The 3 Things To Remember

Translated and edited by Hillel Fendel

What is the fast about? The Prophets and Sages instituted it after the destruction of the First Holy Temple, for on this date the Babylonian King Nevuchadnetzar and his armies began a siege upon the holy city.

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 .

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

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.

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.

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.

9. Minors, Bridegrooms, and Soldiers

Chapter 7: The Minor Fasts

The Halacah of fasts reguarding Minors, Bridegrooms, and Soldiers.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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).

2. Asara Be-Tevet

Chapter 6: The Four Fasts Commemorating the Destruction of the Temple

The prophets established a fast day on the tenth of Tevet, because that is when Nebuchadnezzar and his army arrived to besiege Jerusalem.

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.

14. Yom Ha-Sho’a: Holocaust Remembrance Day

Chapter 4: Yom Ha-Sho’a

Unlike Yom Ha-zikaron, to which the Chief Rabbinate consented, the Torah sages at the time objected to the establishment of this Remembrance Day (commonly known as Yom Ha-Sho’a) on the 27th of Nisan.

Holocaust and Heroism Memorial Day

Israel's Holocaust and Heroism Memorial Day on 27 Nisan ought to be dedicated to the promotion of the "Jewish family." Certainly the last request of the six million Holocaust martyrs must have been that the Jewish people should persevere and thrive.

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.

The Tenth of Tevet - A Compendium of Laws

After the destruction of the First Temple, the Prophets and the Sages of Israel legislated fasting on the Tenth of Tevet, for it was on that day that Nebuchadnezzar, the King of Babylon, and his legions placed Jerusalem under siege.

The Four Fasts of the Destruction

After the First Temple was destroyed, the Prophets instituted fasts marking the tragic events surrounding the Destruction and the ensuing exile of the Jewish People. This step was taken in order to prompt the nation to grieve and mourn over the Destruction and Exile.