Apart from Yom Kippur, The Talmud (Tractate Rosh Hashana 18b) mentions 4 fast days (depending upon the Zechariah 8:19) which memorialize the destruction of First and the Second Temples and also the exile of Jewish People from the motherland. Apart from this, two other fast days are discussed in Rabbinical literature, which yields a total of the six tzomot. If Yom Kippur is also included, they have seven fast days. Following are the seven fast days of the Jewish year.
Jewish Fast Days:
- Tzom Tammuz: This is practiced on the seventeenth day of Tammuz. The fast day commemorating the break down of the Jerusalem wall by the Nebuchadnezzar and the abeyance of the Temple worship during siege of the Titus (June/July). This is considered as the Fast of the fourth month in the Bible.
- Ta’anit Bechorim: Fast of the Firstborn is the fast practiced only by the firstborn males in the family, commemorating the fact that they were protected from plague of firstborn in the Egypt. This is practiced a day before the Pesach (Nisan 14).
- Tishah B’Av: This is the Ninth day of Av. This is observed in the remembrance of the tragedies of Jewish people (July/ August). This is considered as the fast of fifth month in the Bible.
- Yom Kippur: This is the Day of Atonement, that is on Tishri 10. This is the most sacred day of the Jewish year. On this particular day, people are not permitted to do any kind of work.
- Tzom Gedaliah: The fast right after the Rosh Hashanah, that is on Tishri 3. This reminds the assassination of Gedaliah, the Judean governor by the misguided zealots (September/October). This is considered as the fast of the seventh month in the bible.
- Ta’anit Esther: This is practiced on the day before Purim, that is on Adar 13 (in February/March).
- Asarah B’Tevet: This is the tenth day of the Tevet. This is observed on the fall of the Jerusalem. In the Israel state, Kaddish is recited on this day for the people whose place or date of death is not known (December/January). This is considered as the fast of the tenth month in the bible.
