20 Apr BHA”B

In two locations [Masechtos Kiddushin (81a) and Bava Kama (82a)], Tosefos mentions the minhag of fasting on the first Monday, Thursday, and following Monday of the months of Marcheshvon and Iyar. This fast, which is also mentioned several times in Shulchan Aruch and the Tur [siman 429], is commonly known as the Fast of BHA”B. Though most of Klal Yisroel does not observe this practice, and many do not even say the accompanying Selichos, many congregations still bench BHA”B on the Shabbos before the fast days begin. And, while many of us will not fast, it behooves us to understand the reasons for these fasts so that we can still pray for the messages that the fasts represent and give tzedaka towards their specific significance.

One reason given by the Elya Rabbah [siman 492, seif 3] for these fast days is to atone for the possible sin of doing work on the just passed Chol HaMoed of Sukkos and Pesach. One can immediately see how pertinent and timely this reason is for, in our times when many are forced to work and must determine what halachically constitutes a Davar HaAvud, i.e., a situation where financial loss (and not a mere avoidance of profit) would occur if work wasn’t performed. As well, the stakes are very high for the Gemora tells us, “Kol hamvazeh es hamoados, ein lo cheilek l’Olam Habo — All who ignore the ‘moeds’ has no portion in the World to Come.” Rashi explains this to refer to Chol HaMoed. We therefore are quick to beg forgiveness if we miscalculated during these Holy days.

Another reason for this series of fasts can be found in the Sefer Matamim (page 131), in the Taamei Minhagim (page 250) and the Mateh Moshe (page 747). They reason that we fast because at these two points of the year, after Succos and Pesach, there is a sudden change in the weather which tends to cause people to get sick. Therefore, we anticipate this by fasting and praying for the welfare of Klal Yisroel. Here is yet another vivid example of how contemporary this is for our day and age.

Just to illustrate how this is still true nowadays, years ago I was once trying to get a hospital room for someone who was stuck in the emergency room of a New York hospital. The person had already been there for over thirty hours but the nurse explained to me that there were no ICU or CCU beds available. When asked why the hospital was so congested, she explained to me that at the change of the seasons the hospital is always fully booked because many elderly people just can’t cope with the sudden change of weather. Similarly, I was told by a druggist that his briskest business comes at the changes in season.

During the BHA”B fasts after Succos, it is an opportune time for Rabbonim to alert their congregations to the advisability of inquiring about an annual flu shot for their elderly parents. Even a “regular” flu (a nuisance for younger people) can be, chas v’shalo-m, fatal to elderly people. So a simple preventive flu shot before the onset of a harsh winter can be a marvelous opportunity for Kibud Av v’Eim. (But, please consult your physician to know if this is the correct approach for any specific person.)

It is also around the time of BHA”B that, in many synagogues, the age old argument of whether to open or close the windows rears its ugly head. One must realize that it is not coincidental that such a problem occurs in our shuls. It would seem to be a challenge to us to see if can we absorb the Divrei Mussar, and Hanhogas Tovos that we see regularly in shul, if we can focus more on giving and caring for the other person than taking for ourselves. And precisely when we pray that no one should be caught off-guard by a sudden change of weather, we should also be concerned about causing our chaver a sudden draft.

Yet another reason for these fasts can be found in the Mordechai on Masechtas Taanis (number 629) and in the Sefer Chasidim (227). They explain that at the onset of Marcheshvan, we begin to expect the yearly rainfall on which our livelihood once depended. And, in the month of Iyar, we are concerned that the fresh crops should not be ruined by devastating natural disasters such as wind blast or crop jaundice. Hence, these fasts are, in essence, prayers for success in parnassah, which is definitely a major source of concern in any era.

Finally, Tosefos in Kiddushin and Bava Kama explain that we fast because, during Yom Tov, both men and women went to hear the drasha from the great sages and the men were exposed to many women dressed in their Yom Tov finery. Therefore, in order to atone for any sinful thoughts this might have generated, Chazal enacted a period of fasting and Selichos.

When we learn these Tosefos, we should reflect with fright on how far we’ve deteriorated. In the olden days, men and women who came in contact with one another while going for the sole reason of listening to Torah from the mouths of the Gedolim, already prompted a severe reaction of a three day fast. Imagine how the Chachmei Chazal would blanch at the exposure to arayos that some have from the cinema, television, and the photographic media. It is an important lesson for us to remember how high our standards should really be. (As an aside, we see from the aforementioned Tosefos that it was definitely the practice for women to go hear Divrei Hisorrus as well as the men.)

As to why no fasts were instituted after the festival of Shavuos according to most of the above reasons it is self-explanatory for, if the fast is because of work on Chol HaMoed, there is obviously no Chol HaMoed of Shavuos. If the fast is because of the change in seasons, likewise there is no such change around Shavuos time. There is also, at that time of the year, no significant threat to the crops for, after all, they are already fully completed. As we know, Shavuos is also known as the Chag HaKatzir, the festival of harvesting. And, even according to the reason of Tosefos, although the people also gathered on Shavuos to hear a drasha, since the festival is only one day long there was less of a threat from the exposure of men and women to one another. Hence no fast was deemed necessary.