Much is made of the feasting of Purim, but what of the fast?
Today, the day before Purim begins, is known in our tradition as Taanit Esther—the Fast of Esther. It is among the minor fast days, taking its place with Tzom Gedaliah, the 10th of Tevet, and the 17th of Tammuz. But one of these things is not like the other ones; those other fast days (not so well-known, are they?) are related to the destruction of the Temple. Not so with the Fast of Esther, and I wonder if its less-clear historical context might offer us important lessons for celebrating Purim in 5783.
At the end of the Purim story, when Achashverosh is unable to actually overturn his decree, we read that “the king had granted the Jews that were in every city to gather themselves together, and to stand for their life, to destroy, and to slay, and to cause to perish, all the forces of the people and province that would assault them.” (Esther 8:11) Because in a later verse the text refers to days of fasting and wailing, the rabbis imagine that, “We fast on the 13th of the month of Adar—Because in the days of Mordechai and Esther they gathered on the 13th of Adar to fight and stand for their lives and they needed to ask for mercy and they pleaded to be helped by Hashem to take revenge from their enemies …” This, according to our tradition, is the source of the Fast of Esther.
But fasting occurs earlier in the Book of Esther, and I think that moment might offer us something even more powerful. The first mention of a communal fast in the Book of Esther comes from Esther, herself. As she looks ahead to her own fearful task of approaching the king and revealing her true identity, Esther tells Mordechai:
“Go, gather together all the Jews that are present in Shushan, and fast ye for me, and neither eat nor drink three days, night or day; I also and my maidens will fast in like manner; and so will I go in unto the king, which is not according to the law; and if I perish, I perish.”
—Esther 3: 15-16
Certainly, there is much we can learn from Esther in this moment. We can learn what it means to ask for help. We can learn about fear and vulnerability, and we can learn about not going it alone. We can learn what it is to exercise honest leadership, claiming neither infallibility nor perfection. We can learn about bravery—about being scared and doing something anyway. And, we can learn about community—about what it means to know that you have people around you and behind you. Perhaps the lesson of the Fast of Esther is this: that we find strength in our vulnerability, bravery in our fear, and always a community of people who have our back.
—Rabbi Sari Laufer