Halachah 1 – Crying Out in Times of Trouble
The Rambam begins by stating the Torah commandment that forms the foundation of the laws of fasting:
When a major calamity affects the community, there is a positive mitzvah to cry out to God and sound the trumpets.
The Torah says:
“When you go to war against an enemy who oppresses you… you shall sound the trumpets” (Numbers 10:9).
This applies not only to war, but to any communal distress, such as:
- Drought
- Plague
- Locusts
- Similar disasters
The community must respond through prayer and supplication.
Halachah 2 – Calamity Is a Call to Repentance
Crying out during suffering is part of the process of teshuvah.
When people recognize that their actions contribute to their suffering, they are moved to repent and improve. The awareness that events are not random motivates spiritual change and can lead to the removal of the calamity.
Halachah 3 – Ignoring the Message Is Cruelty
If people respond by saying:
“This is simply the way of the world,” or “This happened by chance,”
the Rambam calls this cruelty.
Such an attitude prevents self-examination and repentance. As a result, the original suffering may continue and additional hardships may follow.
This explains the verse:
“If you walk with Me casually, I will walk with you in the fury of casualness” (Leviticus 26).
Halachah 4 – Rabbinic Requirement of Public Fasts
The Torah requires prayer and trumpet blasts. The Sages added communal fasts.
When a public crisis occurs:
- The community fasts.
- Special prayers are recited.
- Supplications are offered.
- Trumpets are sounded.
These practices continue until mercy is granted from Heaven.
Halachah 5 – Trumpets and Shofars
Outside the Temple, only trumpets were used.
In the Temple:
- Trumpets and shofars were sounded together.
- The shofar gave shorter blasts.
- The trumpets carried the primary sound because the mitzvah of the day centered on them.
This combination existed only in the Beit HaMikdash.
Halachah 6 – The Schedule of Public Fasts
Public fasts are not instituted on consecutive days because most people could not endure that burden.
Instead they are scheduled:
- Monday
- Thursday
- Monday
and repeated in that pattern as necessary.
Halachah 7 – No Public Fasts on Shabbat or Festivals
Communal fasts are not instituted on:
- Shabbat
- Yom Tov
Likewise, special public crying out and trumpet blasts are not performed then.
Exceptions exist for immediate life-threatening emergencies such as:
- A city under attack
- Flood danger
- A ship in distress
In such cases prayers and pleas are offered immediately.
Halachah 8 – Other Days Protected from New Fast Decrees
One does not initially decree public fasts on:
- Rosh Chodesh
- Chanukah
- Purim
- Chol HaMoed
However, if a series of fasts had already begun before such a day arrived, the fast is completed.
Halachah 9 – Who Is Exempt?
The following are exempt from communal fasts instituted because of disasters:
- Pregnant women
- Nursing mothers
- Children
Most of these fasts begin at dawn, and eating is allowed during the preceding night.
Halachah 10 – Eating Before Dawn
For fasts that begin in the morning, one may eat and drink throughout the night until dawn.
However:
- If one falls asleep, the fast effectively begins.
- Upon awakening, one may not resume eating.
Halachah 11 – Private Fasts for Personal Distress
Just as communities fast over communal problems, individuals may fast over personal troubles.
Examples include:
- A sick family member
- Someone lost in the wilderness
- A prisoner
Such a person prays for mercy and recites Aneinu in prayer.
These private fasts may not be observed on:
- Shabbat
- Festivals
- Rosh Chodesh
- Chanukah
- Purim
Halachah 12 – Accepting a Private Fast
A private fast is valid only if accepted beforehand.
Before sunset, typically at Minchah, one declares:
“Tomorrow I will fast.”
One may still eat that evening.
If someone accepted multiple consecutive fast days, one acceptance is sufficient for the entire series.
Halachah 13 – Acceptance Must Precede the Fast
If a person decides only after the fast has already begun, it is not considered a full halachic fast.
The commitment must be made before the day starts.
Halachah 14 – A Fast for a Troubling Dream
Someone disturbed by a frightening dream should fast the next day to awaken himself to repentance.
Such a fast may even be observed on Shabbat.
Because fasting on Shabbat diminishes Shabbat enjoyment, another fast must later be observed to compensate.
Halachah 15 – Partial-Day Fasts
A person can accept a fast for only part of a day.
For example:
- Someone did not eat until midday.
- He then decides to continue fasting for the remainder of the day.
This is called a ta’anit sha’ot (hours-fast), and Aneinu may be recited.
Halachah 16 – Conduct During a Fast
A person fasting should not treat the day lightly.
He should not:
- Pursue luxury
- Engage in excessive frivolity
- Display carefree joy
Instead he should be reflective, humble, and focused on repentance.
Additional laws:
- Tasting food without swallowing is permitted.
- One who accidentally eats continues the fast.
- If the reason for the fast disappears, the fast is still completed.
Halachah 17 – Rain or Salvation During the Fast
If people are fasting for rain and rain arrives:
- Before midday: the fast ends.
- After midday: the fast is completed.
The same applies when:
- A decree is canceled.
- A communal danger passes.
If salvation comes before midday, the fast is discontinued.
Halachah 18 – What Beit Din Does on a Fast Day
Communal fast days are not merely days without food.
The judges and elders spend the day:
Morning until Midday
- Investigating communal behavior
- Correcting wrongdoing
- Removing public sins
- Rebuking wrongdoers
- Addressing injustice and abuse
Midday to Late Afternoon
- Reading Torah passages of blessings and curses
- Reading prophetic rebukes relevant to the crisis
End of the Day
- Minchah prayers
- Supplications
- Crying out to God
- Confession and repentance
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