Why do Jewish people fast?

Answer 1

Jews fast multiple times a year for various reasons:

• On Yom Kipour the Jews fast because it says so in the Bible (http://www.answers.com/topic/leviticus-16:29). It's the day of atonement and fasting helps concentrate on the spiritual.
• On the other fasts - which are all Rabbinically ordained - we fast in memory of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem (Bet Hamikdash) being destroyed or related incidents. We fast in order to repent, as we are no better than the sinful generation in whose days the tragedy happened.
• On the Fast of Esther we fast in memory of the Jews fasting before battling the Persians who wanted to annihilate them.

Answer 2

1) As a form of atonement, in keeping with the Torah-command (Leviticus ch.23)

2) In mourning for the destruction of the Temple

3) Commemorative of an earlier time of danger (the fast of Esther)

4) Whenever appropriate: in times of drought or other calamities

Answer 3

Jews do not fast for Rosh Hashanah. The reverse is true, large meals are traditionally eaten during this holiday. The fasts take place on the holiday of Yom Kippur which occurs ten days later.

Answer 4

Judaism has six yearly fasts. The fasts start shortly before dawn and end at twilight, except for Yom Kippur and Tisha B'Av which start the evening before at sunset and last for about 25 hours.

• Tzom Gedalya; the day after Rosh Hashanah
• Asara B'Tevet - 10th of the month of Tevet
• Shiva Asar B'Tamuz - 17th of Tamuz
• Tisha B'Av - 9th of the month of Av
• Ta'anit Esther - the day before Purim
• Yom Kippur

Four of the above fasts are in mourning for various stages in the destruction of the Temple, and are mentioned in Zechariah 8:19.The Fast of Esther commemorates the danger that the Jews were in, during the events described in the Book of Esther.

The sixth fast, Yom Kippur, is the Day of Atonement, commanded in Leviticus 23:26-32.

The Jewish day begins and ends at the same time (sunset). There are two reasons why we fast for around 25 hours (on Tisha B'Av and Yom Kippur), instead of 24 hours. One is because over the centuries there has developed some doubt as to exactly when sunset should be calculated according to Jewish law (see Talmud, Shabbat 34b). The other reason is because of the obligation to add to each Jewish occasion (Talmud, Rosh Hashanah 9a).
See also:

Other Jewish occasions

Answer 5

Fasting is a form of prayer and invariably is accompanied by prayer. The Jews were in danger of being annihilated in the time of Esther, so they fasted for three days and prayed to God.

Answer 6

Only Orthodox Jews do that.