Ta'anit Esther

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Ta'anit Esther (German: Esther fasting ) is a Jewish fasting day that falls on the 13th Adar (in March) and is followed by the Purim festival . If the 13th Adar is a Sabbath , the Esther fast is brought forward to Thursday (11th Adar).

In the fasting role, which has been thoroughly researched by the historian Heinrich Graetz , the 13th Adar is one of the 35 days of remembrance on which fasting is prohibited. Even in Talmudic times, however, this prohibition no longer seems to have been in effect. The custom of keeping a fast day in memory of the events described in the Book of Esther, on the other hand, has only been attested since the Gaonean period. The 13th Adar was chosen as the day of victory over the enemies of Israel. It is the day on which the Jews once gathered and on which they should pray and fast and read Megillat Esther .

The rules for the Taanit Esther are practically the same as for the other public fasting days such as the Gedaliah fast , the fast on the 10th Tevet and on the 17th of Tammuz . Fasting begins early in the morning before sunrise. During the Mincha prayer there is also a ceremony in memory of the "half shekel" that was paid when the temple was still standing: three special coins bearing this name are placed in a deep plate in the synagogue. Three coins to commemorate Ester's request to all the dispersed Jewish people to fast and repent for three days in preparation for the miraculous prayer.

As with other Jewish festivals, where joy is suddenly interrupted in order to remember the dead, the transition from fasting, the Taanit Esther, to the joy of the Purim festival is very sudden. According to Jewish scholars, in this case too, one should be reminded that there is no joy in this world that is not mixed with a trace of sadness.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Heinrich Graetz: History of the Jews. The roll of fasting or the megillate ta'anit. In: zeno.org. Retrieved January 3, 2019 .