Reasons for the Customs of a Public Fast - Rabbi Shmuel Mekamel shlita

00:02 Speaker 1 You’re listening to the “Lema’an Yishme’u” podcast from Machon Halacha Chabad.

00:09 Speaker 2 Today we’ll learn about the fast days. After the destruction of the first Beis Hamikdash, the prophets instituted fasts to commemorate events connected with the destruction of the Beis Hamikdash and the exile of the Jewish people. A fast day was established for each significant stage of the destruction, to stir the Jewish people to do teshuvah and correct the deeds that had caused all those troubles. On the tenth of Teves, they instituted a fast because that was the day Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylonia, began the siege of Jerusalem’s walls. They instituted a fast in Tammuz, though there is a question whether it was on the ninth of Tammuz or the seventeenth of Tammuz. In practice, the fast observed today is on the seventeenth of Tammuz, because that was the day Jerusalem’s wall was breached. And on the ninth of Menachem Av, Tisha B’Av, they instituted a fast over the destruction of the Beis Hamikdash. Of course, the prophets instituted it for the destruction of the first Beis Hamikdash, but later, as we know, the second Beis Hamikdash was destroyed, giving the fast even greater force. On the third of Tishrei, Gimmel Tishrei, they instituted a fast over the killing of Gedaliah ben Achikam. He was the leader of the Jews who remained in Eretz Yisroel after the deportations—after some had been taken to Babylonia and others had been killed and massacred. A small group remained, whom Hakadosh Boruch Hu wanted to stay specifically in Eretz Yisroel, and Gedaliah took on the leadership of those Jews. When he was killed, the last ember was extinguished. That represents the final stage of the suffering connected with the destruction of the first Beis Hamikdash. In addition, apart from all these fasts connected with the first Beis Hamikdash, a fast was instituted on the thirteenth of Adar. This is called the Fast of Esther, fulfilling what is said about “the matters of the fasts and their cries.” We won’t

02:27 Speaker 2 go into the reasons for the Fast of Esther and its details right now. I discussed that in the class devoted to Purim and the Fast of Esther. For now, we’ll focus mainly on the fast days. So we’ve seen that there are four fasts: four days established for fasting and teshuvah, intended to stir the people to repent. Throughout the Babylonian exile, these were fast days. They are mentioned in a verse in the Prophets: “Thus says Hashem of Hosts: The fast of the fourth, the fast of the fifth, the fast of the seventh, and the fast of the tenth.” “The fast of the fourth” means the fast in Tammuz, the fourth month. “The fast of the fifth” means Tisha B’Av. “The fast of the seventh” refers to the seventh month, Tishrei—Gimmel Tishrei. And “the fast of the tenth” refers to Teves—meaning the tenth of Teves, though there is an opinion that it means the fifth of Teves. “They shall become for the House of Judah joy and gladness and happy festivals; therefore love truth and peace.” During the era of the second Beis Hamikdash, when the Beis Hamikdash had been rebuilt, those days did indeed become days of joy and gladness. They became festivals. During the exile, people had mourned on those days, but when the Beis Hamikdash stood, they celebrated the fact that, thank Hashem, those days had been transformed into days of joy. But when the second Beis Hamikdash was destroyed, the original enactment took effect again, and fasting was once more instituted on those four days. Only the dates changed slightly after the destruction of the second Beis Hamikdash. The date of the fast in Tammuz changed from the ninth of Tammuz to the seventeenth of Tammuz, when the city was breached. This fast, the seventeenth of Tammuz, also includes several other calamities that occurred on that day, which are mentioned in the Selichos recited on the seventeenth of Tammuz. Although the fasts

04:49 Speaker 2 were instituted by the prophets over the destruction of the first Beis Hamikdash, they gained greater force after the destruction of the second Beis Hamikdash. That is why, for example, the fast in Tammuz was set for the seventeenth of Tammuz, when the walls were breached in the era of the second Beis Hamikdash; for us, that carries greater weight. The same applies to Tisha B’Av. It was originally established as a fast over the destruction of the first Beis Hamikdash, and then became a day of joy and gladness during the era of the second Beis Hamikdash. After the second Beis Hamikdash was destroyed, we began commemorating on that day the destruction of both the first and second Beis Hamikdash. At first, the fasts were established along the lines of a Torah fast: just as the Torah established that Yom Kippur runs from evening to evening, these fasts also began in the evening. All the prohibitions—eating and drinking, anointing, washing, wearing leather shoes, and marital relations—applied to every fast. In practice, though, after the fasts had ceased during the era of the second Beis Hamikdash, when they were reinstated after its destruction, it was established that only eating and drinking would be prohibited, and that the fasts would begin only in the morning, at dawn. Tisha B’Av is, of course, the exception. It is the most severe of them all and closely resembles Yom Kippur: it runs from evening to evening, and all five restrictions apply. The Sages instituted an additional blessing, Aneinu, in the chazzan’s repetition of Shacharis and Mincha, between the blessings Go’el Yisroel and Refa’einu. Individuals, of course, say it in the silent Amidah, in the blessing Shema Koleinu. A chazzan who mistakenly omitted it can make it up in Shema Koleinu. There is also a way to say it at the end of the prayer, but someone who has finished praying without saying it does not repeat the prayer. There are other passages

07:09 Speaker 2 added to the prayers on fast days. We know that the Gemara in Tractate Taanis relates that Rabbi decreed—or that a public fast was decreed—during a year of drought. When they saw that their prayers had not been answered, Rabbi Akiva stepped forward and said, “Our Father, our King, we have no king but You,” and rain immediately began to fall. The Sages of that generation saw that this prayer was effective, so they established that Avinu Malkeinu be recited on every fast. On fast days, we recite this text, which also alludes to Rabbi Akiva’s name and was composed to correspond to the middle blessings of the Shemoneh Esrei. There is one difference between fast days and the Ten Days of Teshuvah, when we also say Avinu Malkeinu. During the Ten Days of Teshuvah we say, “Inscribe us” or “Seal us in the book of a good life,” but on fast days we say only, “Remember us.” We replace the word “Inscribe us” with “Remember us.” At Mincha on a fast day, there is also something that is unusual during the rest of the year. As we know, throughout the year the Kohanim do not give the Priestly Blessing at Mincha. The reason is concern about intoxication: having eaten and drunk at midday, they might be intoxicated. Since giving the Priestly Blessing is a form of service, and a Kohen who has drunk and is intoxicated may not perform the service, he may not give the Priestly Blessing either. They therefore instituted that there be no Priestly Blessing at Mincha. Even where the Priestly Blessing is not given throughout the year, we at least say “Our G-d and G-d of our fathers” in its place. But on fast days, when people neither eat nor drink and there is no concern about intoxication, they instituted that the Priestly Blessing be given in places where it is customary to give it. At the very least, the chazzan says, “Our G-d and G-d of our fathers, bless us with the threefold blessing.” On fast days we add Selichos. And as we know, it says in Tanna Devei Eliyahu that David knew that in the future

09:22 Speaker 2 The Beis Hamikdash would be destroyed and the offerings would cease, and David was distressed over the Jewish people: what would atone for their sins? Hakadosh Boruch Hu said to David, “When troubles come, let them stand before Me, confess their sins, and recite the order of Selichos before Me, and I will answer them.” Indeed, it was instituted to recite Selichos on fast days. In them, we speak of the suffering of exile and ask Hakadosh Boruch Hu to bring the Geulah closer. Of course, we confess our sins and do teshuvah. Originally, people would recite the Selichos within the prayer itself, in the blessing of “Forgive us.” This was not an interruption, since the Selichos relate to that very blessing. But because those liturgical poems were lengthy, the halachic authorities preferred to change the practice and have the Selichos recited after Shemoneh Esrei, following Tachanun. This brings us to another ancient Jewish custom. The Gemara says, “The reward of a fast is charity.” That means the reward for fasting comes through the tzedakah given on the fast day. We save the cost of the meals we would have eaten that day and give that money to tzedakah. The reward for the fast comes through giving tzedakah equal to the value of those meals. That is why the Rebbe strongly encouraged giving the “reward of the fast” to tzedakah. The Rebbe repeatedly urged people to give more, both in quantity and in quality, and to give with a pleasant countenance. The Gemara describes what was done on fast days: “What is the order of the fasts? They bring the ark out to the town square and place ashes upon the ark, on the head of the nasi, and on the head of the head of the court. Each person places ashes on his own head, and the elder among them addresses them with words that stir the heart.” The elder of the community would urge the people to do teshuvah, opening their hearts to the ways of teshuvah. They would say these words specifically at Mincha, not at

11:36 Speaker 2 Shacharis, because fast days are working days, and they did not want to take people away from their work. Unlike Tisha B’Av, when work is forbidden, work is permitted on the other fast days. That is why they instituted that the words that stir the heart be said specifically at Mincha. This is also why the haftorah was instituted for Mincha but not for Shacharis. On Tisha B’Av, by contrast, a haftorah is read even at Shacharis. The reason is that people do not go to work on Tisha B’Av; work is forbidden. So, to avoid taking people away from work on the other fast days, they instituted that both the haftorah and the words that stir the heart be said only at Mincha. In later years, the Rebbe called for this custom to be renewed. In a sicha on the night of 10 Teves, the Rebbe spoke about its importance. The Rebbe said that we see in practice that it increases yiras Shamayim, and therefore the time after Mincha should be used for words of inspiration or for reciting chapters of Tehillim with the congregation, according to what suits them and their level. The Rebbe said that even in places where, out of consideration for the congregation, this cannot be done, people should at least reflect on words that stir the heart. Since the essence of teshuvah is in the heart, Hakadosh Boruch Hu joins a good thought to a deed. May it be Hashem’s will that, as we have already said, the prophet’s words be fulfilled and these fast days become days of joy and gladness, as it is written: “Thus says Hashem of Hosts: The fast of the fourth month, the fast of the fifth, the fast of the seventh, and the fast of the tenth will become for the House of Israel days of joy and gladness and joyous festivals; therefore love truth and peace.” May we merit to see, with the true and complete Geulah, immediately, how these days become Yom Tov days of joy and gladness.