Special Features

Timing for the Fast Day (Sunday)

Officially, the fast begins at dawn on Sunday, but once a
person goes to sleep on Sat. night, the fast begins at that
point. This means that even if you wake up before dawn, you may not eat or drink. This is so unless you make a T'NAI before you go to sleep that if you will wake before dawn, you will be allowed to eat and drink until dawn.

Dawn on Sunday in Jerusalem is 3:55ish.

Earliest Mincha is 1:20pm. People who feel that they won't be able to complete the fast should try to wait until after Mincha.

It is preferable to daven Mincha later on a fast day, at
the equivalent of NE'ILA time.

Israel Center Mincha is 6:45pm.

Fast is over at 8:15ish.

Two Looks at the Same Date

The Mishna in Taanit lists five calamities that occurred on
the 17th of Tammuz. The first Luchot were smashed.
Jerusalem was breached in the time of the second Beit
HaMikdash. The Korban Tamid ceased. An idol was erected in the Mikdash. And Apustimus burned a Sefer Torah. The 17th of Tammuz begins the Three Week mourning period for the destruction of the Beit HaMikdash, the period also known as Bein HaM'tzarim.

The smashing of the Luchot is, of course, associated with
the Sin of the Golden Calf, an event that came so soon
after the great experience at Sinai and matan Torah, that
there is a sense of dispair mixed with the tragedy. How
could we have done that so soon after Ma'amad Har Sinai?!

From that very early period of the life of the Jewish
People, we've always had ups and downs, highs and lows. The generation of Yehoshua kept faith with G-d; there was terrible sliding into idolatry in the time of the Judges. We are taught reasons for the destruction of each Beit HaMikdash.

This kind of train of thought requires us to take serious
advantage of each Fast Day on the calendar. We don't just muddle through the fast, we must use it for serious
introspection, for resolving to do things as individuals
and as members of Klal Yisrael that will change things for
the better. Fast days are not just history lessons. They
are challenges to do something about our condition. If
Moshe came down the mountain today, would he smash the Luchot with what he would see? If the Beit HaMikdash were standing, would we be bringing destruction closer to it? Would we be like the Levi'im who rallied to Moshe's call to defend G-d's honor? Would we be a Hur who risks his life, who gave his life, defending HaShem's honor.

Do not let a fast day go by without self-improvement in
mitzvot of both Bein Adam LaMakom and interper sonal types. Do not let a fast day go by without resolve to spread Torah values and practice to others. Do not let a fast day go by without praying for, hoping for, waiting for, and working for the conditions that will result in the Mashiach delaying no longer.

And now for the second look at Shiv'a Asar B'Tammuz. Look at it closely this year. No fasting.. Three sumptuous meals. Wine for Kiddush. Happy songs of praise to HaShem. 28% of the years - this year being one of them - both 17 Tammuz and Tish'a b'Av fall on Shabbat. When that happens, we fast on Sunday. But that means that we eat meat and drink wine and sing songs on the 17th of Tammuz. And that gives us a taste (literally and figuratively) of the future. The promise and prophecy of Zecharia is that the fasts for the destruction of the Beit HaMikdash will become joyous, festive days. Just as Shabbat is considered MEI'EIN OLAM HABA, a taste of the world to come, so too is it a taste of the time of Mashiach.

These two looks at the 17th of Tammuz are definitely not
contradictory. In fact, one needs to pay attention to both.
We must mourn the destruction of Jerusalem and the Beit
HaMikdash, but we must also long for their com plete
restoration and redemption.

More on the 17th of Tammuz

At Shacharit and Mincha of every fast day, we read
VA'Y'CHAL MOSHE, the portion from Parshat Ki Tisa that
tells about Moshe's prayers on behalf of the People in the
aftermath of the Sin of the Golden Calf. The second and
third part of the reading deals with the second Luchot and
the 13 Divine Attributes. What is noteworthy for us here
and now, is that the most appropriate setting for the Torah
reading of a fast day is the 17th of Tammuz, the actual
anniversary of the Sin of the Golden Calf. Keep in mind
though, that 17 Tammuz is also the anniversary of our being forgiven and our receiving of the Secrets of the 13 Midot.

Train of thought...

Observation... The mishna does NOT say that on the 17th of Tammuz the People sinned with the Golden Calf. It says, that oin that day, Moshe smashed the Luchot.

Avinu Malkeinu is said at Shacharit and at Mincha on Shiv'a Asar b'Tammuz.

Slichot is said at Shacharit.

The Chazan says Aneinu as a separate bracha in Shacharit and at Mincha. The congregation says it only at Mincha, and as an addition to the Shma Koleinu bracha of the Amida. This is the Ashkenazi practice. S'faradim say it at Shacharit as well (meaning everyone says it - not just the Chazan).

One who is not fasting does not say Aneinu. One who will
break his fast after Mincha does say Aneinu since he has
fasted past noontime and is still fasting.

Birchat Kohanim...

Kohanim bless the people at Shacharit and Musaf, but not at Mincha. Since a kohen may not perform any of his special tasks while under the influence of wine, etc., the practice developed to do Birchat Kohanim before one eats (i.e. Shacharit and Mussaf), but not at Mincha - since that is usually after one has eaten and drunk (second definition not necessarily intended).

So why do we not have Birchat Kohanim on Yom Kippur at Mincha? Lo Ploog. We do not make a distinction (between a day when we can eat and one on which we don't eat).
But at N'ila the custom is to have Birchat Kohanim (if we
get there before sunset). Lo Ploog does not apply here,
since there is only one day a year we say N'ila.

So how come we DO have Birchat Kohanim at Mincha on a fast day? Because Mincha on a fast day is like N'ila - not like a regular Mincha.

And this was the long way around to introduce another idea: Ideally, Mincha on a Fast Day should be said late in the day, close to sunset. Even if one usually davens Mincha Gedola, on a fast day, when MIncha wants the emotional and Kabbalistic N'ila time lot, one davens late.

Not too late, because Birchat Kohanim, Avinu Malkeinu, and Tachanun all should be completed before sunset.

For practical reasons, many people daven Mincha early on a fast day. People who are affected by the fast feel that
they have better concen tration at an early minyan.

Some say that if one davens Mincha of a fast day not in the N'ila time slot, then Birchat Kohanim should not be said (because early mincha has no claim to being a quasi-N'ila). On the other hand, there are poskim who allow Birchat Kohanim at early mincha.

Bottom line suggestion...

If you expect to feel reasonably well at 6:30-7:00-ish,
then it is better to daven mincha late. If not, go for the
earliest mincha you can find.

Do I have to fast?

To reiterate, the answer is YES. A healthy person must
fast. Men and women, boys and girls from the age of
mitzvot. Do not dismiss the 17th of Tammuz with a casual
wave of the hand - like many do. It is too often that one
hears "No, I fast on Yom Kippur and Tish'a b'Av, and that's
enough." It really isn't, you know.

ALBUM OF THE WEEK

Here's the story. Each week we will feature a different
CD/cassette from Noam Productions. We'll write a little
about it and there will be a Dvar Torah about one of the
songs, audioand/or in print. On Torah Tidbits Audio (Arutz- 7, Thursday night, 10:08ish-11:00pm, 97.3 and 97.1 FM) we'll play a song or two. The album will be the prize for the Parsha Riddle on TT-Audio AND it will be the new prize for the best PPP solution of the week. This is an
experiment in general and especially for PPP, which until
now was a contest whose prizes were satisfaction and
noteriety. PPP solvers are recommended to submit their
solutions SHELO AL M'NAT L'KABEIL PRAS, even though there will IY"H be a prize for the best overall submission.

The first AW (Album of the Week) is DANCE MIX, a collection of 35 songs, presented in 6 medleys for a toal of well over an hour of pleasurable listening. If you've been to a wedding lately and want to hear one of the songs that made an impression on you, this is the album you are looking for. Looking for great back ground music for Sheva Brachot? This is it. Want to practice wedding dancing in your own home. Put this album on and go for it.

Majority of the songs are instrumental, but there are quite
a lot of vocals too.

Part of the DIDA BEIH Medley is Yerach miel Bigun's ADON OLAM. This well- known poem about G-d's mastery of the world is used to begin Shacharit every morning and additionally to conclude the davening on Shabbat and Yom Tov. The Vilna Gaon explains that Adon Olam is specifically linked to Shacharit, which is the davening associated with Avraham Avinu. Avraham was the first one to acknowledge G-d as Master. Chazal honored Avraham by placing Adon Olam at Shacharit.

One of the themes of Adon Olam is that G-d alway was, is, and always will be. This is particularly interesting in
light of the meanings and Kavanot of G-d's name. The ALEF- DALET-NUN-YUD name connotes G-d's Mastery. The YUD-HEI-VAV- HEI name has the same connotation because of its pronunciation, but has the additional meaning of HAYA, HOVEH, Y'H'YEH - was, is, will be, each of which can be spelled from the letters of G-d's name. Basically, the song Adon Olam combines both Kavanot of G-d's name.

As of this writing, a cassette of the latest Reva L'Sheva
album was given as a prize to Dr. Joel Luber for his answer of the Mr. Whipple riddle from Parshat Korach. Arthur Arbit remains the only complete solver of the PPP of Chukat. Please be in touch with Phil at the Center for details about picking up your prize. To repeat, prizes (copies of the Album of the Week) courtesy of Noam Productions will be awarded for first correct solution of the Parsha riddle on Torah Tidbits Audio and for the best (not first) solutions for PPP. In case of ties, certain criteria and methods will apply to deal with the situation.

Employees of Coca Cola, NBC, and the National League and their families are ineligible.

Dance Mix, many other Noam Productions albums, and many, many other CDs and cassettes spanning the range of Jewish music are available at

Noam Productions Music Stores:

6 Malchei Yisrael, Geula, Jerusalem

59 Rabbi Akiva Street, Bnei Brak

and, soon to open, Noam Productions Music and Jerwish
Computer Software Store at the Rav Shefa Mall in Jerusalem (near T'nuva, where the old zoo was)

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