What kind of fasting do Jews practice?

Answer 1

There are six fasts per year; any others are not obligatory. The six are:

1) Yom Kippur (day of atonement), which is described in the Torah

2) The ninth of the Jewish month of Av, when the Temple was destroyed

3) The seventeenth of Tamuz, when the walls of Jerusalem were breached before the destruction of the second Temple

4) The tenth of Teves, when the walls of Jerusalem were breached before the destruction of the first Temple

5) The third of Tishrei, when the righteous Gedalya ben Achikam was murdered following the destruction of the first Temple; and

6) The thirteenth of Adar, when Queen Esther and the Jews faced their enemies.

Answer 2

There are 5 fast days in the Jewish calendar:

Yom Kippur/Day of Atonement - Jews fast and ask God to forgive them their sins

Fast of Gedaliah - commemorates the assassination of the Jewish governor Gedaliah and the subsequent exile of the last Jews from the Land of Israel (586 BCE).

Tenth of Tevet - commemorates the beginning of the siege on Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar.

Seventeenth of Tamuz - commemorates the breaking down of the walls of Jerusalem at the end of the siege on Jerusalem.

Tisha B'Av - commemorates the destruction of both Temples (586 BCE and 70 CE).

Answer 3

There are two types of fasting in Judaism, the first are fasts to commemorate past tragedies and national historical events, the second is an act of contrition and repentance that is meant to be a form of spiritual improvement.

Some fasts are half-day, starting at sunrise and ending at sunset. Others are 26 hours, starting at sunset and ending sunset the following day. Fasting includes no food, water, bathing, and sex.

Answer 4

Jewish fasting normally refers to refraining from eating and drinking.

Answer 5

In Judaism, when we fast, that means no food, water, bathing (including brushing teeth), or sex for 25 hours.