“Why does it say ‘on the ninth,’ when we actually fast on the tenth?”
“And You Shall Afflict Yourselves on the Ninth of the Month” – The Meaning of the Verse
In today’s portion of Chumash, we are learning Parshas Emor, which discusses the Yomim Tovim – the festivals. There is a particularly interesting verse at the end of today’s section, which addresses Yom Kippur. The verse states, “Shabbos Shabboson hu lachem” – it is a complete day of rest for you. On Yom Kippur, one is not permitted to do any work, not even work related to food preparation. Instead, one must fast. The verse continues, commanding, “And you shall afflict your souls.” This refers to fasting, as well as the five forms of affliction (chamisha inuyim) that the sages derive, which are all prohibited on Yom Kippur.
What is striking is that the verse says, “on the ninth day of the month.” Yet we know that the fast of Yom Kippur is on the tenth of the month, as stated earlier in Parshas Acharei Mos, where the Torah specifies that Yom Kippur falls on the tenth day. Here, however, the Torah says, “on the ninth day of the month,” and then adds, “in the evening.” The Gemara discusses this, and it is also brought down in the Alter Rebbe’s Shulchan Aruch and in various places in the laws of Yom Kippur.
The Gemara in Berachos asks: When is the fast? Is it on the ninth day, or is it in the evening? If it is in the evening, then it is not the ninth day. How do we reconcile this? One might argue that perhaps we are meant to fast for two days – both the ninth and the tenth – since here it says the ninth, and elsewhere it says the tenth. However, as the Alter Rebbe clarifies, the verse itself says, “from evening to evening,” meaning the fast is only one 24-hour period, not two days. So what does it mean, “on the ninth day of the month”?
From this, the Alter Rebbe and the Gemara teach that one must begin the fast a little earlier, before the tenth actually begins. This is the concept of mosifin min hachol al hakodesh – adding from the weekday onto the holy day. Even though the fast officially begins in the evening, we start a bit earlier, on the ninth, before sunset. The Gemara also discusses whether one must protest if people eat right up until the last minute before Yom Kippur begins, and whether we allow people to remain unaware or if we must inform them of the requirement to begin earlier. This is a matter of discussion in the Gemara and in halachic works.
Another explanation brought by the Gemara in Berachos and cited by the Alter Rebbe is that the verse is actually instructing us to eat on the ninth day. When the Torah says, “on the ninth day of the month,” it is encouraging us to eat on that day. The Torah promises that one who eats on the ninth receives reward as if he fasted on both the ninth and the tenth. There is a special mitzvah to eat on the ninth, and the reward is considered as though one fasted for two days, because fulfilling Hashem’s command to eat in preparation for the fast is itself a mitzvah.
What I find curious is that Rashi does not comment on this verse at all. Although this is a major topic in the Gemara and in halacha, Rashi remains silent. Perhaps, in the simple meaning of the verse (pshuto shel mikra), it is simply telling us that the fast begins in the evening after the ninth day, not during the day itself. The Torah says, “on the ninth day in the evening,” meaning the evening that follows the ninth, which is already the tenth. The Torah is clarifying that the fast begins at night, not during the day of the ninth. This is supported by earlier verses, such as in Parshas Acharei Mos, where it says, “on the tenth day of this month is Yom Kippur, a holy convocation for you, and you shall afflict your souls.” Even in the beginning of this section, the Torah already stated that the fast is on the tenth. This verse is simply clarifying that it begins in the evening after the ninth day.
Perhaps that is why Rashi does not comment – because the verse is just specifying the starting time of the fast, not introducing a new law. Nevertheless, in halacha, we have both aspects: the requirement to add from the weekday onto the holy day, and the special reward for eating on the ninth as if one fasted on both days. This is just a suggestion, and there are likely other explanations as well.