraph, there are other leniencies that apply to Asara b'Tevet, that should be accepted for what they are, and not taken as indicators to ignore the Fast. For certain reasons, the Sages allowed us to begin the fast at dawn, instead of prior to sunset  the evening before. They also did not "impose" upon us the "additional" restrictions of Yom Kippur and Tish'a b'Av.

Only eating and drinking is forbidden on Asara b'Tevet; washing, use of lotions etc., wearing of leather shoes, and marital relations are not forbidden.

These leniencies notwithstanding, the Shulchan Aruch  states clearly that a healthy person who will not be harmed by the fast, MUST fast on the required days.

More on Asara b'Tevet...
It is very important to explain to people, young and old, that fasting and mourning are both important aspects of a fast day like 10 Tevet, and one should not hold back the other. In other words, someone who is not fasting, for a good reason or even a bad reason, still has an obligation to mourn the destruction of the BeitHaMikdash and to spend serious time thinking about the different commemoratives of the day. One must use the day for self-improvement resolutions (which must be taken seriously) and plans for improving the "matzav" of Klal Yisrael. Fasting is supposed to be a help in these directions, but everyone must relate to the events of the date, fasting or not.

In case you were wondering...
Asara b'Tevet falls on Sunday 30% of the ti me, Tuesday 28%, Wednesday 4%, Thursday 18%, and Friday 20% of the time. Never on Monday or Shabbat. Unlike most of the dates in the Jewish Calendar which have three impossible days of the week - like LO AD"U ROSH (Rosh HaShana cannot fall on Sunday, Wednesday, or Friday) - the days of Tevet and Shvat have only two impossibles. And Kislev dates have only one impossible.

[Asarah B'Tevet at OU.ORG]
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