Ta'anis Esther: The Fast of Esther

Unlike other fast days, which commemorate tragedies that befell our people, the fast of Esther commemorates a tragedy that did not take place: the threatened annihilation of the global Jewish population, scheduled to take place on the 13th day of the month of Adar.

The medieval sage known as Rambam (in his book Mishneh Torah, in the section Laws of Fasts 5:5) writes:

“All Israel have the custom to fast...on the 13th of Adar in memory of the fast which they fasted in the days of Haman, as it says ‘...they accepted for themselves and for their descendants the matters of the fasts and their outcries’ (Esther 9:32)”.

However, the commentary Mishnah Berurah (686:1) gives a different reason:

“Because in the days of Mordechai and Esther the Jews assembled on the 13th of Adar to fight for their lives. They had to pray for mercy, they pleaded to G-d to help them to avenge themselves on their enemies. Now we find that on the day of battle they would fast: the Rabbis said that Moshe fasted on the day that he battled Amalek, and so too in the days of Mordechai they surely fasted on that day. Therefore all Israel have the custom to fast on the 13th of Adar, which is called Ta’anit Esther [the Fast of Esther], to remind us that G-d sees and hears every person at the time of his distress when he fasts and repents with all his heart, as happened in those days”.

So too in this year of 5786 (2026), we ought to fast in prayer for the nation of Israel which is at war, for the protection of its soldiers and civilians, and for its swift victory in battle.

The Israeli scholar Daniel Pinner writes:

Hebrew has two words for 'fast': Ta’anit and Tzom which, though technically the same, have different connotations. Ta’anit is from the root ayin-nun-heh, which root has three additional meanings: 'innuiy', suffering; 'anav', humble; and 'oneh', answer. The purpose of a ta’anit is that through our suffering we should come to humility, and thus G-d should answer our prayers.

Tzom, by contrast, is related to tzomet, a gathering or convergence (hence a junction or crossroads, the place where different paths converge).

Most of the annual fast-days (Fast of Gedaliah, Yom Kippur, 10th of Tevet, 17th of Tammuz, and 9th of Av) are called tzom.

Ta’anit is reserved for two annual fasts: Ta’anit Esther, the day before Purim; and Ta’anit Bechorot (the Fast of the First-Born), the day before Pesach. …

It is significant that both the fast before Purim and the fast before Pesach are called ta’anit, because Purim and Pesach have a lot in common. They are both festivals which celebrate redemption, which is why in a leap year Purim is celebrated in the second [month of] Adar: “to celebrate redemption close to redemption” (Megillah 6b, Yerushalmi Megillah 1:5). … The pivotal day of the Book of Esther was when Esther went to Achashverosh and invited him and Haman to her wine-feast later that day, the same day that Haman built the gallows that he planned to hang Mordechai on (Esther 5), which was the first day of Pesach.

… Each of the two Festivals of Redemption is preceded by a ta’anit – suffering that we undergo in order to learn humility, and thus [be ready] for G-d to answer our prayers.

Laws and customs of the fast

Rabbi Eliezer Melamed is a rosh yeshiva (head of a rabbinical school) in Israel, and a famed Torah scholar and expert in Jewish law. We present here a part of an essay which he wrote in 2022:

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The Fast of Esther - Memory and repentance

All Jews have a custom, originating in the Gaonic period (589-1038 C.E.), to fast on the thirteenth of Adar in commemoration of the fasts that Esther observed before approaching King Akhashverosh (Ahasuerus) to annul the decree (Esther 4:16) and the fast that the Jews observed on the thirteenth of Adar of that year. The wicked Haman had decreed that all Jews – young and old, men, women, and children – be destroyed, killed, annihilated, and plundered on the thirteenth of Adar.

Thanks to the Purim miracle, the hanging of Haman and the rise of Mordechai and Esther, King Akhashverosh issued a second letter allowing the Jews to defend themselves and kill their enemies on that same day. The original decree, however, was not rescinded, because any decree written and signed by the king could not be annulled. Therefore, the enemies of Israel also had permission to kill the Jews. In other words, the kingdom established the thirteenth of Adar as the day on which the anti-Semites could try to destroy the Jews, but the Jews were permitted to fight back.

And although Mordechai was the kingʼs viceroy, the Jews were still in grave danger and in need of divine mercy to help them overcome and kill their enemies. Therefore, those Jews who did not engage in the fighting were inspired to repent and fasted that day, as is Israelʼs practice in times of trouble.

And there is no greater penitence than that achieved by way of fasting, which purifies manʼs material side, and restores his spirituality to its central role.

In commemoration of this fast, the Jewish people traditionally fast on the thirteenth of Adar every year. And since we still have enemies who wish to destroy us, we still need to fast and repent every year anew.

[W]hen the thirteenth of Adar falls out on Shabbat, the fast is observed on the preceding Thursday, and not on the eve of Purim.

Exemptions from the Fast

In general, the laws of Taʼanit Esther (the ‘Fast of Estherʼ) are more lenient than those of the other Minor Fasts, namely, the Tenth of Tevet, the Seventeenth of Tamuz, and the Fast of Gedaliah, because these fasts were instituted by the Rabbis, whereas the ‘Fast of Estherʼ was established according to Jewish custom. In practice, though, there are no significant differences between them, and all those exempt from the Minor Fasts – including the ill, pregnant women, and women after giving birth – are exempt from Taʼanit Esther, and all those required to fast on the Minor Fast days, are also obligated to fast on Taʼanit Esther.

Nevertheless, since the ‘Fast of Estherʼ is based on custom, we are more lenient in cases of doubt. Consequently, although a bride and groom during the seven-day period of joy after their wedding must observe the other Minor Fasts, they are exempt from fasting on Taʼanit Esther. […]

Must a Woman after Giving Birth Fast?

As is well-known, a nursing woman is exempt from the Minor Fasts as long as she is nursing. According to the opinion of most poskim [legal decisors], she is exempt from fasting as long as she continues to nurse her baby – even if the child receives additional nourishment. Some poskim are lenient and exempt all women from fasting for 24 months after giving birth, because in their opinion, the exemption does not depend on nursing, but on the hardships of childbirth, from which it takes 24 months to recover.

Concerning the Minor Fasts, since most poskim rule strictly, the prevalent custom is that only a nursing woman is exempt from fasting. A woman who finds it difficult to fast is permitted to rely on the lenient poskim for the duration of 24 months after giving birth, even if she has stopped nursing.

However, regarding Taʼanit Esther, whose ruling is even more lenient, from the outset it is permitted to rely on the opinion of the lenient poskim, and all women within 24 months of giving birth are exempt from fasting.

In Commemoration of the ‘Half-Shekelʼ

People customarily give charity in the month of Adar in commemoration of the ‘half-shekelʼ that the Jews used to donate to the Temple for the purpose of buying communal offerings. The best time to give this charity is immediately before Minchah [afternoon prayer time] on Taʼanit Esther, so that the merit of giving charity can also combine with the atonement of the fast.

Some have a custom to give a coin equivalent of half of the local currency [e.g., half a dollar, half a pound, etc.], while others give three such coins, corresponding to the three times the word “terumah” (donation) is mentioned in Parashat Shekalim. The common coin in Israel today is the shekel, therefore, according to this custom one should donate three half-shekel coins.

Some are accustomed to give the equivalent of the original ‘half-shekelʼ, which is approximately ten grams of pure silver. Actually, the exact weight of a ‘half-shekelʼ is 7.5 grams, and its current price can be ascertained on the web.

All of the customs are valid, and the more charity one gives, the more blessing he receives.

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(This article is printed in full on israelnationalnews.com.)