Taanis Esther: Difference between revisions
Created page with "thumb Taanit Esther (Fast of Esther) is a fast day observed on the 13th of Adar, the day before Purim, commemorating the fast that the Jews in Shushan observed before going to battle against their enemies on the 14th of Adar. In years when the fast falls on Shabbat, it is moved up to Thursday, the 11th of Adar. This fast is not rabbinically ordained (not "mi'derabanan") and is not mentioned in the Talmud; rather, it is a Jewish custom, an..." |
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Taanit Esther (Fast of Esther) is a fast day observed on the 13th of Adar, the day before Purim, commemorating the fast that the Jews in Shushan observed before going to battle against their enemies on the 14th of Adar. In years when the fast falls on Shabbat, it is moved up to Thursday, the 11th of Adar. This fast is not rabbinically ordained (not "mi'derabanan") and is not mentioned in the Talmud; rather, it is a Jewish custom, and therefore the laws of this fast are generally more lenient compared to other fast days. | Taanit Esther (Fast of Esther) is a fast day observed on the 13th of Adar, the day before Purim, commemorating the fast that the Jews in Shushan observed before going to battle against their enemies on the 14th of Adar. In years when the fast falls on Shabbat, it is moved up to Thursday, the 11th of Adar. This fast is not rabbinically ordained (not "mi'derabanan") and is not mentioned in the Talmud; rather, it is a Jewish custom, and therefore the laws of this fast are generally more lenient compared to other fast days. | ||
== Reason for the Fast == | == Reason for the Fast == | ||
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The Rebbe explains that the fast is named specifically after Esther (and not simply "Purim Fast"), since in the first year the Jewish people could not fast because they were in the middle of battle, and the only person for whom fasting was not dangerous was Esther who was in the king's palace, so only she could fast on this day. | The Rebbe explains that the fast is named specifically after Esther (and not simply "Purim Fast"), since in the first year the Jewish people could not fast because they were in the middle of battle, and the only person for whom fasting was not dangerous was Esther who was in the king's palace, so only she could fast on this day. | ||
[[File:מחצית השקל.jpg|thumb|Chassidim observe the custom of "machatzit hashekel" (half-shekel) on Taanit Esther at 770, using coins that the Rebbe used.]] | |||
== Customs of Taanit Esther == | == Customs of Taanit Esther == | ||
A sick person (even if not in danger), a pregnant woman, a nursing mother, and a woman within 30 days after giving birth are exempt from the fast. | A sick person (even if not in danger), a pregnant woman, a nursing mother, and a woman within 30 days after giving birth are exempt from the fast. | ||
