001 - הִלְכוֹת תַּעְנִיּוֹת פֵּרֶק א

Laws of Fasts

There is one positive commandment: to fast and cry out before Hashem at any time a great calamity befalls the community.

1. It is a positive commandment from the Torah to cry out and sound the trumpets for any calamity that befalls the community, as it is stated: "When you are at war in your land against an enemy who oppresses you, you shall sound an alarm with the trumpets" (Bamidbar 10:9). That is to say, for anything that causes you distress, such as drought, plague, locusts, and similar events, you should cry out over them and sound the alarm.

2. This is one of the ways of repentance: when a calamity comes and people cry out and sound the alarm, everyone will know that it is because of their evil deeds that this has happened to them, as it is written: "Your iniquities have turned these away" (Yirmiyahu 5:25). This is what will cause the calamity to be removed from them.

3. But if they do not cry out and do not sound the alarm, but rather say, "This happened to us as a matter of the way of the world, and this calamity is merely a coincidence," this is a way of cruelty and causes them to cling to their evil deeds, and the calamity will increase and other troubles will come. This is what is written in the Torah: "If you walk with Me with casualness, then I will walk with you in fury of casualness" (Vayikra 26:27-28). That is to say, when I bring calamity upon you so that you will repent, if you say it is a coincidence, I will add to you the fury of that coincidence.

4. By rabbinic decree, one must fast for any calamity that befalls the community until mercy is shown from Heaven. On these fast days, they cry out in prayer, plead, and sound the trumpets alone. If they were in the Beis HaMikdash, they would sound both the trumpets and the shofar; the shofar would be short, and the trumpets would be long, for the mitzvah of the day is with the trumpets. Trumpets and shofar are not sounded together except in the Beis HaMikdash, as it is stated: "With trumpets and the sound of the shofar, shout before the King, Hashem" (Tehillim 98:6).

5. These fasts that are decreed upon the community because of calamities are not held on consecutive days, for most of the community cannot endure this. A fast is not initially decreed except on Monday, then the following Thursday, and then the following Monday; and so on in this order—Monday, Thursday, and Monday—until mercy is shown.

6. A fast is not decreed upon the community on Shabbos or Yom Tov. Likewise, they do not sound the shofar or the trumpets on these days, nor do they cry out or plead in prayer, unless it is a city surrounded by non-Jews, or by a river, or a ship in danger at sea. Even for an individual pursued by non-Jews, bandits, or an evil spirit, they fast for them on Shabbos and cry out and plead in prayer. But they do not sound the alarm, unless it is to gather the people to go and help or save them.

7. Likewise, a fast is not initially decreed on Rosh Chodesh, or on Chanukah and Purim, or during Chol HaMoed. But if they had already begun to fast for the calamity, even for one day, and one of these days occurred, they fast and complete the day as a fast.

8. These fasts that are observed for calamities are not observed by pregnant women, nursing women, or minors. It is permitted to eat at night, even though they will fast the next day—except for the fast for rain, as will be explained. Any fast where one eats at night, whether for the community or an individual, one may eat and drink until dawn, provided he did not sleep; but if he slept, he does not resume eating.

9. Just as the community fasts for its calamity, so too an individual fasts for his own calamity. How so? If he has a sick person, or is lost in the desert, or is imprisoned, he may fast for him and seek mercy in his prayer, and he says Aneinu in every prayer he prays. He does not fast on Shabbos, nor on festivals, nor on Rosh Chodesh, nor on Chanukah and Purim.

Laws of Fasts, Chapter 1

10. Any fast that an individual did not accept upon himself while it was still daytime is not considered a fast. How does one accept it? When he prays the Mincha prayer, he says "Aneinu" in the prayer, and resolves in his heart to fast the next day. Even though he eats at night, he loses nothing; and similarly, if he resolved and accepted upon himself to fast for three or four consecutive days—even though he eats each and every night—he does not forfeit his fast, and he does not need to have intention for each day while it is still daytime.

11. If he accepted upon himself while it was still daytime to fast only the next day, and he fasted, and at night he decided to fast a second day—even though he spent the night fasting, it is not considered a fast, because he did not accept it upon himself while it was still daytime. And needless to say, if he ate and drank at night, and in the morning decided to fast—that is not a fast at all.

12. One who sees a bad dream should fast the next day, so that he will reflect and examine his deeds, and return in repentance; and he fasts, even on Shabbos. He recites "Aneinu" in every prayer, even though he did not accept it upon himself while it was still daytime. And one who fasts on Shabbos should fast another day, because he neglected the enjoyment of Shabbos.

13. A person may fast for hours, provided that he does not eat anything for the rest of the day. How so? If he was occupied with his affairs and busy with his needs and did not eat until midday, or until the ninth hour, and then decided to fast for the remaining hours of the day—he is considered to be fasting those hours, and he recites "Aneinu" during them, since he accepted the fast before the hours of the fast began. Similarly, if he ate and drank, and afterward began to fast for the rest of the day—this is considered a fast of hours.

14. Anyone who is fasting—whether he is fasting for his own trouble, or for a dream, or whether he is fasting with the community for their trouble—should not act frivolously, nor be lightheaded, nor be happy and cheerful, but rather should be worried and mournful, as it says: "Why should a living man complain, a man for the punishment of his sins?" (Eichah 3:39). He is permitted to taste the dish, even up to a revi'is, provided he does not swallow, but tastes and spits it out. If he forgot and ate, he should complete his fast.

15. An individual who was fasting for a sick person, and the person recovered, or for a trouble, and it passed—he should complete his fast. One who goes from a place where they are fasting to a place where they are not fasting, he should fast and complete the fast; if he went from a place where they are not fasting to a place where they are fasting, he should fast with them. If he forgot and ate and drank, he should not appear before them; and he should not act frivolously.

16. If a community was fasting for rain, and rain fell for them—if it was before midday, they do not complete the fast, but eat and drink, and gather together and recite the Great Hallel, for the Great Hallel is only recited with a satisfied soul and a full stomach. But if it was after midday—since most of the day has passed in sanctity, they should complete their fast. Similarly, if they were fasting for a trouble and it passed, or for a decree and it was annulled—if it was before midday, they do not complete the fast; if after midday, they complete it.

17. On every public fast that is decreed because of troubles, the Beis Din and the elders sit in the synagogue and examine the deeds of the people of the city, from after the Shacharis prayer until midday. They remove stumbling blocks of transgression, warn, investigate, and inquire about those who commit robbery and sins, and separate them, and about those who use force, and humble them, and similar matters. From midday until evening, for a quarter of the day they read the blessings and curses in the Torah, as it says: "My son, do not despise the discipline of Hashem, and do not be weary of His reproof" (Mishlei 3:11); and they read the haftarah from the prophets with rebuke related to the trouble. For the last quarter of the day, they pray Mincha, supplicate, cry out, and confess according to their ability.