Taanit Esther is not one of the four classic fasts but a custom. It is a solemn but not a sad day. Like all fasts, the purpose is not the deprivation of food and drink but rather teshuvah, repentance, which is facilitated by prayer, supplications, and tzedakah. This particular fast commemorates not just Esther’s fasts before she entreated Achashveirosh (those occurred on Pesach almost one year earlier) but also the fast on 13 Adar – the day that the Jews of Persia defended themselves against their murderous enemies.
In that, perhaps there is a deep lesson that reflects on the mood of the day and even our times. Certainly, Rambam notes (Laws of Fasts 1:14) that we should not pamper ourselves on any fast day “nor be happy and good-hearted.” But Taanit Esther commemorates something unique in Jewish history: it is one of the very few times in the exile that we arose and defended ourselves, successfully, against the predations of a genocidal enemy. The very fact that we could defend ourselves, and with Hashem’s blessings, prevail, repudiates the notion that this could be a sad day.
With all our struggles today in the land of Israel and the wars we are fighting against genocidal enemies to our north, south, and east, it is a great privilege to be able to defend ourselves and strike mortal blows against any foe who dares to raise a hand against any Jew. We should not take that for granted because that has not been our historical reality for two millennia.
As such, we should not be sad but more determined to vanquish our enemies, secure our homeland, and build a holier state – and then Taanit Esther will, like all fast days today, become in the future (ibid 5:19) complete “days of gladness and joy.”
– Rav Steven Pruzansky is Rabbi Emeritus of Congregation Bnai Yeshurun (Teaneck, NJ), Israel Region Vice-President of the Coalition for Jewish Values, and author of “Redemption for Today” (available at Kodesh Press), all about Pesach.
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The question of whether Taanit Esther is a happy or sad day may depend on the reason why we fast on that day. The Shibbolei Haleket cites Rashi as explaining that the fast is a custom that commemorates the three-day fast observed by the Jewish people before Esther approached the king that is recorded in Megillat Esther. Rabbenu Tam suggests that Taanit Esther is a rabbinic obligation that commemorates the day upon which the Jews gathered to fight those who sought to destroy them. The Raavad suggests that Taanit Esther was instituted as part of the original ruling to observe Purim itself. When we celebrate Purim, we must “reenact” the fast which preceded the war during which the Jewish people were miraculously saved.
It would seem that according to the first two approaches, Taanit Esther should be viewed as a sad day commemorating sad days in our Jewish history, either before Esther went before the king to save the Jews from the genocidal edict, or when the Jews had to defend themselves from enemies who sought to destroy them. However, according to the third approach, if Taanit Esther is just part of our re-enactment of the Purim story, then Taanit Esther may not be a sad day. The juxtaposition of Taanit Esther to Purim would be similar to our obligation to tell the story of the Exodus on Seder night by beginning with the slavery and concluding with our freedom. Why do we mention that we were slaves in Egypt on Seder night? To help us appreciate our freedom from Egyptian slavery even more. Similarly, by emphasizing the dire predicament in which we found ourselves through fasting, we appreciate the miracle of Purim even more.
The Piskei Teshuvot ruled that we can listen to music during Taanit Esther, which is generally discouraged on other fast days. This ruling indicates that Taanit Esther is not a sad day. Additionally, Rav Soloveitchik suggested that the Rambam’s assertion that in the messianic era we will not observe the fasts might not apply to Taanit Esther, as that fast is an integral part of the Purim celebration. This position would also indicate that Taanit Esther should indeed be viewed as a happy day.
– Rabbi Jonathan Muskat is the rabbi of the Young Israel of Oceanside, a rebbe at Shulamith High School, and a pastoral health care liaison at Mount Sinai South Nassau.
