313. Yet It Seems So Slow: The obligation to fast on 10 Tishrei

The tenth day of the month of Tishrei is Yom Kippur, a day on which we are obligated to fast. The rabbis of the Talmud (74b) understood “affliction” not to mean beating ourselves, but to abstain from food and drink. Also prohibited on Yom Kippur are bathing, anointing, wearing leather shoes and conjugal relations (see the Mishna on page 73b).

The basis of this mitzvah is that God has given us a special day each year to wipe our slates clean and get a fresh start unburdened by our previous sins. In order to focus on that goal, we must abstain from physical pleasures, which are the largest source of self-centeredness and sin. The best way to atone is for us to avoid such temptations for the day.

This mitzvah applies to both men and women in all times and places. Yom Kippur is the topic of the entire Talmudic tractate of Yoma, though the fasting in particular is discussed starting on page 73b. This mitzvah is codified in the Shulchan Aruch in Orach Chaim 611. It is #164 of the 248 positive mitzvos in the Rambam’s Sefer HaMitzvos and #32 of the 77 positive mitzvos that can be observed today in the Chofetz Chaim’s Sefer HaMitzvos HaKatzar.