Fast of Esther
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Fast of Esther (Ta'anit Ester, Hebrew תענית אסתר) is a minor Jewish fast from dawn until dusk on Purim eve, commemorating the three day fast observed by the Jewish people in the story of Purim. This fast was accepted by the Jews for all future generations, as it is stated in the Book of Esther: They had established for themselves and their descendants the matters of the fasts and their cry. (Esther 9:31)
The Fast is observed on the 13th day of the Hebrew month of Adar. If the Fast of Esther falls on Shabbat (Saturday), the fast is observed on the preceding Thursday.
Since the Fast of Esther is not one of the four public fasts ordained by the Prophets, the laws are more lenient; pregnant women, nursing mothers, and those who are weak are not required to observe it.
Note: Rabbi Eli Mansour reports that Halacha requires that a woman within 72 hours of birth or miscarriage is not permitted to fast, even on Yom Kippur.
[edit] Misconceptions
A common misconception about the fast is that it commemorates the anniversary of the fast which Esther declared before she risked her life to see the king. In fact, this and the rest of the story up to and including the execution of Haman occur before the month of Sivan and at least 9 months prior to the Purim Festival in Adar. 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. They fasted on Passover because 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. The 13th of Adar was a fast day for the warriors while going out to battle, as it is believed to have been customary to fast on the during battle in order to gain divine favor. Because fasting during Passover would be inappropriate in almost all circumstances, the "Fast of Esther" became attached to the eve of Purim, the 13th of Adar.
[edit] Dates observed
The Gregorian date for the Fast of Esther in 2007 is Thursday March 1, even though the 13th of Adar is on Saturday. The fast is rescheduled for Thursday in the event of its falling on a Saturday because fast days do not take place on the Sabbath (with the exception of the one corresponding to the Day of Atonement, Yom Kippur). The fast (unlike more major fasts) also does not take place on a Friday because it would interfere with Sabbath preparations.
[edit] See also
| Jewish and Israeli holidays | |
|---|---|
| Jewish holidays | Shabbat · Rosh Chodesh · Rosh Hashanah · Fast of Gedalia · Yom Kippur · Sukkot · Hoshanah Rabbah · Shemini Atzeret · Simchat Torah · Hanukkah · Tenth of Tevet · Tu Bishvat · Fast of Esther · Purim · Fast of the Firstborn · Pesach · Counting of the Omer · Lag Ba'omer · Shavuot · 17th of Tammuz · The Three Weeks · The Nine Days · Tisha B'Av · Tu B'Av |
| National holidays of Israel | Yom HaShoah · Yom Hazikaron · Yom Ha'atzmaut · Yom Yerushalayim |
