Ta’anit 2:1
How does a community demonstrate true remorse?
住讚专 转注谞讬讜转 讻讬爪讚, 诪讜爪讬讗讬谉 讗转 讛转讘讛 诇专讞讜讘讛 砖诇 注讬专 讜谞讜转谞讬谉 讗驻专 诪拽诇讛 注诇 讙讘讬 讛转讘讛 讜讘专讗砖 讛谞砖讬讗 讜讘专讗砖 讗讘 讘讬转 讚讬谉, 讜讻诇 讗讞讚 讜讗讞讚 谞讜转谉 讘专讗砖讜. 讛讝拽谉 砖讘讛谉 讗讜诪专 诇驻谞讬讛谉 讚讘专讬 讻讘讜砖讬谉: 讗讞讬谞讜, 诇讗 谞讗诪专 讘讗谞砖讬 谞讬谞讜讛 讜讬专讗 讛讗诇讛讬诐 讗转 砖拽诐 讜讗转 转注谞讬转诐, 讗诇讗 (讬讜谞讛 讙) 讜讬专讗 讛讗诇讛讬诐 讗转 诪注砖讬讛诐 讻讬 砖讘讜 诪讚专讻诐 讛专注讛. 讜讘拽讘诇讛 讛讜讗 讗讜诪专 (讬讜讗诇 讘) 讜拽专注讜 诇讘讘讻诐 讜讗诇 讘讙讚讬讻诐.
What was the procedure for public fast days? They would take the ark out into the city square and place ash from a burned stick on top of the ark, on the head of the chief rabbi, and on the head of the chief justice. And then all the people put ash on their own heads. The most senior of them would lecture them as follows: 鈥淏rothers, regarding the people ofit doesn鈥檛 say that God saw their sackcloth and fasting, but rather, that 鈥楪od saw their deeds, for they had repented from their evil ways.鈥� (Jonah 3). And in the prophets it says, 鈥楽under your hearts, not your garments.鈥� 鈥� (Joel 2). Nineveh
Comments
In the agriculture-based economy of ancient , any delay of the winter rains was experienced not only as a hardship, but as a rebuke from heaven. When the rainy season progressed without precipitation, the sages would declare a series of public fasts of increasing severity to demonstrate repentance to God. This mishnah is quite extraordinary. The most dignified object and the most dignified leaders are humbled by the placement of ash upon them. Yet even such dramatic demonstrations did not suffice. The elder would appeal to the people not to let external demonstrations suffice, but to repent within.
Questions
- How does this ritual compare to our most prominent fast days, Yom Kippur and Tish’ah Be’Av?
- Why did the leaders have ashes put on their heads by others, while everyone else took their own ash? Was this more respectful, or more humiliating for the leaders?
- Can one proceed directly to internal repentance, or are the external demonstrations a necessary stage?
