Fasting

Jewish Calendar

There are assorted fast days scattered across the Jewish calendar. During the two major fast days, Yom Kippur and Tisha B'Av, one abstains from food, drink, washing, and sexual relations for 25 hours. During the other, minor fast days, one abstains from food and drink from sunup to sundown.

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The Joy of Fasting

JEWISH THOUGHT

Fasting on Yom Kippur can be a source of joy and spiritual fulfillment, rather than just a form of deprivation. Dr. Erica Brown’s reflections on Yom Kippur offer a fresh perspective on the spiritual renewal and forgiveness experienced during the High Holidays.

In a High Holiday sermon, Rabbi Joseph Soloveitchik once observed that when he first arrived in Germany and heard Yom Kippur songs sung to joyful tunes, he was shocked; this was in stark contrast to his memory of services in Eastern Europe. Nevertheless, he observed that both approaches are legitimate, since “there is also great joy on the day that our sins are forgiven.” He experienced that joy in the act of fasting and reflected on how sad he would be if he were not able to fast. One of his great phobias was the fear that with age he might one day be forced to break the fast for medical…

Return; Daily Inspiration for the Days of Awe, Day Eight; Joy 6

Fasting and Mourning on Tisha B'Av

HALAKHAH

Tisha B'Av involves additional mourning practices and restrictions that are not present on Yom Kippur. Rabbi Eliezer Melamed’s contemporary halakhic work, Peninei Halakhah, contrasts the two most significant fast days of the Jewish calendar.

However, Tisha Be-Av is more stringent than Yom Kippur in a certain way. On Tisha Be-Av, we are obligated to mourn. Therefore, we sit on the floor, refrain from greeting one another, darken the room at night, and are forbidden to enjoy Torah study. On Yom Kippur, however, we are obligated only to deprive ourselves, but besides the five afflictions, the day is considered a holiday: We wear nice clothing, sit on regular seats, sing songs, exchange greetings with one another, and of course, engage in Torah study without limits…

Peninei Halakhah, Zemanim 10:2:4

The Communal Power of the Fast of Esther

MUSAR

The Fast of Esther is a communal fast preceding the holiday Purim. Tzvi Hirsch Kaidanover’s work from the late 17th century highlights the power of collective prayer and repentance inherent in the day.

The Fast of Esther was established on the basis of a statement in the Talmud (Megillah 2a) that the 13th of Adar is “a time of gathering for everyone.” The commentaries explain (Rosh, ad loc., sec. 1; Ran, 1b) that everyone gathers for the Fast of Esther and village dwellers come to the city to recite prayers of repentance and supplication. This is because on that day the Jews gathered to defend themselves and were in need of mercy. Therefore this day was established for the reciting of prayers of repentance and supplication…

Kav HaYashar 97:1

The Calamities of the Seventeenth of Tammuz

HALAKHAH

The seventeenth day of Tammuz is marked by five specific calamities that justify the observance of the fast. The Kitzur Shulchan Arukh, a simplified summary of Jewish law, details these historical events and their significance.

The seventeenth day of Tammuz (is a fast day) because five tragic events occured on that day: 1) the Tablets [of the Covenant] were broken by Moses, when he came down from Mount Sinai, as it is written in the Torah, and this occurred on the seventeenth day of Tammuz. 2) The continual daily sacrifices were abolished. 3) (The Romans) broke through the wall of Jerusalem during the destruction of the second Beis Hamikdash. Although, during the destruction of the first Beis Hamikdash, the wall was breached on the ninth of Tammuz, as it is written…

Kitzur Shulchan Arukh 121:4

Remembering Gedalya

TANAKH

Gedalya's assassination marks a turning point in Jewish history, symbolizing the end of Jewish autonomy in Judah. Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz provides insight into the historical context and significance of Gedalya's murder, which is observed as a fast day on the third of Tishrei.

(Jeremiah 40:7–41:18)
The Murder of Gedalya
The murder of Gedalya eliminated any chance of autonomous Jewish existence in Judah. To this day, his murder is considered the culmination of the destruction of the Temple, and a day of mourning was established to commemorate this tragic event. It can be inferred from the text that he was killed on Rosh HaShana, but as one is forbidden to fast on the festival itself, the fast was established on the closest day on which it is permitted to fast, the third of Tishrei.

Steinsaltz Introductions to Tanakh, Jeremiah, Section Preface 34

Ethiopian Jewish Fasting Traditions

HALAKHAH

The unique fasting and repentance practices of Ethiopian Jews during the High Holy Days offer a fascinating glimpse into a rich and distinct Jewish tradition. Rabbi Sharon Shalom's work details the customs of the Beta Israel community, including specific fasts and commemorations observed from Rosh Hodesh Elul to Yom Kippur.

The period from Rosh Hodesh Elul to Yom Kippur, and especially the ten days between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, is considered a time of repentance and atonement. The kesim and the elders fasted during this period. Some fasted the first ten days of Elul and on Rosh Hashanah eve. The tenth of Elul was considered Yom Kippur Katan (“little” Yom Kippur). They fasted for half the day, recited some of the Yom Kippur prayers, and reminded the congregants that Yom Kippur fell in one month. From 10 Elul until 10 Tishrei, they fasted half the day…

From Sinai to Ethiopia, Shulhan haOrit; The Halakhah of Ethiopian Jewry, Then and Now, 4 Holidays and Festivals 10:3

Nuanced Observance on Yom Kippur

MISHNAH

Yom Kippur's observance includes nuanced allowances and prohibitions for individuals based on their specific circumstances. The Mishnah, an early third-century codification of Jewish law, details these specific exceptions and debates among rabbis.

On Yom Kippur, the day on which there is a mitzva by Torah law to afflict oneself, it is prohibited to engage in eating and in drinking, and in bathing, and in smearing oil on one’s body, and in wearing shoes, and in conjugal relations. However, the king, in deference to his eminence, and a new bride within thirty days of her marriage, who wishes to look especially attractive at the beginning of her relationship with her husband, may wash their faces on Yom Kippur…

Mishnah Yoma 8:1

Fasting into the Sabbath

MIDRASH

The rabbis debated whether one should complete a fast on a Friday, given the potential conflict with entering the Sabbath in a weakened state. The Midrash Tanchuma offers rabbinic opinions and practical examples on how to handle fasting on a Friday.

In any event, we must learn whether one is permitted to complete a fast on a Friday. We might say it is forbidden to complete the fast, for then one would enter the Sabbath in a weakened condition; but, on the other hand, we might contend that it is permitted to complete the fast, since one would not be fasting on the Sabbath. Listen to what Rabba said concerning this matter: “When we were visiting R. Nahman one day, he propounded the question, ‘May students who fast on a Friday complete their fast…

Midrash Tanchuma, Bereshit 2:11-13

Fasting on the Day of Destruction

TALMUD

The fast commemorating the destruction of the Temples includes specific regulations and debates, particularly for pregnant and nursing women. The Gemara discusses the obligations of fasting on this day, comparing it to Yom Kippur, and clarifies Rabbi Yoḥanan's stance on eating and drinking during twilight.

Rava taught: Pregnant women and nursing women fast and complete the fast on the Ninth of Av in the manner that they fast and complete the fast on Yom Kippur, and during twilight on the Ninth of Av it is prohibited to eat or drink. And they likewise said so in the name of Rabbi Yoḥanan. The Gemara asks: And did Rabbi Yoḥanan actually say that? Didn’t Rabbi Yoḥanan say: The Ninth of Av is not like a communal fast decreed to pray for rain? What…

Pesachim 54b:8

Abstentions before the Fast

HALAKHAH

The mourning fast day of Tisha B'Av is preceded by a period of reduced joy. In his Mishneh Torah, Rambam (Maimonides) discusses the restrictions on behavior practiced during the time leading up to the ninth of Av.

When the month of Av enters, we reduce our joy. During the week of Tish'ah B'Av, it is forbidden to cut one's hair, to do laundry, or to wear a pressed garment - even one of linen - until after the fast.
It has already been accepted as a Jewish custom not to eat meat or enter a bathhouse during this week until after the fast. There are places that follow the custom of refraining from slaughtering from Rosh Chodesh Av until after the fast.

Mishneh Torah, Fasts 5:6

The Significance of Minor Fast Days

TOSEFTA

The minor fast days in the Jewish calendar commemorate significant historical tragedies, each with its own unique story and significance. The Tosefta, an ancient collection of Jewish oral law, provides explanations of these fast days, including the breaching of Jerusalem's walls and the destruction of the Temple.

Rabbi expounded: Behold [Rabbi Akiva] says (Zachariah 8:19), "So says the Lord [...], 'The fast of the fourth, [the fast of the fifth], the fast of the seventh, and the fast of the tenth, etc.'" The fast of the fourth is the Seventeenth of Tammuz, on which the city was breached. So why is its name called the Fourth? As it was the fourth month. The fast of the fifth is the Ninth of Av, the day upon which the Temple was burnt down. So why is its name called the Fifth? As it was the fifth month. The fast of the seventh is the third of Tishrei, the day upon which they killed Gedaliah ben Aḥikam…

Tosefta Sotah (Lieberman) 6:10

Training for Yom Kippur

TALMUD

Training children to observe Yom Kippur through partial fasting helps them become accustomed to fulfilling mitzvot. The Talmudic tractate Yoma discusses the practice of introducing children to partial fasting a year or two before they reach the age of majority.

MISHNA: With regard to the children, one does not afflict them by withholding food on Yom Kippur; however, one trains them one year before or two years before they reach majority, by means of a partial fast lasting several hours, so that they will be accustomed to fulfill mitzvot.

Yoma 82a:1

The Prohibitions of Yom Kippur

TARGUM

Yom Kippur's prohibitions extend beyond fasting to include abstaining from bathing, anointing, wearing sandals, and marital relations. The Targum Pseudo-Jonathan, an interpretive translation of the Torah in Aramaic, provides a list of these prohibitions.

But on the tenth day of this seventh month is the Day of Atonement; a holy convocation shall it be to you, and you shall humble your souls, (abstaining) from food, and from drink, and from the use of the bath, and from anointing, and the use of the bed, and from sandals; and you shall offer an oblation before the Lord,

Targum Jonathan on Leviticus 23:27

An illustration of men praying in Tisha B'Av, a Mohel's notebook, 1740-1745

Relatedראו גם

Prohibitions of Yom Kippur

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