Kuf-Samech. Taf-Kuf-Samech, Taksab. We’re reading halachah bet. Maran (the master) writes in bet, “Yesh omrim (some say) shemi sheragil lehit’anot Aseret Yemei Teshuvah (Ten Days of Repentance).” You have guys like that, some of these pious members of our congregation. They have a custom: they fast on the Aseret Yemei Teshuvah. They were told that if you fast on the Aseret Yemei Teshuvah, it atones for all the sins they committed on that day in the previous year. So let’s say today is Sunday; this Sunday atones for 52 Sundays. But then some of the guys said, “That’s not enough, Rabbi. I’m not interested in giving up a day for 52 Sundays.” So they opened up the Rashash, and the Rashash said it atones for all the Sundays of your whole life. “Whole life?” they said. Im ken (if so), it’s worth it. So some of our members accepted that upon themselves. You fast for a couple of hours, and then all the Sundays from when you were born till today: balance zero. Not a bad deal.
So that’s what he says: “Yesh nahagu lehit’anot Aseret Yemei Teshuvah. Keivan she’ein regilu lekablam bitfillah, ein tzarich lehit’anot ad tzet hakochavim, ela ad sheyeitzei mibeit haknesset.” So someone who has this regilut to fast during the Aseret Yemei Teshuvah—since it’s not ragil, it’s not regular; ragil comes from the word “regular”—“she’ein regilut lekablam bitfillah.” Wow, so they don’t accept it bitfillah. Ein tzarich lehit’anot: you don’t have to go all the way to tzet hakochavim, because normally a ta’anit (fast) has to continue until tzet. But that’s if you have a kabbalah (acceptance). If you didn’t make a kabbalah, like these guys who fast on the Aseret Yemei Teshuvah, you can fast until after Arvit (evening prayer): “Ela ad sheyeitzei mibeit haknesset,” until he leaves the knis.
What’s going on over here? Why aren’t they making a kabbalah on these ta’aniyot? Look at Mishnah Berurah, in tet: “She’ein ragil lekablam bitfillah, shemekubalim ve’omdim mikkoach minhagam.” It’s a minhag (custom). It’s a minhag tov (good custom) that everybody is following. “Vegam hata’anit hi rak letz’urei be’alma mishum teshuvah sheyitkaperu avonotav.” It’s not a ta’anit, ya’ani, where you’re fasting in order to suffer. So I’m suffering; what do I have to accept it for? Bottom line, the guy is hungry. If it’s a kapparah ta’anit, what’s the difference whether I accepted it or not? Bottom line, I’m going through the pain and suffering, which is the kapparah.
“Ulefi zeh, otan regilim lehit’anot le’olam yom alef shel Selichot (penitential prayers) ve’erev Rosh Hashanah (New Year),” the same thing applies to the guys who always fast erev Rosh Hashanah: “ein tzarich kabbalah vehashlamah.” First of all, he says, you don’t need a kabbalah, and you don’t need to complete the fast, “keivan shemekubalim mikkoach minhagam,” because you’re doing it as a minhag. They say a minhag tov doesn’t need a kabbalah. That’s what he wants to say over here.
“Ad sheyeitzei mibeit haknesset”—Arvit. “Ve’afilu hitpalelu be’od yom,” even if they pray Arvit early, “biflag”—plag—“dehaynu be’od yom, dehaynu biflag haminchah, yod-alef sha’ot pachot revi’a.” “Tefillat Arvit ein me’akevet”: you don’t have to pray Arvit in order to break your fast and come to this. “Ela keivan shehigia hazman hazeh dai. Uvilvad sheyitpalel Minchah techilah.” You have to pray Minchah (afternoon prayer). “Ve’ayein be’Artzot HaChayim, besiman takpach, shekatav de’achshav, rabbim nohagim shelo lehamtin ki im ad zeman Minchah Gedolah.” Ashkenazim fast not even until Minchah Ketanah; they do Minchah Gedolah, half a day. Half a day. “Umitpalelim techilah Minchah, ve’achar kach to’amim miyadi.” “Al kol panim nir’eh devedam chalush, bevadai yachol lismoch lechatchilah al zeman Minchah Gedolah.” If you’re weak, for sure you could do Minchah Gedolah. “Umitpalel Minchah tefillat Aneinu (Answer us), vele’echol.”
Okay, so that’s a very, very interesting halachah over here: he’s telling you these fasts technically don’t need a kabbalah. What’s that—the one? First time? First guy doing it for the first time? Look at the Biur Halachah: “Sheragil lehit’anot be’Aseret Yemei Teshuvah, lich’orah afilu eino ragil lehit’anot, ki hu etzlo rak pa’am rishon, ach be’oto ha’ir nohagim harbeh lehit’anot. Vehu rotzeh gam ken lehit’anot keshe’ar anshei ha’ir, mistemah gam ken kavanato al da’ata deminhaga, ve’ein tzarich kabbalah, velo hashlamah. Vechen muvchat misof divrei haChemed Moshe, shekatav vechen mi sherak mit’aneh yom o yomayim, ve’al ken me’iri de’oto hayom lo hayah kavua etzlo tamid, de’im hayah kavua etzlo hayah tzarich kabbalah kemo shekatav beMagen Avraham, besof tak’ah. Miklal de’im mit’aneh yom miyemei Aseret Yemei Teshuvah bechol gavni ein tzarich kabbalah vehashlamah.”
So now the question is, I don’t think we have a minhag. Most people don’t fast during the Aseret Yemei Teshuvah. Let’s not kid ourselves; let’s be real. We’re living in a shul over here, and we think everybody’s like us. The minhag, maybe... In those days, everybody would fast during the Aseret Yemei Teshuvah; they knew this thing. Today, do you want to say the minhag in the community is to fast during the Aseret Yemei Teshuvah? Who knows it? Look at the tzadikim; they’re not doing it. It can’t be a minhag yachid? It’s a minhag yachid, but if—if I’m not mistaken, he says even that’s so. Meaning, if your minhag is to do it, you don’t need a kabbalah, because anyway it’s a ta’anit, and if you don’t need a kabbalah, then you don’t have to worry about waiting until tzet hakochavim. You can do it after you come out of shul. That’s what he says in this halachah. Seemingly, according to this halachah, straightforwardly, if he did make a kabbalah, he would have to complete it. That’s right. That’s right. 100%, 100%, 1,000%.
Now, we’re not done. Obviously, we’re just breaking ice here, but that’s what he says in this halachah. Now let’s go further. Look at the Biur Halachah: “Ad sheyeitzei mibeit haknesset. Ayen beMagen Avraham dekavanah ad pelag haminchah. Udinah yesh le’ayen bezeh harbeh harbeh, deha mekor din zeh hu mishum de’amrinan dehai ta’anita hu rak letz’orei be’alma mishum teshuvah, vedumya demayti beShas beGemara le’inyan Tish’ah B’Av (Ninth of Av) shenidchah bema’aseh deRabbi Elazar Rabbi Tzadok, de’amar shehit’aninu vo velo hishlamnuhu, kemo shekatav haGra. Vehatam halo kavanah rak ad achar Minchah Gedolah, kemo de’ita le’inyan siman taknad. Vehinei haMagen Avraham azil leshititeih, shegam sham da’ato noteh leyud-alef sha’ot, ulezeh tsiyen sof siman taknad. Aval be’emet kevar hisigu sham harbeh she’ar acharonim, dehu rak ad achar Minchah Gedolah.”
So that’s what he’s going back and forth over here: is it Minchah Ketanah or Minchah Gedolah? Minchah Ketanah, says the Magen Avraham. The Mishnah Berurah says, no, maybe it could even be Minchah Gedolah; you don’t have to go that far. If you didn’t make a kabbalah, you could even do half a day. Okay, put that on the side. You should know there’s a machloket (dispute) about that.
Now look at Maran in halachah bet, gimmel: “Yachid shekibel alav ta’anit stam be’erev Shabbat.” Okay, he accepted upon himself to fast on erev Shabbat. I guess on Thursday afternoon he made a kabbalah to fast the next day. “Tzarich lehit’anot ad tzet hakochavim.” So he has to—even though it’s Shabbat, he has to fast until tzet. “Im lo shepeirash besha’at kabalat hata’anit ad sheyashlimu tzibur tefilatam.” Unless he said beferush, you know, “until after Arvit.” Let’s say he fasted in the summer. We get out of shul, we pray early, and it’s still light outside. Tzet hakochavim is an hour later. Right, so it depends how he made the kabbalah.
Fine. Daled: “Ta’anit chalom tzarich lehit’anot ad tzet hakochavim, ve’afilu be’erev Shabbat.” Okay, for a ta’anit chalom to work, it has to be until tzet. Okay, that’s a stam klal about a ta’anit chalom. Now look at heh: “Kol ta’anit shelo kibelo alav hayachid mibe’od yom eino ta’anit.” Okay, what does that mean? Any ta’anit that you didn’t make a kabbalah for beforehand, before Minchah, isn’t called a ta’anit. Why, if it’s broken before? Why isn’t it called a ta’anit? The Mishnah Berurah, the hagahah, writes: “Lehitpalel Aneinu.” Aha! So you can’t say Aneinu. “Velo od, le’inyan im chayav ta’anit stam, umit’aneh kach, lo yatza yedei nidro.” Hey, let’s say you made a neder (vow) stam that you’re going to fast certain days. So you yatza your neder if you fasted that day even without a kabbalah beforehand, but you can’t say Aneinu, according to Maran. So the kabbalah allows you to say Aneinu.
That’s a regular fast; we’re not talking about... We’re talking about a regular fast. He already said about the Aseret Yemei Teshuvah that some say you don’t even need a kabbalah if that’s your practice. But then you’re not going to be able to say Aneinu, for sure. And he says you can fast because anyway you’re suffering, and you’ll get some value. But now the Mishnah Berurah says: “Shelo kibelo alav hayachid, le’apokei ta’anit tzibur.” Okay, for a ta’anit tzibur, you don’t need a kabbalah. “Mibe’od yom eino ta’anit lehitpalel Aneinu. Mashma af al pi shekibelo achar kach balailah, lo mehani.” That’s what it sounds like. A guy missed Minchah; he didn’t accept it at Minchah, but accepted it at night. Too late; lo mehani. “Veha demevo’ar besiman beda’at kamayta demahani hakabalah le’inyan ta’anit sha’ot lehitpalel Aneinu, hatam keivan shehitchil lehit’anot leshem...” Driveway? Driveway, no. “...le’inyan chovah, achar kach kibelo lo havei kabalah, veyesh rotzim lomar...” Kochavim.
So now we have to see what the inyan is today regarding this ta’anit business. I’m reading now from the sefer Ner Tzion, which is from a student of Chacham Ben Tzion, so he has the whole story here: “Nohagim lehit’anot erev Rosh Hashanah,” fine; “verov hatzibbur nahagu beta’anit zeh shel erev Rosh Hashanah.” Erev Rosh Hashanah, yes, many people do that. “Vetov shekol adam yinhog beta’anit zeh.” If you’re able to do it, you should do it. Even the ne’arim. Fine. “Tzarich lekabbel hata’anit mibe’od yom.” Wait a minute. We just said that if it’s a minhag to do it, you’re okay. So no: “dechol ta’anit yachid shelo kiblo mibe’od yom, leda’at Maran eino rashai lomar Aneinu,” and Aneinu is a big item to say. “Umekabbelo bitfilat Minchah, erev hata’anit.” You should accept it in your Amidah (standing prayer), before you say “Oseh Shalom bimromav.” “Ulechatchilah yesh lo la’asot beMinchah Ketanah,” the later Minchah, “uvediavad mo’il gam beMinchah Gedolah.” Ah, interesting. Even if you did it in Minchah Gedolah, it’s okay. “Aval kodem Minchah,” before Minchah, “it’s not a kabbalah.” “Im lo kibbel bitfilat Minchah, yachol lekabbel kol zeman shehu yom.” No problem. So even though Minchah is over, it’s still day. I don’t have to be in the Amidah; I could say it in the shuk: “Hareini mekabbel alai ta’anit yachid lemachar.” So far, so good?
“Ve’im hitpallel Minchah samuch lashki’ah”—let’s say sometimes they pray Minchah close to shki’ah—“veyasayem achar hashki’ah, tov sheyekabbel kodem Minchah, veyachzor veyekabbel bitfilato, latzet yedei kulam.” Fine. Now here’s the halachah we need to know. “Im mekabbel balailah mamash”—he didn’t do it in Minchah; he forgot—“eino mo’il sheyehei yachol lomar Aneinu.” For sure he loses Aneinu. Aneinu can only be said if you do it mibe’od yom, if you did it as we said. So the question is: tzet, or before? Yeah, bein hashemashot; he allows it bediavad. The chapter is called “Ta’anit vekabalatah.”
So he says, “Venecḥleku acharonim im mikol makom tzarich lehit’anot lekayem mah shekibbel mishetecheshach.” Do you still have to fast because you made a kabbalah at night? You might not be able to say Aneinu, but you made a kabbalah. “Ve’im kibbel beta’ut nireh she’eino tzarich lehit’anot.” So he says, “Ayen Mishnah Berurah shehevi mah senechleku acharonim, im mikol makom tzarich lehit’anot lekayem mah shekibbel mishechashchah.” And the explanation is: “Dehinei haRama katav shemit’aneh belo kabbalah mibe’od yom,” the guy who is mit’aneh without a kabbalah, “lo yatza yedei nidro, im nadar mikodem lehit’anot yom alef.” Let’s say the guy made a neder to fast one day. He said, “I’m going to fast one day.” He didn’t accept upon himself the fast the evening before. The Rama says the fast he did that day doesn’t count toward his neder.
“Vechatav al zeh Magen Avraham, demikol makom im hitchil lehit’anot beyom zeh, af shelo kibbel hata’anit mibe’od yom, ada’ata shelo lehashlim, tzarich leshallem nidro. Vegam havei kaparat avon, delo gara mimishemistater atzmo mibasar veyayin.” The person deprives himself of basar veyayin, and the Gemara calls that kaparah. “Vesham nitba’er beShulchan Aruch de’im kibbel ta’anit bachatzi hayom.” Meaning, he fasted up to half the day, and then at half the day he said, “Oh, you know what? I’m already halfway there. Yallah, ta’anit.” So he says: “Af al gav de’ein zeh ta’anit lomar Aneinu, mikol makom tzarich lekayem mah shekibbel, umichatzi hayom va’eilech lo yochal.” It’s something. It’s not talking about where he ate breakfast and then says, “Half the day, I’m on ta’anit”; that doesn’t count. It means he didn’t eat breakfast, then looks at his watch and sees it’s 1:00 already, so sunset’s 4:30 today, yallah, “I’ll be in ta’anit.” Maran writes you could do that. You can’t say Aneinu, but fasting is something. “Af al pi she’eino ta’anit lomar Aneinu, mikol makom tzarich lekayem mah shekibbel, umichatzi hayom lo yochal.”
“Ulefi zeh nireh, shekavanat haMagen Avraham lomar, de’omnam im lo kibbel mibe’od yom lo yatza yedei chovat nidro, hakadum sheyit’aneh yom echad, aval mikol makom harei mah shekibbel balailah vehitchil lehit’anot lo gara mimishekibbel hata’anit mechati yom, shetzarich lehit’anot af al pi she’eino omer Aneinu. Vehachi nami tikavel, de’al kol panim yashlim mah shekibel, af al pi she’eino omer Aneinu, vechein mevi beYad Efrayim.”
Beautiful. So it comes out, according to this understanding, if a guy accepted it at night, he should fast the next day. All he loses out on is Aneinu. Especially these fasts we’re talking about, boys, which are the Aseret Yemei Teshuvah, where really the main thing is to metza’er yourself. So you accomplish what you wanted to do: you were metza’er yourself. Especially the Aseret Yemei Teshuvah, where, according to Maran, some say you don’t even have to accept it. Some say it’s already a minhag, and especially if that’s your minhag, okay, it’s true, you can’t say Aneinu, but you can fast. Right? Maran said: “Yesh omrim shemi sheragil lehit’anot be’Aseret Yemei Teshuvah, keivan shehem regilim uche’ilu kiblu beMinchah, ein tzarich lehit’anot ad tzet hakochavim.” You don’t even have to fast until tzet hakochavim, he said. Two things: you’re not going to get Aneinu, but you don’t have to go all the way to tzet.