Taanit 22

Chapter 22

א כאילו קדוש שרוי בתוך מעיו שנאמר (הושע יא, ט) בקרבך קדוש ולא אבוא בעיר לא קשיא הא דמצי לצעורי נפשיה הא דלא מצי לצעורי נפשיה

1 as if the Holy One dwells within him, as it is said, The Holy One in the midst of thee, and I will not come in fury?<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Hosea XI, 9. R. Eleazar holds the view that the divine is ever present in man. How could then a man who fasts be called holy seeing that he humiliates God through his fasting. sxj aht shxj');">1 - This is no contradiction.

ב ר"ל אמר נקרא חסיד שנאמר (משלי יא, יז) גומל נפשו איש (חסיד) [צ"ל חסד] ועוכר שארו וגו' אמר רב ששת האי בר בי רב דיתיב בתעניתא ליכול כלבא לשירותיה

2 The one speaks of him, who is able to bear self-affliction and the other of one who is not able. Resh Lakish says: He is termed, Pious, as it is said, The Pious man2

ג אמר רבי ירמיה בר אבא אין תענית צבור בבבל אלא תשעה באב בלבד (אמר) ר' ירמיה בר אבא אמר ריש לקיש אין תלמיד חכם רשאי לישב בתענית מפני שממעט במלאכת שמים:

3 weans his own soul but he that is cruel etc.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Prov. Xl, 17. Resh Lakish takes in the sense of, to wean (e.g.. Gen. XXI, 8) . He refrains from food (Rashi) . [Aliter: Resh Lakish considers knud the one who does not fast as pious on this view the verse is rendered: The pious man doeth good to his own soul, v. Tosaf. s.v. ]');">3 R'Shesheth, said: The young scholar who would afflict himself by fasting let a dog devour his meal.4

ד אוכלין ושותין משחשיכה כו': אמר רבי זעירא אמר רב הונא יחיד שקיבל עליו תענית אפילו אכל ושתה כל הלילה למחר הוא מתפלל תפלת תענית לן בתעניתו אינו מתפלל של תענית

4 R'Jeremiah B'Abba said: There are no public fasts5 in Babylonia except [the Fast of] the Ninth of Ab.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' [The reference is (a) to rain fasts of which some were subject to the stringencies of the ninth of Ab (v. infra 30a) . As Babylon could do with a iht minimum of rain (v. supra) such fasts were not decreed (v. Tosal s.v.) ; (b) To fasts decreed for some visitation. Since there was no Sanhedrin in Babylon they were not treated as public fasts. An exception to this rule is the ninth of Ab which has been decreed for all generations by a Sanhedrin of a former age. v. Me'iri, a.I.]');">6

ה אמר רב יוסף מאי קסבר רב הונא סבירא ליה אין מתענין לשעות או דלמא מתענין לשעות והמתענה לשעות אינו מתפלל תפלת תענית

5 R'Jeremiah B'Abba further said in the name of Resh Lakish: A scholar may not afflict himself by fasting because he lessens thereby his heavenly work.7 THEY MAY EAT AND DRINK AFTER IT GETS DARK etc. R'Ze'ira said in the name of R'Hanina: An individual who has undertaken to fast though he may have eaten and drunk the whole of the [preceding] night, yet on the morrow he should recite the [special] prayer for fast days; if, however, he has continued his fast throughout the following night he may not recite the prayer for fast days [on the next day].<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Every fast must be explicitly undertaken on the preceding day. In the case where he merges one day's fast into another for ubbg which he has failed to make that undertaking he is not entitled to recite the prayer (v. P. B. p. 50) since the second day's fast in the absence of the undertaking is considered no fast and can be broken at will (Rashi) .');">8

ו אמר ליה אביי לעולם קסבר רב הונא מתענין לשעות והמתענה לשעות מתפלל תפלת תענית ושאני הכא דאיכא שעות דליליא דלא קביל עליה מעיקרא

6 R'Joseph asked: What view does R'Huna take? Does he take the view that one cannot [undertake a] fast for a matter of hours?

ז מר עוקבא איקלע לגינזק בעו מיניה מתענין לשעות או אין מתענין לשעות לא הוה בידיה קנקנין של נכרים אסורין או מותרין לא הוה בידיה במה שימש משה כל שבעת ימי המלואים לא הוה בידיה

7 Or perhaps one can undertake a fast for hours, but if one does so he should not recite the [special] prayer for fast days?<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' [I.e. is R. Huna's view that a fast that has not been undertaken in the preceding day is considered no fast at all, and consequently may be broken at will, or though the fast prayer is not provided for such a fast, it is nevertheless considered a fast in so far that once begun it has to be continued to the end of the stipulated time (Rashi) . For other interpretations v. R. Hananel and R. Gershom.]');">9 - Abaye replied to him: It is quite definite R'Huna may hold the opinion that one can undertake a fast for a matter of hours and if one does so he may recite the [special] prayer for fast days, but here the case is different since he did not previously take upon himself<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' [I.e.. the question whether fasting by hours is considered a fast has no bearing on it. Huna's case where the individual incidentally merged one day's fast into another without at all intending the second day to be a fast. Where, however, a man vows to fast for a number of hours, the fast indeed may be considered a fast in every respect (Rashi) .]');">10

ח אזל ושאיל בי מדרשא אמרו ליה הלכתא מתענין לשעות ומתפללין תפלת תענית והלכתא קנקנין של נכרים לאחר שנים עשר חדש מותרין במה שימש משה כל ז' ימי המלואים בחלוק לבן רב כהנא מתני בחלוק לבן שאין לו אימרא

8 [to fast]. Mar 'Ukba11

ט אמר רב חסדא

9 chanced to come to Ganzaka12 and he was asked: Is fasting for a matter of hours considered a fast or not? and he was unable to answer. [They then asked him] are wine-jars belonging to idolaters prohibited for use or not and he was unable to answer; [he was then asked] in which [garments] did Moses perform the service [in the Tabernacle] during the seven days of consecration13 and he was unable to answer. He went and inquired in the House of Learning and he was told, the law is that fasting for a matter of hours is considered a fast and we do recite the [special] prayer for fast days [if one has completed the fast].14 Further the law is that wine-jars belonging to idolaters may be used after twelve months; Moses performed the service during the seven days of consecration dressed in a white frock. R'Kahana taught: In a white frock without a border.15 R'Hisda said:

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