Questions tagged [fast-days]
Days where Jews refrain from eating and drinking.
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Why does the שליח ציבור say עננו in a different place than the ציבור does? [duplicate]
On a fast day, the שליח ציבור says עננו during חזרת הש׳׳ץ right before the ברכה of רפאנו. However, in their private שמונה עשרה, the ציבור says עננו during שמע קולנו. Why do they say עננו in different ...
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When to break my fast on flight today? [duplicate]
I'm on a flight from Chicago to NY today. Taking off at 7:55 PM and landing 11:10 PM. At what point mid-flight do i break my fast?
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May one swallow a caffeine pill on a fast day? [duplicate]
What are the positions of poskim regarding swallowing a caffeine pill (without water) on a fast day and does it matter which fast day?
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Is it permissible to learn Hilchot Teshuva on Tisha Beav?
The Shulchan Aruch paskens (OC 554) that it is forbidden to learn most parts of Torah on Tisha Beav, except for a few small sections about aveilut.
The question is: the Shulchan Aruch doesn't ...
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Why shouldn't we fast from Shabbos to Shabbos? [closed]
I understand that the Alter Rebbe rules against fasting as a way of Teshuva but there are many positive reasons aside from this to fast, and to not eat, outside of a seudas Mitzvah, for example: Rosh ...
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Why specifically a date on Yom Kippur?
Often times a kezayis or beitza is the amount of food necessary to transgress a food related prohibition. Why is a date specifically the quantity one must eat to be liable on Yom Kippur?
Shulchan ...
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Who SHOULD accept a taanit dibbur?
If one is home with his family (especially these days when everyone is home, all day), would it be fair to his family members not to speak to them (besides strict divrei Torah)?
EDIT:
In what cases ...
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“Anenu” for taanit le'shaot - fasting half day
If one would practically only be missing breakfast, could he say anenu in shacharit and finsh the fast (and not in mincha by which time he has eaten)? or must anenu in shacharit go together with ...
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Who is “the author of the Shulchan Aruch” in this teshuvah of Rashbash?
The Rashbash (R' Shlomo Duran, the son of the Rashbatz, d. 1467) has a teshuvah (#360) written during an epidemic (unfortunately all too relevant now). At the time when he wrote this teshuvah, the ...
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Does the COVID19 epidemic in NYC qualify as “Dever B'ir - a Plague in the City”?
Shulchan Aruch (Orach Chaim, 576) defines dever r"l or pestilence as an epidemic killing 3 people in 3 days (not 3 people in 4 days; not 3 people in 2 days) for a city of 500 working age men. How is ...
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What is the difference between a sickness and a plague?
Shulchan Aruch (Orach Chaim, Siman 576) discusses fasting and praying for Dever (a plague), and also for a sickness (choli). What is the difference between sickness and plague?
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Fasting in Nissan for epidemic
In general we refrain from observing fast days during the month of Nissan (S"A O"C 429:2). There are some exceptions, like a taanis chalom.
For a communal distress such as a deadly epidemic a ...
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Taanis bechorim when unable to attend a siyum [duplicate]
This year, due to coronavirus related isolation measures, the probability is that a bechor would be unable to attend an actual siyum on erev pesach.
Can a bechor see a siyum online or must he fast on ...
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Day of Yosef’s Sale
I saw in a medrash - but can’t recall where - that the brothers sold Yosef on the tenth of Teveis.
Does any which medrash I could find this in?
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Fast days and אל ארך אפים
I have heard various opinions about saying Keil erekh apayim before the Torah reading on fast days.* Most say that we should only do that if the public fast day falls on Monday or Thursday. What are ...
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Is water included in the mitzvah of fasting?
Generally speaking, when the Torah is discussing the concept of fasting, whether on individual fasts or public fasts, it mentions the prohibition of neither eating, nor drinking.
But water has a ...
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Fasting on Rosh Hodesh
Someone took upon himself a fast at Mincha, not knowing that it would be Rosh Chodesh tomorrow.
Are there opinions to rely on wether he may break the fast prematurely so as not to fast on Rosh ...
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1answer
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Holocaust Remembrance Fast Day
Rabbi Yom Tov Schwarz (See: “EYES TO SEE: Recovering Ethical Torah Principles Lost in the Holocaust”) argues that the Jewish people (led by the Torah observant community) should designate a fast day ...
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Why fast 3 days and not more or less?
Starting with the Mishna in Ta'anis 1.4 we learn that there are occasions (lack of rain in this case) when we fast BeHaB, i.e. Monday, Thursday, and Monday.
הִגִּיעַ שִׁבְעָה עָשָׂר בְּמַרְחֶשְׁוָן ...
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The Fast of Gedaliah [duplicate]
Why must we fast on Tzom Gedalya? Was he the greatest leader Bnai Yisroel had that we fast on account of his assasination? Was Moshe not a greater leader for he took us out of Egypt yet we do not ...
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How are sunrise and sundown observed in places with 24-hour day/nights [duplicate]
Some practices are time bound by sunrise or sunset (e.g. fasting on Yom Kippur). Far northern/southern areas have 24 hour long day/nights at certain times of the year, so a sundown/sunrise never ...
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Do communities set public fast days for hurricanes or other natural disasters?
I hear occasionally about fast days in Israel when there's no rain. Some examples are in this answer. From one of the links there, R' Mosheh Lichtenstein is not in favor of fasting for rain in a ...
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What happens if an individual accidentally says Aneinu before Re'eh instead of during Shema Koleinu?
Let’s say that a congregant, who’s normally supposed to say Aneinu in Shema Koleinu instead of before Re'eh, accidentally says it as a stand-alone Beracha before Re'eh. He doesn’t realize until well ...
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Accidentally ended שמע קולנו with העונה בעת צרה
What should you do if, on a fast day, you said Aneinu in Shema Koleinu and then accidentally continued with the conclusion for Aneinu, ברוך אתה ה' העונה בעת צרה, instead of finishing with כי אתה שומע?
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When does a private fast begin?
When does a private fast (תענית יחיד) begin? At sunset or at dawn? Is it considered a fast like Yom Kippur (24 hr.) or like a half-day fast?
Are there any sources that address this?
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Can a single fast be used for multiple purposes? [duplicate]
Brachos daf 31b says that one who fasts on Shabbos should fast another day to atone for his fast. Suppose the next day is a previously ordained fast (e.g 17th of Tammuz, etc.), does that fast count to ...
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Restaurants opening on fast days
Assuming a kosher restaurant or a café that attracts significant quantity of non-Jewish customers, what is their policy on fast days?
Do they keep open? If so, what do they do with Jews, who have ...
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Can a public fast day be used for a Yahrtzeit fast?
Some people have a minhag to fast on a yahrtzeit (see Shulchan Aruch OC 567,7-9). If the day of the yahrtzeit occurs on a public fast day such as 17 Tamuz, can the fasting done then count for the ...
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Talmudic concept of a sensitive individual--“istus?”
There is a Talmudic term I've heard mentioned in passing but have not been able to locate. It relates to the concept of a person who is especially sensitive to physical discomfort in situations such ...
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How much time passes before we understand that the drought hasn’t ended?
In ta’anis (1:5-7) the Mishnayos discuss how and when to fast for rain in a drought, for example:
הִגִּיעַ רֹאשׁ חֹדֶשׁ כִּסְלֵו וְלֹא יָרְדוּ גְשָׁמִים, בֵּית דִּין גּוֹזְרִין שָׁלשׁ תַּעֲנִיוֹת ...
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What happens if someone misses a day of Bahab?
Let’s say that someone, for whatever reason (say he forgot it was Behab), accepted upon himself to fast Behab but didn’t fast one of the days (say, for instance, he fasted Monday but not Thursday).
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Why not start BaHaB on Iyar / Marcheshvan 3?
Shulchan Aruch Orach Chaim 492 discusses the custom some have to fast on Monday, Thursday and Monday (BaHaB) following the months of Nissan and Tishrei. Rama in his gloss notes that the custom is to ...
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is it permitted to swallow spit on a fast day?
is it permitted to swallow spit on a fast day or must one spit? this would lead to worse dehydration and if the motivation isn't eating but ridding the saliva in one's mouth without becoming ...
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Fasting to increase chances of getting prayer answered
It used to be that rabbis made the community fast to increase their chances of getting their prayers answered. This was done particularly if rain was late in coming. (The first thing God promises if ...
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How the 72 hours straight fast was possibly allowed?
We know that the danger of fasting two consecutive days is the reason Yom Kippur (and all other fasts) is not celebrated two days outside Israel.
And still Ester commanded on the 3-day fast (Ester 4,...
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Why was Ta'anis Esther established? The story has a happy ending!
I understand why we fast the other public fast days (Tisha B'av, 17 Tammuz, Tzom Gedaliah). All of these fasts commemorate events which we are still affected by (primarily lack of a Beis Hamikdash).
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Relief from fasting while traveling?
I fly multiple times a week nearly every week for work. It has happened a few times that I had to travel on a minor fast day and I was at times surprised to see visibly religious people eating and ...
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Do we fast when someone trips and falls while holding a Sefer Torah?
When dropping a Sefer Torah, the custom is to fast, but what is the minhag if I trip and fall while holding a Sefer Torah?
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Are you allowed to Vape on a fast day?
I was told that Vape has sugar in it. Are you inhailing enough for it to constitute a Shiur, and so not be able to Vape on a fast day?
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1answer
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Accepting a fast upon oneself after the prayer of Mincha
If someone wants to do a personal fast (taanit) and forgot to receive it during Mincha. Can he still receive it after Mincha before the day is out? What should he recite?
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Does Judaism forbid fasting on Fridays and Saturdays? If so, where is this rule written and what is the reasoning behind it?
I was reading the deuterocanonical Book of Judith, and I came across the following:
Judith had lived as a widow in her house for three years and four months.
She pitched a tent for herself on ...
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1answer
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Is one forbidden to fast between Yom Kippur and Sukot?
I heard once that one shouldn’t fast between Yom Kippur and the end of Sukot , not sure its reason or if it’s an accurate statement
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What's the point of fasting?
What does fasting do? Is it to put us in a certain mindset? If so how does it do so? Does the pain itself atone? If so how and why? Or is it some other reason?
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Fast some other day if can't fast on Yom Kippur?
If someone is sufficiently ill on Yom Kippur to be halachically allowed to eat, would there be any value in him fasting for a whole day after he gets well? I'm sure it would be voluntary, but is it ...
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Adjust the selicho “מַשְׂאַת כַּפַּי" when the kehillo is not fasting on Yom Kippur Koton?
Related: Who observes Yom Kippur Katan, and how?
In the mincha service of Yom Kippur Koton, the selicho “מַשְׂאַת כַּפַּי” is said:
1 חזן מַשְׂאַת כַּפַּי מִנְחַת עֶרֶב רְצֵה נָא בְכֹשֶׁר, ...
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What to do if bar mitzvah is on a fast day
Just out of curiosity, what does one do if his bar mitzvah falls on a fast day such as Yom Kippur or Tisha BeAv or any other of the 6 fast days?
Is the seudah passed on to the next day? The previous ...
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Who should NOT accept upon himself a voluntary fast?
Taanit 12b states that only if one has the ability is fasting positive.
The Shulchan Aruch (YD 245:17) states that a melamed a Torah teacher of children should not fast, (see Aruch ha-Shulchan) a ...
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1answer
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When were these fasts observed?
The Tur (Orach Chayim 580), quoting the Bahag (Laws of the Ninth of Av), gives a list of days on which to fast. This list is copied or mentioned by some other rishonim (as quoted in the footnote to ...
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Meaningful ways to spend Tisha b'Av?
I am struggling a bit on Tisha b'Av to find meaningful ways to spend the day. I am looking for advice on meaningful activities that fulfill the intent of the day (mourning for Jerusalem and the ...
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3answers
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Why did Rebbe want to get rid of Tishah b’Av Nidcheh?
Megillah 5a-b:
אמר רבי אלעזר אמר רבי חנינא רבי נטע נטיעה בפורים ורחץ בקרונה של צפורי בשבעה עשר בתמוז ובקש לעקור תשעה באב ולא הודו לו אמר לפניו רבי אבא בר זבדא רבי לא כך היה מעשה אלא תשעה באב שחל ...
