Fast Days

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All Jews fast on the four fast days mentioned by the prophets which are: Tzom Gedalya (the third of Tishrei), Asara BeTevet (tenth of Tevet), Shiva Asar BeTamuz (seventeenth of Tamuz), and Tisha BeAv (ninth of Av). [1] The significance and background of these fasts are explained below. The first three are discussed in this article. For the other fasts please see the following links: Tisha BeAv, Tanit Ester, Tanit Bechorim. Another related page is Commemoration of the Destruction of the Temple (Zecher LeChurban).

Tzom Gedalya

  1. Tzom Gedalya is observed on the 3rd of Tishri. [2]
  2. Tzom Gedalya commemorates the death of Gedalya Ben Achikam and the extinguishing of the spark of Yisrael causing the exile. [3]

Asara BeTevet

  1. Asara BeTevet commemorates the tragedy of Nebuchadnezzar's laying siege on the city of Jerusalem. [4]

Shiva Asar BeTamuz

  1. Shiva Asar BeTamuz commemorates 5 things: 1) The Luchot were broken. 2) The Korban Tamid in the 1st Bet Hamikdash was abolished. 3) In the 2nd Bet Hamikdash destruction, the city of Jerusalem was breached. 4) The Torah was burned by Apostomus. 5) An idol was put in the Bet Hamikdash. [5]
  2. The fast of Shiva Asar BeTamuz is observed on the seventeenth of Tamuz. [6]

Tisha BeAv

  1. Please see the separate article for Tisha BeAv.

Communal fast days

When does the fast start?

  1. Communal fasts which do not start at night only begin at Olot HaShachar. [7]
  2. If one went to sleep at night and wakes up before Olot HaShachar one may not eat unless one stipulated before going to sleep that one didn’t begin the fast and one would eat and drink before Olot HaShachar. [8] However, the Zohar is strict even such a case and one should only be lenient regarding drinks or if it's difficult to fast without eating before Olot HaShachar. [9]

When to end a fast

  1. Any fast which one didn’t complete until Tzet HaCochavim is considered as though one didn't fast. [10]

Washing oneself and swimming

  1. A Baal Nefesh should be strict not to wash oneself in hot water or anoint oneself, however it’s permitted to wash with cold water or wash one’s hands, feet, and face with hot water. [11]
    1. If Asara BeTevet falls out on Friday, one shouldn’t be strict and rather should wash oneself because of Kavod Shabbat. [12]
  2. One shouldn’t go swimming in a pool or ocean on a fast day. [13]

Brushing one’s teeth

  1. According to Sephardim, for all fasts besides Tisha BeAv and Yom Kippur, in a case of need one may rinse one’s mouth with less than a Reviyit of water as long as one is careful to spit it out completely. According to Ashkenazim, only if one is in pain may one rinse one’s mouth and in such a case one should bend one’s head downward so one doesn’t swallow any water. On Tisha BeAv one may rinse one’s mouth only if one is in great pain, and on Yom Kippur one must be strict. [14]
  1. According to Sephardim, those who regularly brush their teeth with toothbrush and toothpaste may brush on a fast day with less than a Reviyit of water as long as they bend over while rinsing and spit it out afterwards. [15]
  2. One may swallow saliva that accumulates in one’s mouth. [16] Some say that if it’s easy one should be strict and spit it out. [17] While others say that the minhag is to be lenient altogether. [18]

Other Halachas of fast days

If one made a Bracha by accident

  1. According to Sephardim, if one made a Bracha by accident and then realized that it was a fast day, one should eat a very small amount just enough that one can taste it and continue on fasting. According to Ashkenazim, one shouldn't taste anything but just say Baruch Shem. [19]

Smoking

  1. It’s permissible to smoke on a fast day except on Tisha BeAv (disregarding whether it’s permissible to smoke because of the health issue). [20]

Tasting food

  1. According to Sephardim, on a fast day besides Tisha BeAv and Yom Kippur one may taste food (to see if it’s spiced) up to a Reviyit as long as one spits it out afterwards. According to Ashkenazim, one may not taste food on any communal fast day except where one needs to taste a food for a Suedat Mitzvah to see if it’s spiced well. [21]
  2. Preferably one should be strict when making sure to have less than a Reviyit to consider this Reviyit to include anything one tasted the whole day, however, the strict law is that one only has to make sure to have less than a Reviyit each time one tastes. [22]

Tasting food on Friday

  1. In general, it’s a mitzvah to taste the Shabbat food before Shabbat to know if tastes right (Tasting food in preparation of Shabbat). However, on Friday of Shabbat Chazon, one shouldn’t taste the food. [23]
  2. If Asara BeTevet falls out to be on Friday one may taste the food if one spits it out and doesn’t swallow. [24]

Making a Shehecheyanu

  1. It’s permitted to make a Shehecheyanu on a fast day. [25]

Taking a haircut

  1. There’s a dispute whether one may take a haircut on a fast day and it’s preferable not to. [26]

Getting a hundred Brachot

  1. Some Sephardim had the minhag to wear tefillin on fast days at Mincha so as to complete 100 Brachot, however the widespread minhag isn’t so. [27]

Giving Tzedaka

  1. It’s customary to give Tzedaka at mincha on a fast day, the value of the amount of food one would have eaten that day. [28]

Individual fast days

Related Pages

References

  1. ↑ The prophet Zechariyah (8:19) stated that in the future the fast of the fourth, fifth, seventh, and tenth will become days of happiness for the Jews. In Gemara Rosh Hashana 18b, Rabbi Akiva explains that number in the pasuk refers to the number of the month. Thus, the fast of fourth is the ninth of Tamuz, the fifth is the ninth of Av, the seventh is the third of Tishrei (fast of Gedalyah), and tenth is tenth of Tevet. The Tur 549:1 and Rambam (Taniot 5:4) rule like Rabbi Akiva. Tur 549:2 explains that on the ninth of Tamuz the wall of Yerushalyim was broken by the first Bet HaMikdash, however, nowadays we fast on the seventeenth of Tamuz when the wall of Yerushalyim was broken by the second Bet HaMikdash. These four fasts are codified as halacha by the Rambam (Taniot 5:2-3), S”A 549:1, Mishna Brurah 549:1, and Yalkut Yosef (Moadim pg 527).
  2. ↑ Chazon Ovadia (Laws of the Four Fasts, Halacha 3)
  3. ↑ Rambam (Taniyot 5:2), Chazon Ovadia (Laws of the Four Fasts, Halacha 3)
  4. ↑ Rambam (Taniyot 5:2), Chazon Ovadia (Laws of the Four Fasts, Halacha 4)
  5. ↑ Rambam (Taniyot 5:2), Chazon Ovadia (Laws of the Four Fasts, Halacha 1)
  6. ↑ Tur 549:2 explains that on the ninth of Tamuz the wall of Yerushalyim was broken by the first Bet HaMikdash, however, nowadays we fast on the seventeenth of Tamuz which was when the wall of Yerushalyim was broken by the second Bet HaMikdash. This codified as halacha by the Rambam (Taniot 5:2-3), S”A 549:1, Mishna Brurah 549:1, and Yalkut Yosef (Moadim pg 527).
  7. ↑ S"A 564:1
  8. ↑ S”A 564:1 writes that if one doesn't go to sleep one may continue to eat until Olot HaSachar and if one went to sleep one may still eat if one made a stipulation that one will continue to eat after he wakes up before Olot HaShachar (according to the explanation of Mishna Brurah 564:4). Rama 564:1 comments that one doesn't need to make a stipulation for drinks. However, Mishna Brurah 564:6 writes that the achronim say it's preferable to make a stipulation for both foods and drinks.
  9. ↑ Even though the S"A 564:1 makes no mention of the Zohar, the Mishna Brurah 564:28 and Yalkut Yosef (Tefilah, vol 1, pg 126, 89:43, and 550:3) quote the Zohar which is strict regarding eating after one slept before Olot HaShachar, however, the Zohar isn't strict about drinking. Yalkut Yosef adds that if it's difficult for one to fast if one doesn't eat before Olot HaShachar one may do so (after stipulating before going to sleep). See Sh”t Yabea Omer 5:22(5), Piskei Teshuvot 564:1.
  10. ↑ S”A 562:1
  11. ↑ Mishna Brurah 550:6 and Shaar HaTzion 550:8
  12. ↑ Mishna Brurah 550:6
  13. ↑ Piskei Teshuvot 550:6 and Sh”t Bear Moshe 3:77
  14. ↑
    • S”A 567:3 writes that it’s improper to rinse one’s mouth on a fast day. Magan Avraham 567:6 writes that this is only according to the Rama who says not to taste food on any fast day, however, according to S”A who allows tasting on fast days besides for Tisha BeAv and Yom Kippur it is only improper if one rinses one’s mouth with more than a Reviyit. However, Kaf HaChaim 567:13 quotes the Nahar Shalom, Bigdei Yesha, and Maamer Mordechai who differentiate between tasting and rinsing and so Kaf HaChaim concludes that one shouldn’t rinse even with less than a Reviyit. Yet, Chazon Ovadyah (Arba Taniyot pg 27-8) rules like the Magan Avraham that for Sephardim in a case of need one may rinse one’s mouth with less than a Reviyit of water. Even though regarding brushing one’s teeth (pg 28) he adds that one should bend over according to the stringency of the Chaye Adam, regarding rinsing with less than a Reviyit it seems that one doesn’t have to bend over and such is the language of the summary (pg 515).
    • Chaye Adam 132:20 writes that if one is in great pain one may rinse one’s mouth even on Tish BeAv if one is careful to bend one’s head downward so that one doesn’t come to swallow anything but one may not do so on Yom Kippur. Kaf Hachaim 567:14 quotes this. Mishna Brurah 567:11 differentiates saying that all fasts days one may rinse one’s mouth if one is in pain and by Tisha BeAv one may rinse one’s mouth only if one is in great pain and on Yom Kippur one must be strict. Sh”t Minchat Yitzchak 4:109(1) agrees with Mishna Brurah that for most fasts one may rinse if one is in pain and for Tisha BeAv one may only rinse if one is in great pain.
  15. ↑
    • Chazon Ovadyah (Arba Taniyot pg 28) rules that those who regularly brush their teeth with toothbrush and toothpaste may brush on a fast day with less than a Reviyit of water as long as they bend over while rinsing and spit it out afterwards. Rabbi Mansour on DailyHalacha.com agrees but adds that one shouldn't even gargle.
    • Yalkut Yosef (Moadim pg 534) writes that for all fast days besides Tisha BeAv one if it will be difficult for one not to brush one is allowed to brush one's teeth as long as one doesn't put a Reviyit of water in one's mouth at a time and ensures that one doesn't swallow any water.
    • Sh”t Minchat Yitzchak 4:109(2) rules that someone who has bad breath on Tisha BeAv may brush his teeth without water in order to pray with a clean mouth.
  16. ↑ Mishna Brurah 567:13
  17. ↑ Chaye Adam 132:22, Mateh Efraim 612:7, Moadim UZmanim 1:59
  18. ↑ Piskei Teshuvot 567:2, Bet Meir, Ashel Avraham, Aruch HaShulchan 567:4
  19. ↑ Birkei Yosef 568, Sh”t Yabea Omer Y”D 2:5(6), O”C 10:41, Yalkut Yosef (Kitzur S”A 550:26) however, Kaf HaChaim 568:16, Daat Torah (of the Maharsham) 568:1, Sh”t Mishneh Halachot 7:80, Sh”t Shevet Sofer O”C 25, Rabbi Elazar Melamed, and Piskei Teshuvot 568:2 rule that one shouldn’t eat it but rather say Baruch Shem. Teshuvot VeHanhagot 1:329 writes that one should taste it, not swallow, and then spit it out.
  20. ↑ Sh”t Yechava Daat 5:39, Sh”t Yabea Omer 1:33
  21. ↑ S”A 567:1 writes that on any fast day one may taste food up to a Reviyit as long as one spits it all out except for Tisha BeAv and Yom Kippur when it’s forbidden. Rama 567:1 writes that the minhag is not to taste any food on any communal fast. Mishna Brurah 567:6 writes that one may only be lenient in a case where one has to taste food that’s being prepared for a Seudat Mitzvah to see if it’s spiced well. However, Rav Ovadyah in Chazon Ovadyah (Arba Taniyot pg 27) rules like S”A.
  22. ↑ S”A 567:2 quotes a dispute whether one is allowed to taste up to a Reviyit and the Reviyit is a combination of anything one tasted the whole day or that one may taste up to a Reviyit many times if at each time it is less than a Reviyit (according to the explanation of Mishna Brurah 567:7 and 9). Kaf HaChaim 567:12 rules that the halacha follows the second opinion but preferably one should be strict for the first opinion as well. Mishna Brurah 567:8 also implies this.
  23. ↑ Shemirat Shabbat KeHilchata 42:61
  24. ↑ Shemirat Shabbat KeHilchata 42:61
  25. ↑ Piskei Teshuvot 550:8 in name of Pri Megadim A”A 551:42 and Kaf HaChaim 550:209
  26. ↑ Rav Chaim Palagi in Ruach Chaim 566:4 is strict, and so rules Or Letzion, Piskei Teshuvot 550:8. However, Yalkut Yosef and Tzitz Eliezer are lenient.
  27. ↑ Sh”t Yechava Daat 2:67
  28. ↑ Mishna Brurah 566:12
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