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תענית 12
Soncino English Talmud · Berean Standard Bible
With reference to what you said that one may fast for a matter of hours this only applies if [the man concerned] had not tasted anything until the evening. Abaye said to him: This is then a full fast! — This speaks of a case where the fast was only an after thought. R. Hisda further said: A fast over which the sun has not set cannot be deemed a fast. An objection was raised against this. The men of the Mishmar fast but do not complete [the day]. [There fasting] is merely in order to afflict themselves [in sympathy with the community]. Come and hear: R. Eleazar b. Zadok said: I am a descendant of Sena'ah of the tribe of Benjamin; once the [fast of] the ninth of Ab fell on the Sabbath and we postponed it until the day after the Sabbath and we fasted but did not complete the fast because it was our festive day! — There too the fasting was merely in order to afflict themselves [in sympathy with the community]. Come and hear: R. Johanan [once] said: ‘I will fast until I return home’! — There he said this merely in order to evade the hospitality of the house of the Nasi. Samuel said: A fast which one does not undertake before sunset on the previous day is not deemed to be a fast. But what if a man does observe such a fast? — Rabbah b. Shila replied: It may be compared to a pair of bellows filled with wind. At what time should one undertake such a fast? — Rab said: During the time that one may read the Afternoon Service, and Samuel said, In the course of the Afternoon Tefillah. R. Joseph said: The view of Samuel appears the more reasonable, since it is written in the Scroll of Fasts: Therefore any man who has been subject to a fast previous to this [i.e. , the incidence of these festive days] should build himself [by an undertaking]. Does this not refer to an undertaking made during prayer? — No; this only denotes that he is forbidden [to break his fast because of his previous undertaking]. R. Hiyya and R. Simeon b. Rabbi differ on this question. One reads yesar [‘he should bind himself by his under-taking’] and the other reads, yeaser [he is forbidden, i.e., to break his fast]. The one who reads, yesar, justifies his view in the way we have just stated, but the one who reads, yeaser, what does this mean? — It has been taught in the Scroll of Fasts: Any man who is subject to a fast previous to this [incidence of these festive days] is forbidden [to break his fast]. How is this to be understood? If a man undertook to fast on Mondays and Thursdays throughout the year and any of the festive days enumerated in the Scroll of Fasts happens to fall on those days, then if his vow was made previous to our decree his vow overrides our decree, but if our decree was made before his vow then our decree overrides his vow. Our Rabbis taught: Until when may one eat and drink [on the night preceding a fast]? Until the rise of dawn; this is the opinion of Rabbi. R. Eliezer b. Simeon says: Until cock crow. Abaye said: This only holds good where a man had not yet finished his meal, but if he had finished his meal he may not eat again. Raba raised an objection against this: If one had completed his meal and rose from the table, he may eat further! — There it speaks of the case where he had not yet removed the [table]. Some say, Raba said: This holds good only when he has not gone to sleep, but if he has gone to sleep he may not eat again. Abaye raised an objection against this: If one had gone to sleep and then got up he may eat again! — There it speaks of the case where he was merely dozing. What constitutes dozing?-R. Ashi replied:
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A sleep which is no sleep, a wakefulness which is no wakefulness, he answers when he is called, but cannot recall an argument; when, however, he is reminded of something he remembers it. R. Kahana said in the name of Rab: An individual who has undertaken a fast is forbidden to wear shoes because we fear that perhaps he has undertaken a public fast. How shall he declare his vow [to be able to wear shoes]?-Rabbah b. Shila said: He should make the following declaration, ‘To-morrow I shall observe before Thee a private fast’. The Rabbis said to R. Shesheth: We have seen Rabbis who come to an Assembly on a fast day wearing their shoes. Thereupon he became angry and asked them, Perhaps they even eat? Abaye and Raba used to come [to the Assembly] wearing shoes without soles. Meremar and Mar Zutra used to change the right [shoe] to the left [foot] and the left to the right. The scholars of the school of R. Ashi wore their shoes as usual; they were of the same opinion as Samuel who said: In Babylonia except for the Fast of the Ninth of Ab there are no public fasts . Rab Judah said in the name of Rab: One may borrow a fast and repay it [on another day]; When I repeated this [statement] before Samuel he said to me, Did he then take a vow upon himself that he must pay it?-He merely undertook to afflict himself, if he is able he afflicts himself, if not he does not do so. Some say, Rab Judah said in the name of Rab: One may borrow his fast and repay it. When I repeated this before Samuel he said to me, This is self-evident; even if it is merely a vow, would he not have to pay a vow on the next day or on a later day? R. Joshua, the son of R. Idi chanced to be with R. Assi, and after they had prepared in his honour a three-year-old calf they said to him, ‘Will the Master partake of it?’ He replied. ‘I am fasting’. They said to him, ‘Let the Master borrow and repay [the fast later]’. Is the Master not in agreement with the view of Rab Judah, who said in the name of Rab: One may borrow a fast and repay it? — He replied: [Mine] is a fast for a [bad] dream, and Rabbah b. Mehasiah said in the name of R. Hama b. Guriah, in the name of Rab: Fasting is as efficacious for the bad dream as fire is for tow, and upon this R. Hisda commented: And [the fast must be] on the same day; and R. Joseph added: Even if [the day] is the Sabbath. What amends shall he make [for having fasted on the Sabbath]? — He should observe an additional fast. MISHNAH. IF THESE FAST DAYS PASSED AND THERE WAS NO ANSWER TO THEIR PRAYERS, THE BETH DIN ORDAIN UPON THE COMMUNITY THREE FURTHER FASTS; [ON DAYS PRECEDING THESE FASTS] THEY MAY EAT AND DRINK [ONLY] WHILST IT IS STILL DAY, AND THEY MAY NOT [ON THESE FAST DAYS] DO WORK, NOR BATHE, NOR ANOINT THEMSELVES WITH OIL, NOR WEAR SHOES, NOR HAVE MARITAL, RELATIONS; AND THE BATHS TOO ARE CLOSED. IF THESE [DAYS] PASSED AND THERE WAS [STILL] NO ANSWER TO THEIR PRAYERS THE BETH DIN ORDAIN UPON THE COMMUNITY A FURTHER SEVEN [FASTS]. MAKING THIRTEEN IN ALL. [IN THIS RESPECT ARE] THE LATTER MORE STRINGENT THAN THE FORMER IN THAT ON THEM THE ALARM IS SOUNDED AND THE SHOPS ARE CLOSED. ON MONDAYS THE SHUTTERS [OF THE SHOPS] ARE OPENED A LITTLE WHEN IT GETS DARK, BUT ON THURSDAYS THEY ARE PERMITTED [THE WHOLE DAY] IN HONOUR OF THE SABBATH. IF THESE PASSED AND THERE WAS [STILL] NO ANSWER TO THEIR PRAYERS THEN BUSINESS IS RESTRICTED AS ALSO IS BUILDING, PLANTING, BETROTHAL AND MARRIAGE; AND MEN GREET ONE ANOTHER AS PEOPLE LABOURING UNDER DIVINE DISPLEASURE. THE YEHIDIM BEGIN THEIR FASTING ANEW AND CONTINUE UNTIL THE END OF NISAN; IF NISAN PASSES AND RAIN FALLS THIS IS A SIGN OF DIVINE ANGER, AS IT IS WRITTEN, IS IT NOT WHEAT HARVEST TO-DAY, etc. GEMARA. It is reasonable that all the other restrictions [should be forbidden] because they give pleasure, but why work which is a source of pain? — R. Hisda replied in the name of R. Jeremiah b. Abba: Scripture says. Sanctify ye a fast, call a solemn assembly, gather the elders. This means that [the fast day is to be treated] like a solemn assembly. Just as it is not permissible to do work on a solemn assembly it is likewise not permissible to do work on a fast day. Perhaps just as on the solemn assembly work is forbidden from the preceding evening so too on a fast day work should close on the preceding evening? — R. Zeira replied: R. Jeremiah b. Abba explained the matter to me thus: Scripture says, Gather the elders’; it is to be like a gathering of elders, as the elders foregather by day so too the fast commences on the day. Perhaps [it commences] from noon? — R. Shisha b. Idi replied: This is a support for R. Huna who said: The assembly [of the community on a fast day] takes place in the morning. How do they spend [the day]?-Abaye replied: From morning to midday they look into the affairs of the city; from then onwards they read for a quarter of the day from the Torah and the Prophets and the rest of the day [is spent] in praying for mercy, as it is said, And they stood up in their place, and read in the book of the Law of the Lord their God a fourth part of the day; and another fourth part they confessed and prostrated themselves before the Lord their God. 14
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