Fast in Judaism
Fast of Esther
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Official name
| Hebrew
:
????????? ????????
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Type
| Jewish
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Significance
| Commemorating the three-day fast observed by the Jewish people in the story of Purim
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Observances
| Fasting
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Begins
| 13th day of Adar at dawn (if Shabbat, then 11th day of Adar at dawn)
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Ends
| The same day, at nightfall
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Date
| 13 Adar
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2023 date
| March 6
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2024 date
| March 21
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Related to
| Purim
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The
Fast of Esther
(
Ta'anit Ester
,
Hebrew
:
????????? ????????
) is a
fast
on
Purim
eve commemorating two communal fasts undertaken by the Persian Jewish community of
Shushan
in the
Book of Esther
, for the purpose of praying for salvation from annihilation by an evil decree which had been instigated by the royal vizier, an
anti-jewish
enemy, of the
Amalekite
nation.
This fast, unlike other fasts, is a custom. It is not mentioned in the
Talmud
; however it is mentioned in the
Midrash
and other later sources from the days of the
Gaonim
. Therefore it is considered less severe than the other fasts.
[1]
Esther asked
Mordechai
to have the Jews fast and pray on her behalf for 3 days and 3 nights, before she approached her husband,
king Ahasuerus
to beg for the life of her people. Another is presumed to have occurred on the 13th of Adar, the day before the Jews fought a battle to defend against their enemies, who had been given an irrevocable permission to murder Jews for one day a year on the 14th of that month, which is now a Jewish holiday of Purim on account of their victory.
[2]
Before approaching the king unbidden at risk of her life Esther told Mordechai (
Esther 4:16
)
Go, gather together all the Jews that are present in Shushan, and fast ye for me, and neither eat nor drink three days, night or day; I also and my maidens will fast in like manner; and so will I go in unto the king, which is not according to the law; and if I perish, I perish.
Laws and Customs
[
edit
]
The fast is from dawn to dusk.
It is a common misconception that this fast dates to the time of Esther.
Esther 9:31
states "They had established for themselves and their descendants the matters of the fasts and their cry", but this refers instead to the fasts mentioned in
Zechariah 8:19
.
[3]
The first mention of the fast of Esther is as a
minhag
that is referenced in the
Gaonic
period.
[4]
A 2010 study examines the origin of the fast and the reason for its arising in the Gaonic period.
[5]
The fast is observed on the 13th day of the
Hebrew month
of
Adar
(when the year has two Adar months, it is observed only in the second Adar). If the date of the Fast of Esther falls on
Shabbat
(Saturday), the fast is instead observed on the preceding Thursday, this was the case in 2004, 2007, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2017 and 2024. (
Shulchan Aruch
S.686 s.2)
As the fast of Esther is not one of the four public fasts ordained by the
Prophets
, the laws concerning its observance are more lenient; pregnant women, nursing mothers, and those who are weak are not required to observe it.
[6]
Fasting in the Book of Esther
[
edit
]
It is generally accepted in the rabbinic tradition that the original three-day "Fast of Esther" mentioned in chapter 4 of
Book of Esther
occurred on the 14th, 15th, and 16th days of
Nisan
, these being the eve and first two days of
Passover
.
[7]
While
halacha
normally forbids fasting on Passover, it is believed that Esther reasoned it would be better to fast on one Pesach lest they all be destroyed and thus never be able to observe the holiday in the future. But due to the normal prohibition of fasting on Passover, the "Fast of Esther" instead became attached to the eve of Purim, the 13th of Adar.
[7]
The 13th of Adar itself was a fast day for the warriors while going out to battle, as it had been customary to fast during battle in order to gain divine favor.
[8]
Date in the Gregorian calendar
[
edit
]
The
Gregorian
calendar dates correlated with 13 Adar, from dawn until nightfall, for 2021?2026 are:
[9]
[10]
Hebrew year
|
Gregorian Data
|
5781
|
25. February 2021
|
5782
|
16. March 2022
|
5783
|
6. March 2023
|
5784
|
21. March 2024
|
5785
|
13. March 2025
|
5786
|
2. March 2026
|
See also
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
Ta’anit Esther
in
Peninei Halakha
by rabbi
Eliezer Melamed
- ^
"The Fast of Esther: What, Why and How"
.
www.chabad.org
.
- ^
"MikraotGedolot ? AlHaTorah.org"
.
mg.alhatorah.org
.
- ^
"
The first who mentions it is R. A?a of Shab?a (8th cent.) in "She'eltot
" iv."
The Jewish Encyclopedia
,
Archived
September 13, 2011, at the
Wayback Machine
- ^
First, Mitchell (November 2010). "The Origin of Taanit Esther".
AJS Review
.
34
(2): 309?351.
doi
:
10.1017/S036400941000036X
.
S2CID
162829573
.
A short summary of this article is at
"The Origin of Ta'anit Esther"
. March 4, 2011.
Archived
from the original on February 19, 2012
. Retrieved
January 30,
2013
.
- ^
The Fast of Esther,
"The Fast of Esther"
.
Archived
from the original on May 14, 2011
. Retrieved
March 17,
2011
.
- ^
a
b
"The Fast of Esther"
. Jewish Virtual Library.
Archived
from the original on May 14, 2011
. Retrieved
March 17,
2011
.
- ^
Mishna Berura 2 on Shulchan Aruch Orach Chaim 686:2
- ^
"Ta'anit Esther (Fast of Esther) in Israel"
.
timeanddate.com
. Retrieved
February 11,
2021
.
- ^
"Taanit-Esther at HebCal.com"
.
External links
[
edit
]
Wikisource
has original text related to this article:
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