Rabbi Roodyn

Unlike every other fast, this is one we are happy to bring forward when it should fall on Shabbos (like this year). Evidently, Taanis Esther isn’t a sad day, so what’s it all about?

The Rambam draws a very clear distinction between Taanis Esther and the four fasts that commemorate the destruction of the Beis Hamikdash.

When discussing the four fast the Rambam says, “There are days when the entire Jewish people fast because of the calamities that occurred to them then, to arouse [their] hearts and initiate [them in] the paths of repentance.” (Hilchos Taaniyos 5:1)

However when he mentions the custom to fast on Taanis Esther he uses a different terminology entirely,  “And the entire Jewish people follow the custom of fasting at these times and on the Thirteenth of Adar, in commemoration of the fasts that [the people] took upon themselves in the time of Haman, as mentioned [in Esther 9:31]: “the matter of the fasts and the outcries.”

Today’s fast is therefore to commemorate a fast, rather than a tragedy. But why fast to commemorate a fast? After all, as we well know, the Purim story has a happy ending, so why commemorate this specific detail of the story?

The answer to this unlocks the secret and the power of the day: Simply put, the reason why we fast, is to show us the power of fasting and prayer and to allow us to tap into that. Even a basic reading of the Megilla shows us that the turning point in the story was Esther’s request to gather the Jews in Shushan to fast and pray for her potentially suicidal mission, going before the king in complete defiance of Royal protocol.

The fast is named after Esther as she was the one who realised the power that we have when we fast and daven. Behind enemy lines, whilst ensuring not to blow her cover, she joins with her people and offers a heartfelt prayer before taking her life in her hands to ensure the continuity of our people. It is therefore considered auspicious to recite her prayer, Tehillim Chapter 22 at some point during the day http://www.chabad.org/library/bible_cdo/aid/16243, as it expresses these ideas to eloquently.

There is a remarkable Medrash that vividly depicts thousands of young Jewish men being chained up by Haman’s forces at the end of their three day marathon of fasting and praying, to be executed the next morning. Distraught, their mothers come to them that night and try to feed them and alleviate their pain in some small way, so that they shouldn’t die on an empty stomach. The Medrash says that as one, the boys refused their mothers’ offer, preferring to spend their final hours in this world filled purified by their fast and uplifted by their prayers.

That night, their prayers became so intense that they caused Hashem to move from the throne of strict judgement to the throne of mercy. Down on Earth, Achashverosh suffers from insomnia, calls upon Haman, rewards Mordechai and Haman’s fate takes a nosedive, sparing not only these young men, but the entire Jewish nation.

The message of this Medrash is the essence of the day. Today is a day to recognise the power of prayer. Fasting elevates us above our physical needs and enables us to focus on our priorities. A meaningful fast accompanied by heartfelt prayer can have an incredible impact on our destiny.

Today isn’t a sad day at all, rather it is a powerful one, but how we choose to use it is totally up to us.