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Firstborn Fast or Feast?
A Talk by Rabbi Israel Rubin, at the
Completion of a Talmud Tractate (SIYUM) in Saratoga Springs, in honor of the
Firstborn Fast - eve of Pesach 5762 / 2002 |
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It is customary for Jewish firstborn sons to fast on Erev Pesach. The common
reason given is that this is an expression of thanksgiving after having been
spared the fate of the Egyptian firstborn at midnight of the Exodus.
Practically, however, this fast is observed in the exception rather than in
the rule. Young and old rise early on Erev Pesach to absolve themselves of
the fast by participating in a Talmud Siyum celebration usually held in the
Synagogue just after morning services. Only when a firstborn misses the
Siyum opportunity is he obligated to fast.
At first glance, the Siyum arrangement may see like a sham. Listening in to
someone else who has studied the whole tractate as he completes the last
Talmudic lines, and then feasting instead of fasting, seems like taking the
easy way out.
Indeed, we never find this leniency with any of the other fasts scheduled on
the Calendar. True, during the Nine Days preceding Tisha B'av, some will
allowance a Siyum for the eating of meat and drinking of wine during that
sad period commemorating the Temple's destruction. But that leniency is
restricted after the seventh of Av, and the exemption is certainly not as
widely used as on Fast of the Firstborn.
What is the basis for this unique exemption that routinely turns a scheduled
fast into a feast?
Some commentaries suggest that it is the pressures of pre-Pesach
preparations that force us to resort to this loophole to avoid fasting. But
this explanation leaves something to be desired: In a year when the Seder is
on Saturday night and Erev Pesach is on Shabbos, the "Fast of the Firstborn'
is rescheduled for the Thursday before, and is again canceled out by the
Siyum. What justification do we have then to do so, when there are no
preparations for a Seder that night?
Furthermore, how do we reconcile our Siyum practice with the opinions of the
Halachic codifiers, the Magen Avraham, Chak Yaakov and Shulchan Harav, who
are strict on this issue and look with disdain at a Seudat Mitzva leniency?
They are of the opinion that having a Bris or Pidyon Haben celebrated on the
eve of Pesach would not free the firstborn from fasting. So why should a
Siyum celebration work?
The above-mentioned difficulties force us to review this fast/feast
relationship. We humbly suggest that the Siyum solution is not merely a
secondary substitute for the fast, but is actually the fully recommended
ideal.Going back to the original
event in Egypt, the Chasam Sofer writes that the Jewish firstborn fasted
before (not after) the event, not as a thanksgiving, but rather in a mode of
repentance. Knowing that their Egyptian counterparts were about to be
punished for their evil oppressive leadership, the Jewish firstborn worked
to improve themselves. Concerned that they had not lived up to the lofty
standards of their Jewish leadership positions, they fasted to strengthen
and raise
their spiritual level, as we learn in Pirkei Avot (chapter 4:11) "Repentance
and Good Deeds are as a preventive shield from punishment."
The celebration of a milestone Torah
accomplishment, as the completion of a tractate, is an ideal expression of
positive Torah leadership. Indeed, this contrast is expressed in the special
prayer recited at the Siyum: "We Thank you, O G-d, for having given us our
good portion to learn Torah in the Bet Midrash House of Study, and not to
sit idle on the street corners. For we run, and they run. We run to our
share in the World to come, while they run to the abyss of destruction..."
The Siyum is thus not a secondary plan to
replace the fast, but it is rather Plan A in providing Jewish
leadership and continuity.
This positive approach to the Siyum will also explain an enigma that has
baffled many Talmudic scholars. In exploring the origins of the fast, we
find a strange expression in the Tosefta (from the Mishnaic period) that
refers to the Firstborn's feast (!) on Erev Pesach.
The Siyum has the advantage of being a true celebration that was initiated
by the celebrating student(s). It is distinct from the required Bris or
Pidyon Haben dinners, fixed by circumstances, that we did not initiate. It
is possibly these seudot that the Shulchan Harav does not recommend to
absolve the Fast of the Firstborn. In conclusion, the Firstborn Siyum is not
merely a reluctant exemption due to extenuating circumstances. On the
contrary, it is the ideal way, to promote our physical enjoyment of a Torah
celebration.
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What is the basis
for this unique exemption routinely turning an historic scheduled fast into
a feast? |
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Avot 4:11:
"Repentance .. a preventive shield from punishment"
The Siyum is not a
way out, but PLAN A in providing Jewish continuity & leadership. |
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