Overview: Minor Fast Days
In Jewish
tradition, there are three kinds of fasts: statutory public fasts, special
public fasts decreed in times of calamity, and private fasts. Private fasts
were often observed in times of threat or danger, to display piety or to mark
lifecycle events.
Fasting is
an ancient rite that was often used to express devoutness, induce visions,
express sorrow, mourning or asceticism or as an aid in preparation for
revelation or for a sacred meal. Judaism, which is generally not an ascetic
religion, employs fasting as an expression of piety for purification,
atonement, or commemoration, with the goal of leading Jews to more ethical
behaviour.
There are
six Jewish statutory public fasts, of which two--Yom Kippur (the Day of
Atonement) and Tisha B'Av (the Ninth of Av, commemorating various tragedies of
Jewish history) are considered major fasts, lasting from sundown to sundown.
The other four are considered minor fast days, which last from sunrise to
sunset on the same day. Four of these fasts are connected to the destruction of
the Temple in Jerusalem, and two of them (Yom Kippur and the fast of Esther)
are observed for unique reasons.
The four
minor fasts are:
- Shiva Asar be-Tammuz , the 17th of Tammuz: According to the Mishnah,
this was the day the Romans breached the walls around Jerusalem, which led
to the destruction three weeks later of the Second Temple in 70 C.E.
Jeremiah mentions that the walls of Jerusalem were breached (preceding
destruction of the First Temple in 586 B.C.E.) on the ninth of Tammuz, but
this event is commemorated on the 17th of Tammuz. The ancient rabbis
mention other events that they believed occurred on this day, including
Moses breaking the tablets of the Ten Commandments, cessation of the daily
sacrifices during the Roman siege, the burning of the Torah and erecting of
an idol in the Temple before the Maccabean revolt.
- Tsom Gedaliah, the Fast of Gedaliah: Tsom Gedaliah occurs on the
third of Tishrei, the day following Rosh Hashanah. It commemorates the
date that Gedaliah ben Ahikam, the Babylonian-appointed Jewish governor
of Judah, was killed by other Jews.Gedaliah's death was seen as the moment the Jews lost hope that
Babylonian domination would be stopped and the Jewish state would survive.
- Ta'anit Esther, the Fast of Esther: Ta'anit Esther falls
on the 13th of Adar and is a commemoration of the Jews being saved from
destruction at the hands of the Persian official, Haman, by the heroic
efforts of Queen Esther. It is described in the biblical book of Esther.
This fast occurs on the day before Purim, unless Purim falls on a Sunday,
in which case the fast is observed on the preceding Thursday. Queen Esther
asked her uncle Mordecai to declare a fast for the Jews as a means of
praying for her success with King Ahasuerus and against the evil Haman.
Questions arise because the declared fast in the biblical book did not
occur on Adar 13. One of the explanations for why this date was chosen is
that on the 13th of Adar the Jews of Persia had to gather together to
prepare for their war of survival, and such days were often public fast
days.
There is an additional fast day that is in a different
category than the public fasts. Ta'anit Bekhorim (Fast of the First
Born) is considered a private fast, and only applies to the first born son of a
mother or of a father. On the 14th of Nisan, the day before Passover
(commencing in the morning like the other minor public fasts), the first born
fasts in commemoration of the 10th plague. During this plague, all the
first-born sons of the Egyptians were killed while the Israelites were saved.
A whole
tractate of the Talmud, Ta'anit (meaning "fast") is devoted to
public fast days, their rules and regulations, including many that have gone
into disuse. Only Yom Kippur is explicitly commanded in the Torah. Traditional
Jewish commentators believe that the other Jewish statutory fast days are
referred to in biblical texts, but the fast days are actually ordained by the
ancient rabbis. Since four of the five fast days instituted by the sages focus
on the destruction of the Temple and the loss of Jewish nationhood, many view
these days of mourning as a means of keeping alive the messianic yearning for
the restoration of the holy city, Jerusalem. Others believe that the fasts help
confirm faith in God's direction of history and God's concern with the destiny
of the Jewish people.
The main
biblical reference to the fasts that focus on the destruction of the Temple is
found in Zechariah 8:19: "Thus saith 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 10th, shall be to the house of Judah joy and gladness and cheerful
seasons…" According to traditional commentators, the first referred to is
the 17th of Tammuz, the second is Tisha B'Av, the third is the Fast of
Gedaliah, and the last is the 10th of Tevet.
