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+{
+ "title": "Mishneh Torah, Fasts",
+ "language": "en",
+ "versionTitle": "merged",
+ "versionSource": "https://www.sefaria.org/Mishneh_Torah,_Fasts",
+ "text": [
+ [
+ "It is a positive Torah commandment to cry out and to sound trumpets in the event of any difficulty that arises which affects the community, as [Numbers 10:9] states: \"[When you go out to war... against] an enemy who attacks you and you sound the trumpets....\"
[This commandment is not restricted to such a limited scope; rather] the intent is: Whenever you are distressed by difficulties - e.g., famine, plague, locusts, or the like - cry out [to God] because of them and sound the trumpets.",
+ "This practice is one of the paths of repentance, for when a difficulty arises, and the people cry out [to God] and sound the trumpets, everyone will realize that [the difficulty] occurred because of their evil conduct, as [Jeremiah 5:25] states: \"Your sins have turned away [the rains and the harvest climate].\" This [realization] will cause the removal of this difficulty.",
+ "Conversely, should the people fail to cry out [to God] and sound the trumpets, and instead say, \"What has happened to us is merely a natural phenomenon and this difficulty is merely a chance occurrence,\" this is a cruel conception of things, which causes them to remain attached to their wicked deeds. Thus, this time of distress will lead to further distresses.
This is implied by the Torah's statement [Leviticus 26:27-28]: \"If you remain indifferent to Me, I will be indifferent to you with a vengeance.\" The implication of the verse is: When I bring difficulties upon you so that you shall repent and you say it is a chance occurrence, I will add to your [punishment] an expression of vengeance for that indifference [to Divine Providence].",
+ "In addition, it is a Rabbinic ordinance to fast whenever there is a difficulty that affects the community until there is a manifestation of Divine mercy.
On these fast days, we cry out in prayer, offer supplications, and sound the trumpets only. In the Temple, we sound both the trumpets and the shofar. The shofar blasts should be shortened and the trumpet blasts extended, for the mitzvah of the day is with the trumpets. The trumpets are sounded together with the shofar only in the Temple, as [can be inferred from Psalms 98:6]: \"Sound trumpets and shofar blasts before God, the King.\"",
+ "These fasts ordained for the community because of difficulties should not be consecutive, for the community would not be able to observe such a practice.
A communal fast should be ordained only on a Monday, on the subsequent Thursday, and on the subsequent Monday. This pattern - Monday, Thursday, Monday - should be followed until [God manifests His] mercies.",
+ "A communal fast should not be decreed on a Sabbath, nor on a festival. On these days, neither a shofar nor a trumpet should be sounded, nor do we cry out [to God] or offer supplications in prayer.
The [only] exceptions are a city surrounded by gentiles or a [flooding] river and a ship that is sinking at sea. [In these instances, and indeed,] even when a single individual is being pursued by gentiles, by thieves, or by an evil spirit (we may fast because of them on the Sabbath), cry out [to God], and offer supplications on their behalf in prayer. [The trumpets] should not be sounded for them, however, unless they are being sounded to gather together the people to help them and [try to] save them.",
+ "Similarly, at the outset, a fast should not be ordained on Rosh Chodesh, Chanukah, Purim, or Chol HaMo'ed. If, however, the community has begun to fast because of a distressing situation for even a single day, and the schedule of fasts requires that a fast be held on one of the days mentioned above, we should fast, and [indeed,] fast for the entire day.",
+ "Pregnant women, nursing women, and children need not fast on communal fasts that are instituted because of difficulties of this nature.
[With regard to these fasts,] even though we are required to fast during the day, we are allowed to eat on [the preceding] night, with the exception of the fasts instituted for [a lack of] rain, as will be explained. Whenever we are allowed to eat on the night of a fast, whether a communal fast or an individual fast, a person is allowed to eat until dawn, provided he does not sleep. If he goes to sleep, he may not eat after arising.",
+ "Just as the community should fast because of distress, so too, each individual should fast [when confronted by] distress. What is implied? When an individual to whom a person [feels close] is sick, lost in the desert, or imprisoned, one should fast for his sake, ask for mercy for him in prayer, and say [the passage] Anenu in all the Shemoneh Esreh prayers recited [that day]. One should not fast on the Sabbath, on festivals, on Rosh Chodesh, on Chanukah, or on Purim.",
+ "Whenever an individual did not accept a fast [on the previous day] before sunset, it is not considered to be a fast.
How does one accept a fast? After reciting the afternoon prayers, one states, \"Tomorrow I will fast,\" and resolves to do so. Although one eats at night, this does not detract from one's commitment to fast.
Similarly, if one resolved to fast for three or four days consecutively and accepts such a fast upon oneself, the fact that one eats each night does not detract from his fast. It is unnecessary for him to state his intent on the afternoon before each succeeding day.",
+ "When a person accepted a resolution to fast on the following day, and indeed, did fast, and on the night [following his fast], changed his mind and decided to [continue his] fast on the following day, it is not considered a fast, because he did not accept [this commitment] while it was still day. [This applies] even if he continued his fast overnight. Needless to say, if he ate and drank at night and woke up in the morning and desired to fast, it is not considered a fast at all.",
+ "A person who has a disturbing dream must fast on the following day, so that he will be motivated to improve his conduct, inspect his deeds, and turn [to God] in repentance.
He should undertake such a fast even on the Sabbath, reciting the passage Anenu in each of the prayer services. [This applies] even though he did not resolve on the previous day to fast.
When a person fasts on the Sabbath, he must fast on another day as well, [to atone for] nullifying [the mitzvah of indulging in] pleasurable activities on the Sabbath.",
+ "A person may fast for several hours - i.e., that he not eat anything for the remainder of a day. What is implied? A person was involved with his affairs and tended to his concerns without eating until noon or until three in the afternoon. Should he make a decision to fast for the remaining hours of the day, he should fast for that time and recite [the passage] Anenu, because he accepted the fast before the hours of the fast. Similarly, if a person ate or drank and then began to fast for the entire day, it is considered to be a fast for several hours.",
+ "Whenever a person is fasting, whether he is fasting because of an individual distress, a disturbing dream, or distress of a communal nature, he should not indulge in pleasures, act frivolously, or be happy and of good spirits. Instead, [his conduct] should be characterized by serious concern, [as if he were] in mourning, as [implied by Eichah 3:39]: \"Over what should a living man be concerned? [Each] man over his sins.\"
It is permitted for [a person who is fasting] to taste even a revi'it of food, provided he spits it out without swallowing it. If [a person who is fasting] forgets and eats, he should complete his fast.",
+ "When an individual was fasting for a sick person, and the latter recovered, or because of a distressing situation, and the difficulty passed - he should complete his fast.
A person who travels from a place where [the community] is fasting to a place where [the community] is not fasting should complete his fast. One who travels from a place where [the community] is not fasting to a place where [the community] is fasting should fast together with them. If he forgets and eats and drinks, he should not let himself be seen, nor should he indulge in pleasures.",
+ "When a community is fasting for the sake of rain, and it begins to rain before noon, the people should not complete their fast. Instead, they should eat, drink, and gather together to read the Great Hallel, for the Great Hallel is recited only when one's spirit is satisfied and one's belly is full.
If [the rains descended] after noon, since the majority of the day had passed in holiness, they should complete their fast. Similar [rules apply] if [a community] was fasting because of a distressing situation and the distress passed, or because of a harsh decree and the decree was nullified: [If this occurred] before noon, they need not complete their fast; after noon, they should complete their fast.",
+ "Whenever there is a communal fast that was instituted for a distressing circumstance, the [community's] court and [its] elders sit in the synagogue and review the conduct of the city's [inhabitants] from the time the morning prayers were concluded until noon. They remove the stumbling blocks that lead to sin. They give warnings, enquire, and investigate all those who pursue violence and sin, and [encourage them] to depart [from these ways]. Similarly, [they investigate] people who coerce others and humble them. They also occupy themselves with other similar matters.
[This is what would happen] from noon until the evening: During the [third] quarter of the day, they would read the blessings and the curses in the Torah [as implied by Proverbs 3:11]: \"My son, do not despise the instruction of the Lord, and do not reject His rebuke.\" As the haftarah, they would read a portion from the prophets appropriate to the distress [for which they are fasting].
During the [fourth] quarter of the day, the afternoon service is recited, supplications are made, [the people] cry out [to God] and confess according to their capability."
+ ],
+ [
+ "We should fast and sound the trumpets in the [following] situations of communal distress: because of the distress that the enemies of the Jews cause the Jews, because of [the passage of] an armed [force], because of a plague, because of a wild animal [on a rampage], because of various species of locusts, because of the black blight and the yellow blight, because of falling buildings, because of an epidemic, because of [the loss of our source of] sustenance, and because of rain [or a lack of it].",
+ "A city afflicted by any of these difficulties should fast and sound the trumpets until the difficulty passes. The inhabitants of the surrounding area should fast, but should not sound the trumpets. They should, however, ask for mercy on [their brethren's] behalf. We do not cry out [to God] or sound the trumpets on the Sabbath, as was explained, except in the case of distress over [the loss of our source of] sustenance. In this instance, we cry out [to God] even on the Sabbath, but we do not sound the trumpets for this reason on the Sabbath.",
+ "What is meant by \"the distress that the enemies of the Jews cause the Jews\"? When gentiles come to wage war against the Jews, to impose a tax upon them, to take land away from them, or to pass a decree [restricting the observance of our faith,] even concerning merely a slight mitzvah, we should fast and sound the trumpets until [God shows] mercy.
All the surrounding cities should fast, but they should not sound the trumpets unless they are doing so to gather the people together to come to their aid.",
+ "What is meant by \"[the passage of] an armed [force]\"? This applies even to an armed [force] that has peaceful intentions. For example, gentiles were waging war against other gentiles and they passed a Jewish settlement. Although they are not at war with the Jews, this is still considered a time of distress for which we should fast, as [implied by the blessing, Leviticus 26:6] \"A sword will not pass through your land.\" From this, it can be understood that seeing war is itself a sign of distress.",
+ "\"Because of plague.\" What constitutes a plague? When three people die on three consecutive days in a city that has 500 male inhabitants, this is considered to be a plague. If [this many people] die on one day or on four days, it is not considered a plague.
If a city has 1000 male inhabitants and six people die on three consecutive days, it is considered to be a plague. If [this many people] die on one day or on four days, it is not considered a plague. Similarly, this ratio should be followed [with regard to all cities, regardless of their size].
Women, children, and older men who no longer work are not included in the census in this context.",
+ "If there is a plague in Eretz Yisrael, [the Jews in] the diaspora should fast on [its inhabitants'] behalf. If there was a plague in one country and caravans frequently travel from it to another country, they should both fast, even if they are distant from each other.",
+ "We do not fast because of a wild animal unless it is on a rampage. What is implied? If it is seen in a city during the day, it is on a rampage. Should it be seen in a field during the day, encounter two men and not flee from them, it is on a rampage. If the field was close to a swamp, and it saw two men and pursued them, it is on a rampage; if it did not pursue them, it is not on a rampage.
If it was in a swamp, even if it pursued them, it is not considered to be on a rampage unless it slew both of them and ate [only] one. If, however, it ate both of them in a swamp, it is not considered to be on a rampage, for this is its place, and it slew them because it was hungry, not because it was on a rampage.",
+ "When houses are constructed in deserts or in other abandoned areas, since this is a natural place for bands of wild animals, [it is only when] an animal climbs to the top of a roof and takes a baby from a cradle that it is considered to be \"on a rampage.\" Otherwise, it is not considered to be \"on a rampage.\" [The fault lies rather] with these people who endangered their lives and came to a place where wild animals live.",
+ "When there is a rampage of swarming animals - e.g., snakes or scorpions - or swarming birds that cause injury, we do not fast or sound the trumpets because of them. We do, however, call out [to God] without trumpet blasts. Needless to say, [this applies to swarms of] hornets, mosquitoes, and the like.",
+ "\"Because of various species of locusts.\" Even if only one fleet is seen in all of Eretz Yisrael, [the entire country] should fast and sound the trumpets because of them. [The same applies if] even the slightest amount of govai appear. For chagav, however, we do not fast or sound the trumpets; nevertheless, we do call out [to God] without sounding the trumpets.",
+ "\"Because of the black blight and the yellow blight.\" As soon as these affect the crops, even if they affect only a small amount of grain, [an area the size of] the opening of an oven, a fast is called and the trumpets are sounded.",
+ "What is meant by \"because of falling buildings\"? When many strong walls that are not located on the banks of a river begin to fall in a city, this is a difficulty [that warrants] fasting and the sounding of the trumpets.
Similarly, we should fast and sound the trumpets because of earthquakes and strong winds that destroy buildings and kill people.",
+ "What is meant by \"because of an epidemic\"? When one illness - e.g., a throat infection or polio - affects many people in a city and people die because of this illness, this is considered to be a matter of communal distress. A fast is called and the trumpets are sounded.
Similarly, if running sores affect the majority of the community, it is considered like boils, and they should fast and sound the trumpets. For a dry itch [which affects the entire community], we merely cry out [to God].",
+ "What is meant by \"because of [the loss of our source of] sustenance\"? That the price of the articles on which the livelihood of most of the inhabitants of a city depend - e.g., linen goods in Babylon and wine and oil in Eretz Yisrael - has fallen, and the trade in these articles has decreased to the extent that a merchant must offer them for sale at only 60% of their real value in order to be able to find a purchaser. This is considered a communal distress [that warrants] us to raise a clamor and cry out to God, even on the Sabbath.",
+ "What is meant by \"because of rain\"? When the rainfall is so abundant that it causes difficulty, prayers should be recited. There is no greater difficulty than this, that homes should fall and become the graves [of their inhabitants].
In Eretz Yisrael, we do not pray [for the cessation of the rains] when there is an abundant rainfall. It is a mountainous land, and its houses are made of stone. An abundance of rain is of benefit, and we should not fast to cause a benefit to pass.",
+ "If, after grain has already sprouted, the rains cease and the produce begins to dry, the people should fast and cry out [to God] until rain descends or the produce dries out entirely.
Similarly, if the Pesach season, which is the time when the trees flower in Eretz Yisrael, arrives and there is no rainfall, the people should fast and cry out [to God] until rain that is fit for trees descends or until the season passes.",
+ "Similarly, if the festival of Sukkot arrived and a sufficient amount of rain had not descended to fill the storage vats, the irrigation ditches, and the caverns, the people should fast until sufficient rain descends for the storage vats.
If the people have no water to drink, they should fast for rain at all times whenever there is no water to drink, even in the summer.",
+ "When the rains ceased for more than forty days in the rainy season, it is a drought, and the people should fast and cry out [to God] until the rains descend or until the rainy season passes."
+ ],
+ [
+ "[We should adhere to the following procedure when] no rain at all has descended from the beginning of the rainy season onward: If the seventeenth of Marcheshvan arrives and no rains have descended, the Torah scholars should begin to fast, [starting on] a Monday [and continuing on] the [following] Thursday, and the [following] Monday. All students [of the Torah] are fit to accept these [fasts] upon themselves.",
+ "If Rosh Chodesh Kislev arrives without the rains having descended, the court should decree three communal fasts, [starting on] a Monday, [and continuing on] the [following] Thursday, and the [following] Monday. It is permitted to eat and drink at night. The men serving in the [weekly] priestly watch should not fast with them because they are involved in the Temple service.
On these days, the entire people should enter the synagogue, pray, cry out [to God], and make supplications as is customary on all fasts.",
+ "If these [fasts] pass without [their prayers] being answered, the court should decree an additional three communal fasts. On these fasts, we eat and drink while it is still day [on the day before the fast], as on the fast of Yom Kippur.
The men serving in the [weekly] priestly watch should fast for part of the day, but should not complete the fast. The men of the beit av - those individuals who are involved in the Temple service that day - should not fast at all.
On a fast for which we are required to cease eating while it is still day, once a person has ceased eating and decided not to eat any more, he may not change his mind and eat, even though there is still time during the day.",
+ "On these three fasts, all people are forbidden to perform work during the day, but they are permitted during the [previous] night. It is forbidden for a person to wash his entire body in hot water, but one may wash one's face, hands, and feet. For this reason, the bathhouses are closed.
It is forbidden to anoint oneself. One may, however, do so to remove filth. Sexual relations are forbidden, as is wearing shoes in a city. One may, however, wear shoes on a journey. We pray in the synagogues, cry out [to God], and make supplications as is customary on all fasts.",
+ "If these [fasts] pass without [their prayers] being answered, the court decrees another seven communal fasts, [beginning on the next] Monday, [and continuing as follows]: Thursday, Monday, Thursday, Monday, Thursday, and Monday.
It is only on these seven fasts that pregnant and nursing women are required to fast. [On the other fast days,] although they are not obligated to fast, they should not indulge in delicacies. Instead, they should eat only what is necessary to maintain their babies.",
+ "On these seven fasts the men serving in the [weekly] priestly watch should fast for the entire day. The men of the beit av should fast for a portion of the day, but should not complete their fast. All the prohibitions in force during the second set of fasts are also in force during these last seven fasts.",
+ "There are additional dimensions [of severity] to these [fasts]: it is on these alone that we sound the trumpets, pray in the street of the city, call on an elder to admonish the people [and motivate] them to repent from their [evil] ways, add six blessings in the morning and afternoon prayers - thus, we recite twenty-four blessings, and close the stores.
On Mondays, the doors of the stores are left slightly ajar towards evening and they may be opened [for business]. On Thursdays, [the stores] may be opened the entire day [to allow people to purchase food] in honor of the Sabbath. If a store has two entrances, one entrance should be opened and the other closed. If the store has a display area in front of it, it may be opened in the normal manner on a Thursday without concern [for the above restriction].",
+ "If these [fasts] pass without [their prayers] being answered, we should minimize our commercial activity, construction projects associated with joy - e.g., those involving decorative patterns on the ceilings and walls, plantings associated with joy - e.g., that of myrtle trees, and the erection of tents.
We also minimize betrothals and marriages, unless one has not fulfilled the mitzvah of being fruitful and multiplying. Whoever has fulfilled this mitzvah is forbidden to engage in sexual relations in a year of famine.
We also reduce the exchange of greetings, and the Torah sages should not exchange greetings at all. Rather, [they should conduct themselves as people] who have been rebuffed and ostracized by God. When a common person greets them, they may return the greeting in a weak and concerned tone.",
+ "The Torah scholars alone continue to fast, [beginning on the next] Monday, [and continuing on the following] Thursday and Monday [in this manner] until the month of Nisan - as determined in relation to the spring season - passes. This is not, however, required of the community. No more than these thirteen communal fasts are decreed because of a lack of rainfall.
When these individuals fast until Nisan passes, they are allowed to eat at night and are allowed to perform work, to wash, to anoint themselves, to engage in sexual relations, and to wear shoes as on other fast days. They do not fast on Rashei Chodashim, nor on Purim.
After the month of Nisan, as determined in relation to the spring season, passes - i.e., when the sun enters the sign of the bull - they should cease fasting. Since no rain has descended from the beginning of the year, rain in this season would be a sign of a curse.",
+ "Where does the above apply? In Eretz Yisrael and in similar lands. In contrast, in places where the rainy season begins before or after the seventeenth of Marcheshvan, when the time [for the rains] arrives and no rain descends, individuals should [begin a series of three] fasts, [starting on] Monday [and continuing on the following] Thursday and Monday. They should not fast on Rashei Chodashim, Chanukah, or Purim.
Afterwards, they should wait approximately seven days. If rain does not descend, the court should decree thirteen communal fasts, according to the order described above.",
+ "[The following laws apply to] all the communal fasts decreed in the diaspora: It is permitted to eat during the night, and they are governed by the same laws as other fasts. A communal fast resembling Yom Kippur is decreed only in Eretz Yisrael, and only because of [a lack of] rain. This refers to the latter ten fasts - i.e., the middle series of three fasts and the final series of seven fasts."
+ ],
+ [
+ "On each and every day of the final seven fasts for lack of rain, we pray in the [following] manner. The ark is taken out to the street of the city, and all the people gather together, while dressed in sackcloth.
Ashes are placed on the ark and on the Torah scroll to heighten the grief and humble [the people's] hearts. One of the people should take some ashes and place them on the head of the Nasi and on the head of the chief justice, so that they will be ashamed and repent. [The ashes] are placed on the place where one puts on tefillin. Everyone else should take ashes and place them on his [own] head.",
+ "Afterwards, one of the wise elders [of the community] stands before them while they are sitting. If there is no wise elder, a man of wisdom should be chosen. If there is no man of wisdom, a man of stature should be chosen.
He should speak words of rebuke to them, telling them: \"Brethren, it is not sackcloth and fasting that will have an effect, but rather repentance and good deeds. This is evident from [the story of] Nineveh. It is not stated with regard to the people of Nineveh, 'And God saw their sackcloth and their fasting,' but rather, 'And God saw their deeds' [Jonah 3:10]. Similarly, in the words of the prophetic tradition, it is written, 'Rend your hearts and not your garments' [Joel 2:13].\" He should continue in this vein according to his ability until they are humbled and turn [to God] in complete repentance.",
+ "After this person has completed his words of rebuke, the community stands up to pray. They should choose a person suitable to serve as a leader of prayer on such fast days. If the person who spoke the words of rebuke is suitable to [lead the congregation in] prayer, he should. If not, another person should be chosen.",
+ "Who is fit to [lead the congregation in] prayer on these fasts? A person who leads the prayers frequently and who frequently reads the Torah, the Prophets, and the Sacred Writings. He should have children, but lack means and have work in the field.
None of his children, nor any member of his household, nor any of his relatives who are dependent upon him, should be transgressors; rather, his house should be empty of sin; nor should any unfavorable report have been made concerning him during his childhood.
He should be humble, appreciated by the community, and have a voice that is appealing and sweet. If he possesses all these virtues and is also an elder, this is most desirable. [Nevertheless, even when he] is not an elder, since he does possess these virtues, he is fit to [lead the congregation in] prayer.",
+ "The chazan should begin and recite the Shemoneh Esreh [in the usual fashion] until the blessing Go'el Yisrael. He then recites Zichronot and Shofarot that relate to the difficulty [facing the people]. He should also recite the psalms, \"I called to God in my distress and He answered me\" (Psalm 120), \"I lift up my eyes to the mountains\" (Psalm 121), \"Out of the depths, I called to You, O God\" (Psalm 130), \"A prayer of the afflicted, when he becomes faint\" (Psalm 102).",
+ "[In this blessing,] he recites supplicatory prayers according to his ability. He says, \"Please, behold our affliction and wage our battle; speed our redemption.\" He then recites supplications and states at the conclusion of these supplications, \"He who answered Abraham our patriarch at Mount Moriah, will answer you and will hear the sound of your outcry on this day. Blessed are You, God, Redeemer of Israel.\"",
+ "He then begins to add six blessings; these are added one after the other. In each of them, he recites supplicatory prayers which include pleas [for mercy] and verses from the Prophets and the Holy Writings with which he is familiar. He concludes each of these blessings with the concluding phrases mentioned below.",
+ "For the first of these blessings, he concludes: \"He who answered Moses and our ancestors at the Red Sea will answer you and will hear the sound of your outcry on this day. Blessed are You God, who remembers the forgotten.\"",
+ "For the second of these blessings, he concludes: \"He who answered Joshua at Gilgal will answer you and will hear the sound of your outcry on this day. Blessed are You, God, who hears the sounding [of the trumpets].\"",
+ "For the third of these blessings, he concludes: \"He who answered Samuel at Mitzpeh will answer you and will hear the sound of your outcry on this day. Blessed are You, God, who hears an outcry.\"",
+ "For the fourth of these blessings, he concludes: \"He who answered Elijah at Mount Carmel will answer you and will hear the sound of your outcry on this day. Blessed are You, God, who hears prayer.\"",
+ "For the fifth of these blessings, he concludes: \"He who answered Jonah in the belly of the fish will answer you and will hear the sound of your outcry on this day. Blessed are You, God, who answers in a time of distress.\"",
+ "For the sixth of these blessings, he concludes: \"He who answered David and Solomon, his son, in Jerusalem will answer you and will hear the sound of your outcry on this day. Blessed are You God, who has mercy on the land.\"
The people all answer Amen after each of these blessings in the same manner as Amen is recited after all blessings.",
+ "For the seventh of these blessings, he begins, \"Heal us, O God, and we will be healed,\" and concludes the Shemoneh Esreh in its usual order. The trumpets are sounded. This is the order of prayer [on these fasts] in all places.",
+ "When [the people] would pray according to this order in Jerusalem, they would gather on the Temple Mount, before the eastern gate, and pray in this manner. When the chazan reached the passage, \"He who answered Abraham,...\" he would say, \"Blessed are You God, our Lord, the Lord of Israel, for all eternity. Blessed are You God, Redeemer of Israel.\" They would respond to him, \"Blessed be His name and the glory of His kingdom for ever and ever.\"
The attendant to the synagogue would tell those who blow [the trumpets]: \"Sound a teki'ah, priests. Sound a teki'ah.\" The person reciting the prayers then repeats, \"He who answered Abraham our patriarch at Mount Moriah, will answer you and will hear the sound of your outcry on this day.\" Afterwards, the priests [blow the trumpets,] sounding a teki'ah, a series of teru'ot, and a teki'ah.",
+ "Similarly, in the second of these blessings, which is the first of the six [blessings] that are added, the chazan concludes the blessing, \"Blessed are You, God, our Lord, the Lord of Israel, for all eternity. Blessed are You, God, who remembers the forgotten.\" [The people] would respond to him, \"Blessed be His name and the glory of His kingdom for ever and ever.\"
The attendant to the synagogue would tell those who blow [the trumpets]: \"Sound a teru'ah, sons of Aaron. Sound a teru'ah.\" The person reciting the prayers then repeats, \"He who answered Moses and our ancestors at the Red Sea, will answer you and will hear the sound of your outcry on this day.\" Afterwards, the priests [blow the trumpets,] sounding a series of teru'ot, a teki'ah, and a series of teru'ot.",
+ "Similarly for each [of these] blessings: for one, he announces \"Sound a teki'ah,\" and for the other, he announces \"Sound a teru'ah,\" until all seven blessings are concluded. Thus, at times, the priests blow a series, teki'ah, teru'ah, teki'ah, and at times, they blow a series, teru'ah, teki'ah, teru'ah. Seven series are blown.
This order is followed only on the Temple Mount. When they blow teki'ot and teru'ot there, they sound the trumpets and the shofar together, as explained.",
+ "In all places where these seven fasts are decreed, all the people go out to the cemetery after praying and weep and offer supplications, as if to say, \"Unless you return from your [sinful] ways, you are like these deceased people.\"
In each of the communal fast days that are decreed because of distressing circumstances, the Ne'ilah service is recited in all places.",
+ "When the rains descend [in response to] their [prayers] - to what extent is it necessary for them to descend in order for the community to cease fasting? When they descend a handbreadth into parched earth, two handbreadths into ordinary earth, and three handbreadths into cultivated earth."
+ ],
+ [
+ "There are days when the entire Jewish people fast because of the calamities that occurred to them then, to arouse [their] hearts and initiate [them in] the paths of repentance. This will serve as a reminder of our wicked conduct and that of our ancestors, which resembles our present conduct and therefore brought these calamities upon them and upon us. By reminding ourselves of these matters, we will repent and improve [our conduct], as [Leviticus 26:40] states: \"And they will confess their sin and the sin of their ancestors.\"",
+ "These days are the following:
The Third of Tishrei. This is the day on which Gedaliah ben Achikam was slain and the ember of Israel that remained was extinguished, causing their exile to become complete.
The Tenth of Tevet. This is the day Nebuchadnezzar, the wicked, the King of Babylon, camped against Jerusalem and placed the city under siege.
The Seventeenth of Tammuz. Five tragedies took place on this day:
a) The Tablets were broken;
b) In the First Temple, the offering of the daily sacrifices was nullified;
c) [The walls of] Jerusalem were breached in [the war leading to] the destruction of the Second Temple;
d) Apostmos, the wicked, burned a Torah scroll; and
e) He erected an idol in the Temple.",
+ "On the Ninth of Av, five tragedies occurred:
It was decreed that the Jews in the desert would not enter Eretz Yisrael;
The First and the Second Temples were destroyed;
A large city named Betar was captured. Thousands and myriads of Jews inhabited it. They were ruled by a great king whom the entire Jewish people and the leading Sages considered to be the Messianic king. The city fell to the Romans and they were all slain, causing a national catastrophe equivalent to that of the Temple's destruction.
On that day designated for retribution, the wicked Tineius Rufus plowed the site of the Temple and its surroundings, thereby fulfilling the prophecy [Micah 3:12], \"Zion will be plowed like a field.\"",
+ "These four fasts are explicitly mentioned in the prophetic tradition [Zechariah 8:19]: \"The fast of the fourth [month], the fast of the fifth [month]....\" \"The fast of the fourth [month]\" refers to the Seventeenth of Tammuz, which is in the fourth month; \"the fast of the fifth [month],\" to Tish'ah B'Av, which is in the fifth month; \"the fast of the seventh [month],\" to the Third of Tishrei which is in the seventh month; \"the fast of the tenth [month],\" to the Tenth of Tevet, which is in the tenth month.",
+ "And the entire Jewish people follow the custom of fasting at these times and on the Thirteenth of Adar, in commemoration of the fasts that [the people] took upon themselves in the time of Haman, as mentioned [in Esther 9:31]: \"the matter of the fasts and the outcries.\"
If the Thirteenth of Adar falls on the Sabbath, the fast is pushed forward and held on Thursday, which is the eleventh of Adar. If, however, any of the [dates of] other fasts fall on the Sabbath, the fasts are postponed until after the Sabbath. If [the dates of] these fasts fall on Friday, we should fast on Friday.
On all these fasts, the trumpets are not sounded, nor is the Ne'ilah service recited. The passage Vay'chal is read from the Torah, however, in both the morning and the afternoon services.
On all these [fasts], with the exception of Tish'ah B'Av, we may eat and drink at night.",
+ "When the month of Av enters, we reduce our joy. During the week of Tish'ah B'Av, it is forbidden to cut one's hair, to do laundry, or to wear a pressed garment - even one of linen - until after the fast.
It has already been accepted as a Jewish custom not to eat meat or enter a bathhouse during this week until after the fast. There are places that follow the custom of refraining from slaughtering from Rosh Chodesh Av until after the fast.",
+ "All [the restrictions of] Tish'ah B'Av apply at night as well as during the day. One may not eat after sunset [of the previous day]; [it is forbidden to eat] between sunset and the appearance of the stars, as on Yom Kippur.
One should not eat meat or drink wine at the meal before the fast. One may, however, drink grape juice that has not been left [to ferment] for three days. One may eat salted meat that was slaughtered more than three days previously. One should not eat two cooked dishes.",
+ "When does the above apply? When one ate [this meal] in the afternoon on the day preceding Tish'ah B'Av. If, however, one eats a meal before noon, although this is the last meal one eats before the fast, one may eat all that one desires.
When the day before Tish'ah B'Av falls on the Sabbath, one may eat and drink to the full extent of one's needs, and one may serve even a meal resembling Solomon's feasts at one's table.
Similarly, when Tish'ah B'Av falls on the Sabbath, one need not withhold anything at all.",
+ "This is the rite observed by the people as a whole who cannot endure more. In contrast, the rite observed by the pious of the earlier generations was as follows: A person would sit alone between the oven and the cooking range. Others would bring him dried bread and salt. He would dip it in water and drink a pitcher of water while worried, forlorn, and in tears, as one whose dead was lying before him.
The scholars should act in this or a similar manner. We never ate cooked food, even lentils, on the day before Tish'ah B'Av, except on the Sabbath.",
+ "Pregnant women and those who are nursing must complete their fasts on Tish'ah B'Av.
[On this day,] it is forbidden to wash in either hot or cold water; it is even forbidden to place one's finger in water. Similarly, anointing oneself for the sake of pleasure, wearing shoes, and sexual relations are forbidden, as on Yom Kippur.
In places where it is customary to do work, one may work. In places where it is not customary to work, one should not. Torah scholars everywhere should remain idle on this day. Our Sages said, \"Whoever performs work on this day will never see a sign of blessing forever.\"",
+ "Torah scholars should not exchange greetings on Tish'ah B'Av. Instead, they should sit in agony and frustration like mourners. If a common person greets them, they should reply to him weakly, in a somber tone.
On Tish'ah B'Av, it is forbidden to read from the Torah, the Prophets, or the Sacred Writings [or to study] the Mishnah, Torah law, the Talmud, or the Aggadic works. One may study only Job, Eichah, and the prophecies of retribution in Jeremiah. Children should not study in school on this day.
There are some sages who do not wear the head tefillin.",
+ "After the Temple was destroyed, the Sages of that generation ordained that one should never build a building whose walls are decorated with ornate designs like the palaces of kings. Instead, one should cover the walls of one's home with mortar and paint over them with lime, leaving a space one cubit square opposite the doorway that is unpainted. If, however, a person buys a dwelling whose walls have been decorated, it may remain as is; he is not obligated to scrape [the designs] from the walls.",
+ "Similarly, they ordained that a person who sets a table for guests should serve slightly less [than usual] and should leave a place empty, [so that it obviously] lacks one of the dishes that would ordinarily be placed there.
When a woman has a set of jewelry made for her, she should refrain from having one of the pieces appropriate for the set made, so that her jewelry is not perfect.
Similarly, when a groom marries, he should place ashes on his forehead on the place where one wears tefillin. All of these practices were instituted to recall Jerusalem, as [Psalms 137:5-6] states: \"If I forget you, O Jerusalem, may my right hand lose its dexterity. Let my tongue cleave to my palate if I do not remember you, if I do not recall Jerusalem during my greatest joy.\"",
+ "Similarly, they ordained that one should not play melodies with any sort of musical instrument. It is forbidden to celebrate with such instruments or to listen to them being played [as an expression of mourning] for the destruction.
Even songs [without musical accompaniment] that are recited over wine are forbidden, as [Isaiah 24:9] states: \"Do not drink wine with song.\" It has, however, become accepted custom among the entire Jewish people to recite words of praise, songs of thanksgiving, and the like to God over wine.",
+ "Afterwards, they ordained that grooms should not wear crowns at all, nor should they wear any diadems at all, as [implied by Ezekiel 21:31]: \"Remove the miter and lift up the crown.\" Similarly, they ordained that brides should not wear crowns of silver or gold; a garland made from twisted cords is, however, permitted for a bride.",
+ "When a person sees the cities of Judah in a state of destruction, he should recite [Isaiah 64:9]: \"Your holy cities have become like the desert,\" and rend his garments. When one sees Jerusalem in a state of destruction, one should recite [the continuation of the verse,] \"Zion is a desert....\" When one sees the Temple in a state of destruction, one should recite [ibid.:10]: \"Our holy and beautiful House [...has been burned with fire]\" and rend one's garments.
From which point is one obligated to rend one's garments? From Tzofim. Afterwards, when one reaches the Temple, one should rend them a second time. If one encountered the Temple first, because one came from the desert, one should rend one's garments because of the Temple, and add to the tear because of Jerusalem.",
+ "In all these situations, one must rend one's garments with one's hands and not with a utensil. While standing, the person should rend all the garments he is wearing until he reveals his heart. He should never mend these tears at all. He may, however, have them stitched, hemmed, gathered closed, or sewn with a ladder pattern.",
+ "[The following rules apply when a person] comes to Jerusalem frequently in his travels: If he comes within thirty days of his last visit, he is not required to rend his garments. If he comes after thirty days, he is.",
+ "All these [commemorative] fasts will be nullified in the Messianic era and, indeed ultimately, they will be transformed into holidays and days of rejoicing and celebration, as [Zechariah 8:19] states: \"Thus declares the Lord of Hosts, 'The fast of the fourth [month], the fast of the fifth [month], the fast of the seventh [month], and the fast of the tenth [month] will be [times of] happiness and celebration and festivals for the House of Judah. And they shall love truth and peace.'"
+ ]
+ ],
+ "versions": [
+ [
+ "Mishneh Torah, trans. by Eliyahu Touger. Jerusalem, Moznaim Pub. c1986-c2007",
+ "https://www.nli.org.il/he/books/NNL_ALEPH001020101/NLI"
+ ]
+ ],
+ "heTitle": "משנה תורה, הלכות תעניות",
+ "categories": [
+ "Halakhah",
+ "Mishneh Torah",
+ "Sefer Zemanim"
+ ],
+ "sectionNames": [
+ "Chapter",
+ "Halakhah"
+ ]
+}
\ No newline at end of file