Thus said the L-RD of Hosts: In those days, ten men from nations of every tongue will take hold—they will take hold of every Jew by a corner of his cloak and say, “Let us go with you, for we have heard that G-d is with you.”
Zechariah 8:23 is an often quoted verse, but the context of this verse is just as often left out. Context can usually be derived from the verses leading up and/or following the specific verse. Moreover, documented Jewish history over the ages, fills in even more blanks.
This specific verse is directly connected to the four fasts, not including Yom Kippur, as Yom Kippur actually counts as a chag or festival mentioned in the Torah. The four fasts were initiated by Anshei Knesset HaGedolah, the men of the Great Assembly including Ezra and some of the prophets. This is a classic example of the Oral Torah, as these fasts do not appear in the Written Torah (Five Books of Moses).
The turning of these fasts into feasts is the prerequisite to the beloved Zech 8:23 verse, and in order to arrive at the fulfillment of this verse, we first need to address the cause of these fasts.
Yud Zayin b'Tammuz, or 17th of Tammuz sits at the heart of these four fasts and the reason for it: Idolatry. I discussed a lot of the 17th of Tammuz dynamic in my last blog here .
The spiritual principle is to fix the problem at its root. This is obviously done by addressing the idolatry that still plagues the world till this day. I hope to cast a bit more light on exactly what that entails, hopefully before Rosh Hashana, as a lot of good hearts are still blissfully ignorant of how deep this rabbit hole actually goes.
But here is something to do in the meantime: today is the 17th of Tammuz, where instead of receiving the fullness of the Torah, the Nation of Israel, due to a lack of patience and consequently being influenced by the Erev Rav (mixed multitude), got dragged into idolatry instead.
In short, idolatry hijacked [the means and opportunity to receive] the Torah on this day, and replaced it.
TODAY, ask G-d, to reveal to you the true root of idolatry, and ask Him to show you where this might be hiding in plain sight in your life. Do not rely on your own understadning in what you think it is. Ask Him to fully reveal it to you in order to make your ways straight in the days coming leading up to Rosh Hashana, but also the window period of self-correction before the Geula Shlema. This results in turning personal curses plaguing many (mostly financial hardships and personal relationships - verse 10), into blessings.
Zech 8: 18-23
And the word of the L-RD of Hosts came to me, saying,
Thus said the L-RD of Hosts:
The fast of the fourth month, the fast of the fifth month, the fast of the seventh month, and the fast of the tenth month shall become occasions for joy and gladness, happy festivals for the House of Judah;
but you must love honesty and integrity.
Thus said the L-RD of Hosts: Peoples and the inhabitants of many cities shall yet come—
the inhabitants of one shall go to the other and say, “Let us go and entreat the favor of the L-RD, let us seek the L-RD of Hosts; I will go, too.”
The many peoples and the multitude of nations shall come to seek the L-RD of Hosts in Jerusalem and to entreat the favor of the L-RD.
Thus said the L-RD of Hosts: In those days, ten men from nations of every tongue will take hold—they will take hold of every Jew by a corner of his cloak and say, “Let us go with you, for we have heard that G-d is with you.”