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Why does Tzom Gedaliah fall during the Ten Days of Teshuvah, and why does the Gemara (גמרא) uniquely ask who killed Gedaliah? Gedaliah possessed the spiritual power to rebuild the Beis Hamikdash, making his murder the destruction of redemptive potential rather than divine punishment. This teaches that individual spiritual achievement during the Ten Days can influence national restoration.
Rabbi Zweig begins by noting that it cannot be coincidental that Tzom Gedaliah falls during the Aseres Yemei Teshuvah (Ten Days of Teshuvah), suggesting there must be a deeper connection between this fast and the period of repentance. He examines the primary Gemara (גמרא) in Rosh Hashanah that discusses the four fasts, focusing on the puzzling aspects of the Gemara's treatment of Tzom Gedaliah. The Gemara asks "Who killed Gedaliah?" - a question it doesn't ask regarding the other tragedies - and answers that Yishmael Ben Nesanya killed him, concluding that "the death of tzadikim is equivalent to the burning of the Beis Hamikdash." Rabbi Zweig notes that both the Rashba and other Rishonim find these elements of the Gemara difficult to understand, as the identity of the killer seems irrelevant, and if the death of tzadikim equals the destruction of the Temple, we should fast for every tzaddik's death. The shiur analyzes different approaches to resolving these difficulties. The Rashba suggests we fast because Yishmael Ben Nesanya's killing of Gedaliah led to the Jews leaving Eretz Yisrael against Yirmiyahu's prophecy, resulting in their deaths. The Pnei Yehoshua argues that we fast specifically because this tzaddik was killed by another Jew during the time of the Churban, making it unique among tzadikim's deaths. However, Rabbi Zweig finds both explanations problematic and insufficient.
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Rosh Hashanah 18b
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