The fascinating history behind this most mysterious fast, which is unlike all other Taanaisim of the Jewish year.
February 2015
This post explores the Taanis Esther’s meaning, reason, and history.
Looking back at past Purim columns, I noticed a trend, in that we discuss in this column odd this time of year odd Purim minhagim. Be it the ‘Purim Rav’ (last year) or Purim gemara Parodies (several years ago). The latter is a subject that, if we wanted to, we can continue, as mesechtas ‘TRUMP’ was published last year! (Really)
However, it struck me that the most obvious minhag of them all was ignored all this time. I am referring to the accepted practice, and now standard halacha of fasting on the 13th of Adar, the date that we call taanis esther.
Some people may be surprised by the fact that this date of fasting is not mentioned anywhere in chazal, and that it is certainly not mentioned along with the other rabbinical fasts in the pasuk in Zecharia (8:19).
In fact, the history of taanis esther leads to more questions than answers. And by the end of this week’s column I hope to reveal some amazing secrets about this mysterious day.
The Rambam (5:5 hilchos taanis) is the first to codify this practice of fasting on this date:
And in our times we follow the custom of fasting…on the thirteenth of Adar, in commemoration of the fasts that we took upon ourselves in the time of Haman, as mentioned (Esther, 9:31): “the matter of the fasts and the outcries.”
And, as it relates to this year, he continues:
“If the thirteenth of Adar falls on shabbos, the fast is held on Thursday, which is the eleventh of Adar…”
The reason why we don’t fast, generally, on erev Shabbos is simply because davening on a fast-day takes longer due to selichos etc., and people need time to prepare for shabbos. Nevertheless, should someone forget this year to fast on Thursday, they would indeed need to fast on erev Shabbos (Magen Avraham with Mishneh Berrura).
But back to our original question, what is the reason behind this fast?
While some (see Magid Mishneh ad loc.) wish to find a source directly from chazal, the Rambam above instead brought reference directly from the megilla.
Here is the pasuk (9:31) in full: “[Mordechai and Esther instructed the Jewish people] to observe these days of Purim on their proper dates, in the manner established for them by Mordechai the Jew and Queen Esther, just as they had accepted upon themselves and upon their descendants the observance of the fasts and their lamentations” (Megillas Esther, 9:31)
This is indeed an ambiguous pasuk. What fast do these words in the megilla allude to?
While Rambam seems to suggest that the ‘fasts’ referenced refers to Esther’s declared days of public fasting found earlier in the megilla, and to our acceptance of the 13th of Adar each year as their memorial, most disagree with this.
After all, they point out, were not those original fasts declared by Esther held in the month of nissan? And, were they not three days of fasts, as opposed to the one day minhag we observe today? (See however Kol Bo siman 62; Magen Avos from Meiri, siman 23 who seem to agree with Rambam that this verse is indeed a reference to our Taanis Esther).
So, if this pasuk in the megilla was not referring to our present-day taanis esther, what what is referencing?
Maharal (Ohr Chodosh 9:31) as well as Siddur Rashi (siman 345) therefore suggest that all that the pasuk was saying was that due to our salvations from our crying and fasting regarding the decree do we have this day of Purim to celebrate our salvation. It was not referencing a specific fast, and certainly not a fast we are to still observe!
In a different manner, Ibn Ezra explains the pasuk to mean that just like on sad days we rightfully commemorate with fasting, on days such as Purim we celebrate with feast and drink.
The Vilna Gaon offers a similar interpretation, in that just as the Jews then accepted Esther and Mordechai’s three day fast, so too did they accept the new day for the future of Purim in all generations.
In any event, according to all these views that this pasuk in the megilla is not referring to our taanis esther, from where indeed does this minhag derive?
Famously, the Mishneh Berrura brings an idea, first found in the Rosh (1:1), Rashba (2a), Rabeinu Tam and even alluded to in the Shiltos D’rav Achai (Vayakhel 67).
They explain that we know that Moshe Rabbeinu fasted when he had to fight against Amalek. We see from here that bnei yisroel fasts before seeking to defeat an enemy, we can therefore assume that Esther, Mordechai and klal yisroel must have fasted as well on this date (see Yaaros Devash 9 for how we would have been able to fast during a war, which is forbidden).
So according to the Chofetz Chaim and others the purpose of taanis esther is simply to commemoratewhat likelyhappened on the 13th of Adar.
However, this explanation behind taanis esther has always vexed me greatly. For if we know a fast happened when Moshe fought Amalek, why not make a fast on that date? Why instead create one on a later historical date that only through conjecture do we assume they also fasted (tannis esther)? What is so special about this date?
However, this year I discovered two amazing insights that may answer my question, and bring new light to what taanis esther is all about.
The first comes from shu’t Tashbeitz (2:271)by Rav Duran (d.1444). He says something unbelievable.
All the fasts that are rabbinicaly required throughout the year (save for Yom Kippur) that are mentioned in the aforementioned pasuk in Zacharia were first first accepted on the 13th when we vanguished our enemies in the Purim story!
Meaning, the pasuk from the Megillah that references ‘accepting fasts’, was referring to tzom gedalia, asareh b’tevas, shiv’asar b’tamuz and tisha b’av!
The depth of this view is explained by the Chasam Sofer (Derashos Chasam Sofer p. 96) with a mashal.
Imagine a king exiles his son to a poor section of the kingdom. Now poor, he lives among paupers and every day the prince must not scavenge for food, steal for clothing, and hide in alleys for warmth.
He and his new friends constantly wonder when the king will take him out of his exile.
One day, a large shipment arrives. The guard leading this delivery gets off a horse and stands in front of the shipment reads a proclamation before the prince: “The king brought us here to build for the prince a fine home so that he no longer need live in squalor”.
The prince hears this and begins to wail and sob.
“Why are you sad?” ask his pauper friends, “Why, now you will finally live in comfort!”
“You fools!” replies the prince. “Until now I thought that any day my father will bring me home to the palace. But now that he is building me a permanent home in my exile, there is no hope for his desiring my return ever!”
This, explains the Chasam Sofer, is the meaning of the Tashbeitz’s words. When Hashem saved us from Haman, in Persia, we feared that Hashem was building us a home in our exile, making us comfortable here in galus, never to bring us back to eretz yisroel. So we decided then and there to begin fasting on the dates that recall when we were first thrown out of Yerushalim, so Hashem would hear our cry and still bring us to our real home.
What a majestic idea! This explains why we have taanis esther –as it is the day we accepted all other fasts!
It also explains why we did not choose the day of Moshe’s fast, for only this historical fast in the days of Esther represents all pain of bnei yisroel throughout the ages and out hope for a return.
Perhaps this better explains the second item I discovered this year: The words of Rav Shmuel Uzida (the author of Midrash Shmuel on Avos, student of the Ari’zal). He teaches that of all months, Adar is the most set to lift up klal yisroel and have its teffilos answered (this is why we delay trials to this month). And, out of the entire month of Adar there is no day like the 13th, taanis esther when these gates are opened!
Perhaps this is due to the fact that taanis esther is the day when we remind ourselves each year that our comforts in galus should never blind us to the ultimate comfort and home that we await!
Have a Happy Purim!
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