Studies show that when it comes to minor fast days like today, the majority of people do not know what they are about. In fact, most people merely focus on trying to pass the time by watching movies and sleeping. Rarely do people focus on the meaning of the day itself and why they are going through the motions of fast for such an important event.
We sent out a street team to local neighborhoods and found that most people didn’t know exactly why they were fasting, they just were, we at FS-News like to call it Lishmah By Default, people are doing it for the sake of doing it, because it said so – even though they have no idea why.
We also found that many people loathe fast days, they view them as a major thorn in their side, a plan by the rabbis to exert power over their flock by instituting fast days for remembering events which mean nothing to them several thousand years later. Many in the study expressed frustrations at having to fast for a mere siege, when events like Global Warming, the capture of Gilad Shalit and the election of President Obama were all very worthy days to fast on.
Many people, who don’t officially watch movies, break that habit on fast days. We found all types of orthodox Jews going to the theater in honor of Tisha B’av last year and again we expect this to be the case this year. Netflix has seen a rise in the rental of Epic Films such as Braveheart, Titanic, Waterworld and The Lord of The Rings due to their lengths.
Apparently some folks think that fast days are psychological, you aren’t actually hungry, the lack of food makes you to weak to do activities and therefore you become lethargic and bored and many bored people have the habit of eating to lift their boredom, so all in all it may be psychological.
Did you know that some vegans are opposed to fasting in honor of the beis hamikdash that was destroyed due to their vehement opposition to the concept of a temple devoted to killing animals for no reason, I guess we’re lucky the aphod was only made of stones and metals.
We were not surprised when the survey revealed that everyone’s favorite part of the fast was when it was over and they got to feast on bagels or eggs, the two breakfast meals of choice by Jews.
Shiva asar betamuz is only a “minor” fast in the southern hemisphere.
On the other hand, at my age I’m now fasting on autopilot.
Now cooking yom tov meals 4 weeks in a row for a hungry family, THAT’s oppressive.
Many in the study expressed frustrations at having to fast for a mere siege, when events like Global Warming, the capture of Gilad Shalit and the election of President Obama were all very worthy days to fast on.
:):):) Thank you for this!
I think fast days are indeed an onus. Our wonderful religion loves to declare days of woe and anguish.
The first 33 days of the Omer are for avelus. Three weeks leading to Tish B’Av for destruction. Ten days of extra breast beating at aseret y’mai teshuva, plus the assorted Esther, Gedalia, 10th of Tevet days of fasting. Do the math; it approached 20% of the year (67 out of 354 days) devoted to commemorating misery, destruction and mortality. Enough. Where is the Joy of Judaism? Do we leave it to Chabad to be m’same’ach?
wow its hard to find a post that speaks more truth. You also hit the very reason I don’t do it. I despise auto routine judaism and will do anything thats opposite. there’s meaning to it but i still dont want to fast.
It doesn’t have to be auto-routine Judaism, you can choose to learn about the reasons for the fast and help other Jews avoid the auto-routine thing too by spreading the word.
Its sad that here we have a bunch of people making fun of other people fasting eventhough they don’t know the reason and get this…it seems the ones making fun don’t know either. We’re not fasting for the seige (which by the way was quite tragic, lasted for a number of years and caused the death of hundreds of thousands (those are josephus’s numbers for those that seem to hate when the gemara gives a number and then simply claim that the gemara is exagerating). Nonetheless there were actually five things that happened today none of them having to do with a seige. I would tell you what they are but I’d rather have you look it up before giving your braindead comments.
It’s generally accepted that Josephus’s numbers were also exaggerated, though it’s hard to say by how much. One of the things said to have happened today in the breaching of the walls of Yerushalayim by the Roman legions, which certainly does have to do with the siege.
g3 i meant its not the actual seige. you could breach walls without a siege. the main tragedy is the breach.
i agree with doh, it is not a minor day. i can’t believe anybody doesn’t know what it is if they claim to be ‘frum’. this website should be called convert-and tourist-satire :/
Before I started reading this blog I didn’t even know that Jews had fast days!
During the Islamic month of fasting (Ramadan), people actually GAIN weight because they are allowed to eat in the night — and spend every night stuffing their faces with sweets & holiday fare.
I’m curious, a Jewish fast day — does that go from sun up to sundown like a Muslim fast day?
It’s also so funny you mention going out to the movies and watching TV. Another thing that happens during Ramadan (since it lasts for 40 days) is that there are special Ramadan miniseries & soap operas that people get together to watch every year.
One of the most famous is Tash ma Tash, a Saudi Arabian comedy (this is the closest thing Sunni Islam has to Heshy’s videos!), which I am trying to find with English dubbing or subtitles since I speak no Arabic. It has been running in Saudi for 16 years.
Wikpedia on Tash ma Tash: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tash_ma_tash
Tash ma Tash on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VlkRSjRLXmE&feature=related
It would be awesome if they made Jewish miniseries for periods of religious fasting, too. Maybe they do? Surely they do in Israel! :^)
Jewish fasts are kind of the reverse- sundown to sundown, just like the days. So it’s basically about stuffing your face before it gets dark out.
On the Eid after Ramadan, a huge chunk of my city’s Muslim population (they’re all mostly Somalian immigrants) go to the Mall of America and celebrates by eating the food at the mall’s amusement park. Once I happened to be at the mall that day, and the bewildered tourists in their fanny packs were completely outnumbered. It was one of the greatest things I’d ever seen. They were probably thinking, “Aaah! Ay-rabs!”
It depends. Some Jewish fast days are sundown to sundown (the one coming in 3 weeks (Tisha B’Av), and like Yom Kippur), but most are ‘dawn’ (which comes BEFORE sunrise… monday, dawn was at 3 in the morning), like the one that was on Monday.
sorry: but most are dawn-sundown. (didn’t finish my sentence, there!)
Thanks Canuck!
Ha. I found this on my facebook and literally right above it were like 10 posts in a row of people talking about movies and naps!!
Ha ha, that’s hilarious!
HILARIOUS!
Now, whose idea was it to read Torah at Mincha on fast days? Did they not think of hagbah? I got hagbah and it was harder than usual. Also, why not at least choose the reading to be towards the end so that the weight is on the right hand?
The same people who made a minhag of camp softball games on Tisha B’Av, outside on one of the hottest days of the year!