The Fast of the Firstborn (Ta’anit Bechorim) commemorates the horrific tenth plague that God inflicted on Pharaoh and the Egyptian people. After Pharaoh again refused to let the Children of Israel go, Moses warned of the impending plague that would see the death of every firstborn child in the land.

In recognition of this moment, when we are grateful the Israelite children were spared, we are also empathetic to the suffering of the Egyptians, and so first-born Jews fast on Erev Pesach.

As this is a minor fast, there is a widely practiced exemption: Judaism allows for anyone who attends a religious feast to forego fasting. It is customary to hold a celebratory meal on the completion of study of a piece of text, called a siyyum (conclusion).

The rabbis initiated the practice of studying a portion of text after morning services. After the study session it is permitted for those present to partake in the siyyum, and they are not required to fast for the rest of the day. 

Unlike a communal prayer, studying and the celebration of that study do not require a minyan, 10 individuals be physically in the same place. Additionally, it is permissible to participate in a siyyum so long as one can hear the learning. We will gather, albeit virtually, on Wednesday, April 8 at 8:30am for a virtual siyyum. While the learning will be communal, the meal afterwards will be BYOB-Bring Your Own Bagel!

Click here to join us. This meeting is password protected. You can find the password in your email or contact edreyfuss@olamtikvah.org.