14 Lessons
Peninei Halakha 11. The Torah Reading for Fast Days
Chapter 7: The Minor Fasts
During Shaĥarit and Minĥa of public fast days, we read the section of the Torah that describes how God forgave Israel after the sin of the Golden Calf .
Peninei Halakha 12. Birkat Kohanim at Minha
Chapter 7: The Minor Fasts
On ordinary fast days, when we do not pray Ne’ila, the law depends on when the congregants pray Minĥa. If a congregation that recites Birkat Kohanim prays Minĥa at the same time that Ne’ila would take place, i.e., shortly before shki’a, the Kohanim bless the people
Peninei Halakha 10. The Aneinu Prayer
Chapter 7: The Minor Fasts
The Sages prescribed the addition of a special berakha during the ĥazan’s repetition of the Amida on fast days.
Peninei Halakha 7. Sick People Are Exempt from Fasting
Chapter 7: The Minor Fasts
The prophets and the Sages instituted the fasts for healthy people, not for sick people. anyone who is sick is exempt from fasting, even if his condition is not life-threatening.
Peninei Halakha 8. Pregnant and Nursing Women on Tisha Be-Av and the Minor Fast Days
Chapter 7: The Minor Fasts
Pregnant and nursing women must fast on Tisha Be-Av. However, pregnant and nursing women need not fast on the minor fast.
Peninei Halakha 9. Minors, Bridegrooms, and Soldiers
Chapter 7: The Minor Fasts
The Halacah of fasts reguarding Minors, Bridegrooms, and Soldiers.
Peninei Halakha 6. One Who Forgets That It Is a Fast Day
Chapter 7: The Minor Fasts
One who accidentally eats or drinks on a fast day must continue fasting, because these days were instituted as fast days due to the distress that we experienced on them.
Peninei Halakha 5. Rinsing One’s Mouth
Chapter 7: The Minor Fasts
Le-khatĥila, one should not wash his mouth on the minor fasts, because there is concern that one might swallow drops of water.
Peninei Halakha 4. Eating and Drinking Before Dawn
Chapter 7: The Minor Fasts
Even though the fast starts at alot ha-shaĥar, one’s prohibition to eat sometimes begins the night before.
Peninei Halakha 2. The Laws of the Minor Fasts
Chapter 7: The Minor Fasts
since we no longer suffer from harsh decrees and religious persecution, and, on the other hand, the Holy Temple is still in ruins, the status of the minor fasts currently depends on the will of the Jewish people.
Peninei Halakha 1. The Status of the Minor Fasts Today
Chapter 7: The Minor Fasts
The Jewish people observe all the fasts, even in the intermediate situation, and therefore all Jews are obligated to fast on these days.
Peninei Halakha 3. The Duration of the Minor Fasts
Chapter 7: The Minor Fasts
The minor fasts last from dawn (alot ha-shaĥar) until tzeit ha-kokhavim (when three medium-sized stars are visible in the sky).
Peninei Halakha 1. The Institution of the Fasts
Chapter 6: The Four Fasts Commemorating the Destruction of the Temple
After the destruction of the First Temple, the prophets instituted fast days in commemoration of the terrible events surrounding its destruction and the exile of the Jews from their land.
The 17th of Tamuz The Minor Fasts and Their Laws
Did Jews fast over the destruction of the First Temple when the Second Temple stood? Must pregnant and nursing women abstain from eating and drinking on minor fasts? Rabbi Eliezer Melamed addresses these and other important questions.