ta'anit bichorot
As you all know, we are quickly approaching the Festival of Pesach. On the day preceding Pesach, there are many special customs which we observe. Among these are the sale of chametz, the search for chametz, and the burning thereof. This day is also given a special name -- Ta'anit Bichorot, the Fast of the First-borns. On this day it is customary for all Jewish first-borns to fast in order to commemorate the fact that the first-borns of Israel were saved during Macat Bichorot (the 10th plague -- slaying of the first-borns). This applies to the first-born of a father and to the first-born of a mother.
You may recall that I have written that there are four minor fast days, and Ta'anit Bichorot is not included. Why is this? It is because most first-borns have found a way to "get around" having to fast. It has become customary, on the morning preceding the first day of Pesach, for the Rabbi to make a Siyyum (a public reading and explanation of the concluding passage of a tractate of Talmud, the study of which has been completed) in the synagogue. Since a Siyyum is customarily accompanied by a Seudat Mitzvah, a festive meal, everyone in attendance must eat. By attending the Siyyum, a first-born may circumvent his requirement to fast.
I hope you have a good weekend, and a happy and kosher Pesach.
This page was originally created by John Davis and Michael Kay, and can be found at http://www.people.cornell.edu/pages/jdd16/guide/.
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