fast

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1. Purim's Significance a Few Years Later: The Return to Zion

   Chazal's Preambles to Megillat Esther: Part 7

   Rabbi Moshe Taragin | 17 minutes

   This shiur explores linguistic and thematic parallels between Megillat Esther and the Book of Ezra. The two texts share similar events, motifs, and apparatus of recovery in situations of crisis - perhaps most significantly that of fasting. Ezra's confessional prayer seems to suggest that he derives inspiration and hope from God's Hand which, while hidden, is ever-present, as in the events of Megillat Esther.

2. Eliyahu on Mount Carmel (Part 9)

   "Arise, eat and drink, for there is the sound of rumbling rain"

   Rabbi Elchanan Samet

   Eliyahu’s command to Ahav to eat might signify the end of a fast that was declared due to the drought. Alternatively, it might signify Ahav’s identification with the killing of the prophets of Ba’al, thus warranting the downpour. There is no explicit prophecy that the rain will fall immediately, but Eliyahu believes the timing is right and he has faith in God and promises rain. The lack of the explicit prophecy demands that Eliyahu pray for the rain he promised.

3. Yoel 1-2 - Matan Al HaPerek

   Rabbi David Sabato

   Chapter One of the book of Yoel  begins with a descripton of a harsh plague of locusts in Israel which destroys the entire crop. The prophet calls to the people to mourn the great calamity.

   Chapter Two opens with a warning to the people about the calamity which will befall the land as the day of the Lord approaches. The chapter continues with a call to the people to repent, return to God, and declare a public fast day. Finally, there is a response from God and a descripton of the salvaton and joy, showing a complete reversal of the harsh calamity.

   This study guide includes structural overviews, guided questions, analysis and a look at the plague of locusts.

    

4. Hanukka and the Book of Ezra

   Rabbi Ezra Bick | 8 minutes

   Years before the events of Hanukka, the end of Kislev was nevertheless a time of religious observance during the time of Ezra. Dismayed by the high assimilation rates of the Jewish communities returning to Israel, Ezra calls a fast. The twentieth of Kislev and the following days constitute an assembly of teshuva. During the time of the founding of the Second Beit HaMikdash, the period that we know as the dates of Hanukka - were dedicated to national repentance and renewal, an important element of the Hanukka story as well.

5. The Five Fast Days of Tevet

   Rabbi Dr. Aharon Adler

   תאריך פרסום: 5777 | | Hour

   What are the "five fast days of Tevet?" Well, there are at least four possible dates in traditional Jewish sources, as well as a fifth idea. We examine some of them, and explore the different aspects of the Fast of Tevet.

   We begin with an unusual phenomenon in Tanakh: a Halakhic question and answer. The question is posed to the prophet Zechariah: is it proper to cry and fast for the four Fast Days of mourning once the second Beit HaMikdash is being built? Zechariah's answer is not clear, and neither are the dates of the fasts.

   When is the Fast of Tevet meant to be, and what is it really marking? Aside from signifiying another stage of the protracted Destruction of Jerusalem, the Fast of Tevet also marks the time when the Jewish community already in Babylonia heard that Jerusalem was destroyed in the time of the prophet Yehezkel - months after the burning of the Beit HaMikdash! This and other events linked to the Fast of Tevet lead us to identify another dimension what this fast may be mourning: assimilation of the Jewish people.

    

    

    

6. The Impact of Aharon’s Death on the Nation

   Rabbi Dr. Aharon Adler

   תאריך פרסום: 2023 | | Hour and 5 minutes

   The precise date of Aharon's death is recorded as Rosh Chodesh Av. This is the sole example, throughout the entire Torah, of a recorded date of death and its significance cannot be underestimated. This lecture will focus upon the immediate impact of Aharon's loss to his generation, as well as its long-range influence upon the Jewish nation as evidenced by the date's inclusion into the list of (optional) Fast Days found in Shulhan Arukh.