By Yochanan Gordon
Behold days are coming, said Hashem, and I will send a hunger in the land; not a hunger for bread nor thirst for water but to hear the word of G-d.
The two fast days of the summer season put people in a frenzy about their inability to eat for a day or two and compels discussions of what to eat in order to make it through the fast day alive. The truth is I’m a great faster and do not relate to that kind of anxiety. However, we were at a BBQ this past Sunday evening and while the steaks were sizzling on the grill people were discussing what they would be eating the next night for dinner in order to survive the fast day. Fast days are supposed to cause enough discomfort to inspire thought and introspection about one’s standing in the world. There is even a prayer that some people say to the effect that the loss of sustenance should be considered in heaven as if we sacrificed our own blood atop the altar in the Beis HaMikdash.
That’s why I never understood the traditional wish of easy fast. Now, don’t get me wrong, I’m hoping for an easy fast but my traditional wish to others on a fast day is an easy and meaningful fast because there is no sense in losing focus of what we are doing and why we are doing it if we hope to achieve something with the abstinence from eating. There was a time in history when fasting was seen as an important part of repentance. There were generations of sensitive souls who fasted regularly in order to maintain a heightened spiritual sensitivity, which they were afraid would be filled by too much eating and materiality. However, the lack of food intake was pietistic and in many cases a practice that would weaken the people engaged in it. And while there may have been generations of people who were strong enough to endure it, ours is surely not. The result is somewhat of a catch-22: If the fast is seamless and easy, then it doesn’t inspire introspection. If it causes weakness, then the sensitive souls of this generation are too focused on the discomfort caused by not eating and don’t have the presence of mind to think about why it is we are not eating and what needs to be done in order to herald the redemption and get rid of the need to fast altogether.
Therefore, the timing of this article in between 17 Tamuz and 9 Av is perfectly situated in order to reflect upon the inner meaning of fasting and what it is we are truly hungry and thirsty for. The Baal Shem Tov taught that every physical sensation is rooted in a much deeper spiritual reality that is manifesting itself physically. So hunger pains that a person feels as a result of not eating, while the most obvious reason is the lack of food intake, is ultimately a hunger caused by a deficiency of G-dliness in one’s life in particular and in the world at large. In fact, the Hebrew word for fast is tzom. The word tzom is very similar to the word tzama, which means thirst, as in the verse, “Tzama lecha nafshi…b’erefz tziyah v’ayef bli mayim…” the word mayim, despite its meaning water is a euphemism for Torah, which is synonymous with G-dliness. The word Tamuz has a numerical value of 453, which is equivalent to tzaddik gamur, completely righteous, as well as Melech haMashiach, which means that shevah asar, the 17th, of Tamuz, 17 being the numerical value of tov, presents a golden opportunity for each of us to reveal the messianic spark at our core.
There is a system in gematria known as atbash, wherein the letter aleph, the first letter in the aleph-bet, can be substituted by the letter sav, the last letter in the aleph bet. The letter beis is substituted with the letter shin, and so on and so forth. Again, the word for fast in Hebrew is tzom, which in the atbash configuration equals the letters yud and hei, which together are a Divine name. The prophet who we opened with from Amos warns of a coming famine for the word of G-d. There is a famous commentary of Rabbi Moshe Dovid Valle, the main student of the Ramchal that says that the period before the coming of Moshiach will be marked by a proliferation of Torah study with access to Torah study on a level never before seen in history. He asks, “If so, what does the prophet mean when he says there will be a hunger and thirst for the word of G-d when the word of G-d will be studied like never before in history?” To this he answers that the prophet didn’t say there will be a hunger and thirst for Torah; he said there will be a hunger and thirst for the word of G-d, which requires a certain level of attentiveness and focus and a quest and yearning to uncover the truth within the Torah that one learns. To this the abstention from physicality with a proper mindset can go a long way towards unlocking.
I would be the happiest person to can this article due to the coming of Moshiach prior to publication. I imagine that the light that Mashiach brings to the world would make writing another article not all that difficult. If G-d-forbid we are still here and the need still exists to fast, then here are some reflections to keep in mind while we are not busy eating anyway. n
Yochanan Gordon can be reached at ygordon5t@gmail.com. Read more of Yochanan’s articles at 5TJT.com.
