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As tomorrow is Zayin Adar (and I'm a bit fed up with PTIJ), I was trying to find sources that Moses was born and died on Zayin Adar, and it was more difficult as it is widely known. For the record, it was already discussed on Mi Yodea based on Kiddushin 38a and partially on Sotah 13b. However, I know three customs (usually performed at the same event), but I don't know of sources citing them:

  • Eat fish, since the gematria of דג is 'ז (see also for Shabbath) and the מזל of Adar is the fish (see Rambam)
  • Commemorate the people, who deceased in the last year
  • Collect funds for the Chevra Kadisha, since Hashem buried Moses (see Rashi to Devarim 34:6 based on Sotah 13b)

Some others:

Do you know any sources that mention them?

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  • Downvoter, please comment...
    – Kazi bácsi
    Feb 21, 2018 at 14:23
  • I wouldn't be surprised if there is some minhag to skip Tachanun. I'll see if I can locate that. Even better see references mentioned in judaism.stackexchange.com/q/55742/5275.
    – DanF
    Feb 21, 2018 at 15:42
  • See ^^. If you feel like it, extract something from one of those refs, and post it as answer to your own question, here. I wonder if anyone added a minhag not to hit a rock with a stick :-)
    – DanF
    Feb 21, 2018 at 15:45
  • @DanF According to Sefer Haminhagim, there was a custom among the Chabad Rabbeim to not recite Tachanun on 7 Adar and the preceeding Mincha, but this was only after they assumed leadership, and never beforehand. The minhag in Lubavitch though is that we still say Tachanun, this custom was only recorded concerning the Rabbeim.
    – ezra
    Feb 21, 2018 at 18:15
  • Let us continue this discussion in chat.
    – DanF
    Feb 21, 2018 at 18:25

1 Answer 1

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B'chedrei Charedim mentions the custom to fast on this day and say the "סדר תיקון ליום ז' אדר" . Just as the death of a tzaddik provides atonement, so does fasting with repentance.

The Chevra Kadisha make a festive meal on this day. This is because the members are happy when they have no work to do and Moshe was buried by HKB”H Himself.

Yavnenet reports the custom of fasting etc. as above.

Forum.otzar.org records the custom of fasting and mentions the surprising minhag of reading from the Torah from 'ויעל משה' to the end.

Tehillim-center mentions segulos for this day which focus on prayer. The power of prayer on 7 Adar is especially powerful for women.

As is often said here, “absence of evidence is not evidence of absence”, so in summary all I can say is that I could not find references to the three customs although the Chevra Kadisha does get mentioned.

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    This answer is good, but I think it would be ideal if we could find a REAL source, like a sefer or something. Websites are less-than-ideal source material, even if what they say is true.
    – ezra
    Feb 21, 2018 at 17:42
  • The chevra kaddisha minhag is quite common from what I understand. A few years ago, some of my local newspapers placed full page ads asking for donations for the chevra kaddisha on 7 Adar. It's a nice minhag, I think, for a group that does such important and difficult work.
    – DanF
    Feb 21, 2018 at 19:12
  • cf. judaism.stackexchange.com/q/114415/170
    – msh210 ♦
    May 25, 2020 at 15:45

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