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Rav Herschel Schachter Issues Call For A Fast Day This Coming Monday


Rav Herschel Schachter, the rosh yeshiva of YU, has issued a call for Klal Yisroel to hold a fast day this coming Monday, Yom Kippur Katan, erev rosh chodesh Kislev.

Written and signed in both Hebrew and English, the letter states:

The Rambam writes that when the Jewish people are in a difficult and dangerous situation, they should call out to Hakadosh Baruch Hu and observe a public fast day. The Gemarah mentions the importance of offering Korbanos in these circumstances as well. Today, unfortunately, we are unable to offer Korbanos, but our fasting stands in the place of those offerings, as it is as if we are offering a part of ourselves to Hakadosh Baruch Hu.

Being that now is a very difficult time for the Jewish people, our community should take upon themselves to fast this Monday, Yom Kippur Katan, Erev Rosh Chodesh Kislev. Even if one is unable to fast the entire day on Monday, they should consider fasting until after chatzos on Monday. If one intends to fast this Monday, they must accept the fast day upon themselves at the end of the Minchah Shmone Esreh on Sunday afternoon.

If there are ten men present at a Mincha minyan on Monday afternoon who are fasting, they should read from a Sefer Torah and the extra insertions for a fast day should be recited in the Shmone Esreh and Chazaras Hashatz.

We hope that this will not be necessary, as we anticipate a yeshua from Hakadosh Baruch Hu.



8 Responses

  1. Who doesn’t YWN publicize the important rally for Tuesday to help shore up support for brothers and sisters !?

    Moderators Note: YWN published it 5 times.

  2. Notwithstanding advertising $ received from ads eliciting responses for “brothers and sisters “ .
    An article alerting the oilem would be the right thing to do.

  3. Moreinu HoRav Herschel Schachter שליט”א is the undisputed גדול הדור of the entire Jewish people, hence his פסק is binding upon the entire Jewish people.
    Tomorrow is also the last of the current בה”ב so tomorrow’s fasting would accomplish 2 separate תעניות concurrently

  4. @147 “undisputed גדול הדור of the entire Jewish people,” umm he is a tremendous תלמיד חכם but undisputed umm not exactly.

  5. 147:
    The term גדול הדור refers to the leading Torah authority of the fully orthodox portion of the Jewish people.

    By contrast, Rabbi Schachter is the leading authority of today’s maskilim, the “Modern Orthodox”.

  6. There are different minhagim on when Bahab of Marcheshvon is observed. The original minhag, as recorded by the Maharil, who is the original source for Ashkenazi minhagim, says Bahab is at the end of the month. But the Shach says that despite the Maharil it should be earlier, and I think that has probably become the more common minhag; still, many communities still follow the Maharil.

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