What is the time of 'dire straits' in the Jewish calendar?

The three weeks between the 17th of Tammuz and the 9th of Av in the Jewish calendar are known as the time of “dire straits.” If you think that doesn’t sound like a good thing, you’d be right. 

It comes around every summer but this year we have a very visual representation of the whole concept – the now infamous Strait of Hormuz in the Persian Gulf provides the perfect illustration. 

A “strait” is a narrow body of water which forces mariners to navigate a perilous path with danger on each side. The term “dire straits” is similar to the saying, “between a rock and a hard place.” 

The Strait of Hormuz is a perilous passage, becoming a minefield both figuratively and literally. The narrow stretch of water is causing untold suffering, not least for the people of Iran, as the world is apparently held hostage by the extremist regime that controls it. 

In short, dire straits refer to situations you do not want to find yourself in, and where there is little or no room for maneuver. The concept is mentioned in the book of Lamentations where Jeremiah wrote:

"Judah has gone into captivity,
Under affliction and hard servitude;
She dwells among the nations,
She finds no rest;
All her persecutors overtake her in dire straits" (Lamentations 1:3, NKJV).

When Jeremiah wrote this lament, Jerusalem had been destroyed and the people taken into captivity to Babylon. These tragic events in history are defined by two dates: the 17th of Tammuz when the Babylonians breached the walls of Jerusalem, and the 9th of Av when the temple was destroyed three weeks later. 

Rather remarkably, the second temple was also destroyed on exactly the same date, 9th Av, 655 years later, by the Romans in 70 AD.

Due to this baffling coincidence, the Jewish sages concluded that it seems to be a dangerous time for the Jewish people.

Throughout the years, tragic events were added to the inventory, many of which fell within that three-week period of dire straits, and some, perhaps poetically, were added.

Here are some examples:

The Bar Kokhba revolt was crushed on 9th Av 135 AD, just 65 years after the Second Temple was destroyed. Some 100,000 Jewish people were killed by the Romans under Emperor Hadrian. The Romans plowed and salted the temple area and Jewish people were banned from entering Jerusalem.

The First Crusade officially commenced on Av 9, 4856 in the Jewish calendar (equivalent to Aug. 15, 1096 in the Gregorian calendar), which resulted in the murder of 10,000 Jewish people in the first month and the destruction of multiple Jewish communities across France and the Rhineland, according to German historian Martin Erbstösser.

Jewish people were expelled from England on the 9th Av, in the Jewish year 5050 (July 25, 1290). The expulsion from Spain also occurred on Av 8-9, 5252 (July 31, 1492). 

On the eve of Tisha B’Av 5702 (July 23, 1942), the mass deportation began of Jews from the Warsaw Ghetto, en route to Treblinka.

According to Jewish tradition, the 12 spies sent by Joshua into the Promised Land returned with a bad report (well, ten of them did, with the exception of Joshua and Caleb) on the 9th Av, inspiring panic and doubt. 

Safe to say, the three-week period of dire straits is not a time of year for celebration. The 9th Av is the saddest time in the Jewish calendar, and the three weeks leading up to it are considered times of distress, mourning and fasting.

This time of fasting is mentioned in the Bible in Zechariah chapter 8, which describes a series of fasts held in the fourth, fifth, seventh, and tenth months, which today are known as Tammuz, Av, Tishrei and Tivet, respectively. 

It is traditional to fast especially on the 9th Av even to this day. Entertainment and even warm greetings are considered inappropriate, along with reading the Bible, which is seen as too pleasurable for such a sad day.

Whichever way you look at it, the people of Israel have been through a great deal of suffering over the millennia. Criticized for being communists or capitalists, for “colonizing” their homeland, Israel, or for lack of loyalty to their countries in the diaspora, for being too rich or too poor, it seems they just cannot win.

They must weave this hard path between the straits, knowing that trouble will likely come either way. 

The Hebrew word for “strait” is metzar (מצר), and it is from the same root as “narrow.” The Hebrew name for Egypt also comes from the very same root, which seems appropriate given the fact that the Israelites were oppressed and enslaved there for 400 years.

It refers to a tight spot, the opposite of a broad and open place so often referred to in the Psalms in reference to blessing.

However, just as the suffering of the Israelites was turned around in a matter of months in the time of Moses, the truth is all kinds of situations can suddenly flip.

You may remember the remarkable story of American pastor Andrew Brunson, who was facing a lifetime of incarceration in Turkey. One day he, like many others, was a persecuted Christian in prison; the next he was sitting in the White House, praying with President Trump. Just like the story of Joseph in the Bible.

This story is not unique. God can turn bad into good with a very quick turnaround. He has done it lots of times. The wait may seem to drag on for years, but when the breakthrough comes, it often comes quickly.

In Zechariah 8, God promises Israel’s times of fasting will one day become seasons of gladness and celebration:

“Thus says the Lord of hosts: The fast of the fourth month and the fast of the fifth and the fast of the seventh and the fast of the tenth shall be to the house of Judah seasons of joy and gladness and cheerful feasts. Therefore love truth and peace.”

Similarly, although the situation in the Strait of Hormuz looked very bleak and the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) seemed to concede victory to Iran, today, on the 23rd day of Tammuz, U.S. President Donald Trump appears to be changing tack.

“It's over. I don't want to deal with them,” Trump told the press on Wednesday, when asked about the MOU. “They're vicious, violent people. And if they had a nuclear weapon, they'd use it, as far as I'm concerned, it's over.”

Things can turn around completely. There is always hope with God.

“But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness” (Lamentations 3:21-23).