Summary of the day
The Fast of Gedaliah (3 Tishrei) is the fast that comes right after Rosh Hashanah. It recalls the murder of Gedaliah son of Ahikam, the governor Nebuchadnezzar appointed over the remnant of Jews left in Judah after the destruction of the First Temple. His murder ended the last attempt to keep a Jewish settlement in the land at that time and led to a further exile.
The mitzvot of the day
- Fasting from dawn until nightfall: no eating or drinking, but washing and wearing leather shoes are permitted (unlike Tisha B’Av and Yom Kippur).
- Selichot and “Aneinu”: we say selichot before the morning service, “Aneinu” in the Amidah, and “Avinu Malkenu” in the prayer.
- The Torah reading at Shacharit and Mincha, and a haftara at Mincha (see above).
- Charity: as on every public fast, we give more and take stock of our deeds.
- If 3 Tishrei falls on Shabbat, the fast is postponed to Sunday (4 Tishrei).
Origin in history
After the destruction of the First Temple (586 BCE), Nebuchadnezzar appointed Gedaliah son of Ahikam governor over the people left in Judah, and he settled at Mitzpah. Gedaliah welcomed the refugees who returned, encouraged them to farm the land and promised them peace. Yishmael son of Netanyah, of the royal family, came to him for a meal and killed him, along with Jews and Babylonian soldiers who were there (II Kings 25:22-26; Jeremiah 40-41). Fearing Babylonian revenge, the survivors fled to Egypt and the land was emptied. The prophet Zechariah calls it “the fast of the seventh month” (Zechariah 7:5, 8:19), and the Talmud (Rosh Hashanah 18b) links it to Gedaliah.
The message for today
The Sages said that the death of the righteous is like the burning of the House of our God, and so they set a fast for the death of Gedaliah (Rosh Hashanah 18b). It falls among the days of repentance: it reminds us that unity is the condition for continuity, and that there is no “remnant” without peace among us. Whereas the destruction of the Temple came from enemies outside, here the blow came from one of our own. It is a lesson for the day after Rosh Hashanah: begin the year by protecting those we managed to save, with respect and affection.
Torah and haftara readings
The passages read in synagogue, with their start and end.
Fast day (3 Tishrei, or the 4th if the 3rd is Shabbat)
- Torah · Morning
Exodus 32:11–14
Morning: "Vaychal Moshe", Moses' prayer after the Golden Calf
- Torah · Morning
Exodus 34:1–10
Morning: the second tablets and the thirteen attributes of mercy
- Torah · Afternoon
Exodus 32:11–14
Afternoon: the same reading (three aliyot)
- Haftara · Afternoon
Isaiah 55:6–56:8
Afternoon: "Seek the Lord while He may be found"
Why this reading? On every public fast day we read "Vaychal Moshe" (Exodus 32:11-14, 34:1-10), the passage about God's attributes of mercy: what worked in the days of the Calf can work in our own. The haftara of Mincha, "Seek the Lord while He may be found" (Isaiah 55:6), calls us to return to God "while He is near", which is exactly the spirit of the Ten Days of Repentance that have just begun.