Fasting-Prayer
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Open Thou mine eyes, that I may behold
Wondrous things out of Thy
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Tehillim
- Psalm 119:18..
(JPS-1917
version of the Tanakh).
Please Note: Some alterations or
(additions) have been made relating to ‘Names’ and ‘Attributes’ of אֱלֹהִים - Elohim, having been corrected
like it once was pre the “Masoretic Text”.
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Remember the following truth from
our beloved Torah!
“Ye shall NOT ADD TO THE WORD which I command you, NEITHER SHALL YE DIMINISH FROM IT, that ye may keep the commandments of יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵיכֶם - the LORD your Eloleichem, which I command you”. Davarim - Deuteronomy 4:2. (JPS-1917).
However, sadly both the later priests as well as our rabbis of long ago have shamefully disobeyed this command of אֱלֹהִים יְהוָה - the LORD Elohim, בָּרוּךְ שֵׁם קָדוֹשׁוֹ - ‘Baruch Shem Kadosho’ - ‘Blessed be His Holy Name!’
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With
Rabbi, Dr. Reuven Ben Avraham-Goossens, PhD.
Introduction:
This study is all about fasting and prayer before our beloved - אֱלֹהִים - Elohim (God) of heaven: To prove its great importance, let us look at the following seven verses from our beloved Tanakh! I will first show the Ivrit (Hebrew) verse first, followed by the English translation.
שְׁמוֹת - Shemot - Exodus 34:28: (All from the JPS-1917 version of the Tanakh).
וַיְהִי-שָׁם עִם-יְהוָה, אַרְבָּעִים יוֹם וְאַרְבָּעִים לַיְלָה-לֶחֶם לֹא אָכַל, וּמַיִם לֹא שָׁתָה; וַיִּכְתֹּב עַל-הַלֻּחֹת, אֵת דִּבְרֵי הַבְּרִית-עֲשֶׂרֶת, הַדְּבָרִים
“And he (Moshe) was there with יְהוָה - the LORD forty days and forty nights; he did neither eat bread, nor drink water. And he wrote upon the tables the words of the covenant, the ten words”.
דִּבְרֵי
הַיָּמִים - Divrei HaYamim 2 - 2 Chronicles. 20:4:
וַיִּקָּבְצוּ יְהוּדָה, לְבַקֵּשׁ מֵיְהוָה; גַּם מִכָּל-עָרֵי יְהוּדָה, בָּאוּ לְבַקֵּשׁ אֶת-יְהוָה
“And Judah gathered themselves together, to seek help of יְהוָה - the LORD; even out of all the cities of Judah they came to seek יְהוָה - the LORD”.
עֶזְרָא - Ezira – Ezra. 8:23:
וַנָּצוּמָה וַנְּבַקְשָׁה מֵאֱלֹהֵינוּ, עַל-זֹאת; וַיֵּעָתֵר, לָנוּ
“So we fasted and besought our אֱלֹהִים - Elohim for this; and He was entreated of us”.
אֶסְתֵּר - Ester. 4:16:
לֵךְ כְּנוֹס אֶת-כָּל-הַיְּהוּדִים הַנִּמְצְאִים בְּשׁוּשָׁן, וְצוּמוּ עָלַי וְאַל-תֹּאכְלוּ וְאַל-תִּשְׁתּוּ שְׁלֹשֶׁת יָמִים
“‘Go, gather together all the Hebrews that are present in Shushan, and fast ye for me, and neither eat nor drink three days, night or day”.
נְחֶמְיָה - Nechemyah – Nehemiah. 1:4:
וַיְהִי כְּשָׁמְעִי אֶת-הַדְּבָרִים הָאֵלֶּה, יָשַׁבְתִּי וָאֶבְכֶּה, וָאֶתְאַבְּלָה, יָמִים; וָאֱהִי צָם וּמִתְפַּלֵּל, לִפְנֵי אֱלֹהֵי הַשָּׁמָיִם
“And it came to pass, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned certain days; and I fasted and prayed before the אֱלֹהִים - Elohim of heaven”.
דָּנִיֵּאל - Dāniy’yêl – Daniel. 9:3:
וָאֶתְּנָה אֶת-פָּנַי, אֶל-אֲדֹנָי הָאֱלֹהִים, לְבַקֵּשׁ תְּפִלָּה, וְתַחֲנוּנִים-בְּצוֹם, וְשַׂק וָאֵפֶר
“And I set my face unto אֱלֹהִים יְהוָה - the Lord Elohim, to seek by prayer and supplications, with fasting, and sackcloth, and ashes”.
יוֹנָה - Yonah – Jonah 3:5:
וַיַּאֲמִינוּ אַנְשֵׁי נִינְוֵה, בֵּאלֹהִים; וַיִּקְרְאוּ-צוֹם וַיִּלְבְּשׁוּ שַׂקִּים, מִגְּדוֹלָם וְעַד-קְטַנָּם
“And the people of Nineveh believed אֱלֹהִים - Elohim; and they proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them even to the least of them”.
What we have learned from the above that both fasting and prayer is important to our lives, for we all know that we are not perfect and we need to fast and repent before אֱלֹהִים יְהוָה - the LORD Elohim, בָּרוּךְ שֵׁם קָדוֹשׁוֹ - ‘Baruch Shem Kadosho’ - ‘Blessed be His Holy Name’!
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What
about our Fast Days?
The purpose of fast days can be divided into three broad categories: ‘Regret’, ‘Request’ and ‘Remembrance’. Each fast day has indeed all three of these three ingredients, but one of the three is generally the most prominent feature and the other two are present, although in a minor role.
Of all the
fast days that we Hebrews observe, only one is clearly mandated from the Torah
and that is “Yom Kippur”. The main aspect of Yom Kippur is that
of ‘Regret’ (t’shuva) for sins that have
been committed, as it is written ... First in Ivrit - Hebrew, followed by the
translation.
כִּֽי־בַיּ֥וֹם
הַזֶּ֛ה
יְכַפֵּ֥ר
עֲלֵיכֶ֖ם
לְטַהֵ֣ר
אֶתְכֶ֑ם
מִכֹּל֙
חַטֹּ֣אתֵיכֶ֔ם
לִפְנֵ֥י
יְהוָ֖ה
תִּטְהָֽרוּ׃
“For on this day shall atonement be made for you, to cleanse you; from all your sins shall ye be clean before the LORD”. וַיִּקְרָא - Vayikra – Leviticus 16:30. (JPG-1917)
Yom Kippur
is also a day of judgment and we request from אֱלֹהִים
- Elohim that He
grant us a good year and that he remember the good deeds of our
ancestors.
Another type
of fast is one that that comes during times of distress and danger as when a
city is surrounded by enemies who desire to conquer it or perhaps a person
suffers grave illness or there is a natural catastrophe such as a drought. Rambam tells us that it is a mitzvah from the Torah to fast
and call out to אֱלֹהִים - Elohim that He save us from catastrophe. Here the main point
is the request for אֱלֹהִים - Elohim’s help, yet since no catastrophe can happen to us
unless there is a reason, we also express our regret from our sins
and ask אֱלֹהִים to remember us for good.
The most
common fasts that we are familiar with are the fasts that come
to remember and commemorate ‘the destruction of the Temple’. These
are the four fasts, ‘the seventeenth of Tamuz’, the
‘Ninth of Av’ (Tisha b'Av),
‘the Tenth of Teveth’, and the ‘T'zom
Gedalia’ (which comes on the third of Tishre). We do need to remember that these fast are wholly
Rabbinic in origin and are to make us remember the tragedies that befell our
nation. They are like mourning for the destroyed Temple. In addition, we
utilize these days as a show of regret for sins committed and as
a request that the Temple be rebuilt quickly and speedily together
with the ingathering of the exiles.
The
Fast of Esther:
The Fast of
Esther is another fast that is basically for remembrance. We remember the
attempted destruction of our people the Hebrews by the evil Haman, but also we
exploit the occasion of the fast to repent and request from
אֱלֹהִים that He do good to us, His children.
There are
lesser fast days, such as ‘BeHaBub’ which
is an acronym for ‘Beit Hey Beit’, the second day of the week, the fifth
day of the week and the following second day of the week. This is a fast that
comes on the heels of ‘Passover’ and ‘Succoth’, and begins on the month
following the holidays on the first Monday in the new month. It is practiced by
special individuals who feel that perhaps there was too much frivolous
behaviour during the Holidays. This fast is a means of atonement for any
possible sins that may have been committed.
Another
similar fast is ‘Shovevim Tet/, which is an acronym for the Torah portions of Shemot, Vi’erah, Bo, V’yeshlach, Yitro,
Mishpatim, Trumah and Tetzaveh.
It is the custom of pious men to fast on the Thursdays of the weeks when the
above Torah portions are read. These are basically in the category of fasts of
repentance for sins of the public, yet those who fast beseech אֱלֹהִים to aid those in need.
Another fast
that is traditional for the individual is that of the ‘Chatan and Chalah’, the bride and groom, on the day of his wedding.
These are traditional fasts for forgiveness of any sins which they might have
committed in order that they may begin a new life together with no sin
obscuring the good that awaits them. It is also customary to give either
the Chatan or Chalah a
special request that they may say on this their special day.
Still
another type of individual fast day is that of a person who has sinned and
wants to achieve atonement. It was the custom of many in past generations who
had taken sin very seriously. They did not just fast, but afflicted themselves
to increase the suffering. The various numbers of fasts for the different types
of sins are listed in books on Mussar, ethical
teachings. Today adding afflictions to personal fasts is extremely rare since
our generation is one that looks for pleasures, not one that looks for
suffering.
In addition,
a person can vow a fast. If he/she is in personal difficulties in which fasting
at that time is impossible, such as one who is running from an enemy, he may
vow to fast if he is saved from this enemy. The vow is acceptable before אֱלֹהִים as if he fasted; however, he must be particular to fulfil the
vow.
Fasting is
used to reverse a heavenly decree such as a dream which is perceived as a bad
omen from heaven. In this case a ta’anit cholem, a fast to prevent an evil decree from heaven is
done. This can even be on the Shabbat; however, if one fasts on the Shabbat
a ta’anit cholem then
he must fast another fast as repentance for fasting on the Shabbat, a day of
joy and pleasure.
The purpose
of fasts is not merely to deprive oneself of food, but to reflect upon the
reasons for the fasts, since nothing happens in this world by chance.
Everything that happens only comes because אֱלֹהִים actively permits it to happen. Therefore if we experience
distressful situations, we must utilize them to get closer to אֱלֹהִים.
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This site was originally created, for those who desired to return to our blessed and wonderful faith. Thus be wise and work on your faith and pray at least two or three times a day (if possible) and always seek our beloved אֱלֹהִים - Elohim’s guidance, for His love is always with us, especially when we seek Him, blessed be He! However this site has become very much a teaching site with hundreds of studies!
Remember what אֱלֹהִים - Elohim, blessed be
He, said the following via several of our prophets...
“Return
unto Me, and I will return unto you, saith צְבָאוֹת- יְהוָה- the LORD
of hosts”. Mal’a’chi - Malachi 3:7. (JPS).
And Remember ...
Enjoy your Sabbath Rest, Shabbat Shalom!
אֲנִי יְהוָה
אֱלֹהֵיכֶם, בְּחֻקּוֹתַי
לֵכוּ; וְאֶת-מִשְׁפָּטַי
שִׁמְרוּ, וַעֲשׂוּ
אוֹתָם
וְאֶת-שַׁבְּתוֹתַי, קַדֵּשׁוּ; וְהָיוּ
לְאוֹת, בֵּינִי
וּבֵינֵיכֶם-לָדַעַת, כִּי
אֲנִי יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵיכֶם
“I am אֱלֹהֵיכֶם יְהוָה - the LORD your Eloheichem;
walk in My statutes, and keep Mine ordinances,
and do them; and hallow My Sabbaths, and they shall be a sign between Me and
you, that ye may know that I am אֱלֹהֵיכֶם יְהוָה
- the LORD your Eloheichem”. Yechezkel - Ezekiel 20:19-20. (JPS).
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follows;
“The More Torah, the More Life”
For אֱלֹהִים יְהוָה - the LORD Elohim, Blessed be
His Sanctified Name,
He
is the one who gave us our Life!”
May the שָׁלוֹם - Shalom = Peace
of צְבָאוֹת- יְהוָה= the LORD of hosts.
be with you, and please always uphold our blessed שַׁבָּת - Shabbat, as
well as the מוֹעֲדִים - Mo’a’dim - Feasts, and continue saying your
daily תְּפִלָּה - Tefeelah’s (Prayers) and regular בְּרָכָה - Be’ra’chah’s (blessings) before food and drinks,
etc!
שָׁלוֹם
עֲלֵיכֶם - Shalom Aleichem - Peace be with you!
Rabbi, Dr. Reuven Ben Avraham-Goossens, PhD.
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