[Avodah] FWD: "When Was Ta'anis Esther Established?" (AKatz of Beurei HaTefila)

[Micha Berger]

On Mon, Mar 09, 2009 at 01:52:09PM -0400, Zev Sero wrote:
: Taanis Esther is the 13th of Adar, because only Esther fasted then.
: The rest of the Jews were either fighting or had to be prepared to flee
: if the fighting should go badly, so they were not allowed to fast...

The Avudraham writes that "vayiqhalu haYhudim" refers to gathering
together for a taanis bafore fighting.

RMMS modified that idea in a sichah to say as RZS wrote, that they
intended to fast, 

...
: I don't know what the source for this is, but this is what I was taught
: in school, and it makes perfect sense.

I was taught in school that the taanis is to commemorate the three days
of fasting before Esther went to see the king. However, since the taanis
ledoros couldn't be made on Pesach, they moved the zikaron to be adjacent
to Purim. This is the Rambam Taaniyuos 5:5, who ties it to Esther 9:31
"divrei hatzomos veza'aqasam".

This suggestion is explicitly rejected in the aforementioned Avudraham.

Also, Megillas Taanis only mentions Nicanor, and not Taanis Esther.
Which would make it hard to accept the notion that it was established
at the same time as Purim year 2 in the event described in Esther 9:31
(leqayeim es yemei haPurim ha'eilah referring to all three days, not
just Purim and Shushan Purim).

Tir'u baTov!
-Micha

-- 
Micha Berger             The waste of time is the most extravagant
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