A guest post by Y. Bloch
So Ashura is next week, when Muslims fast to commemorate (at least
according to Sunnis) the Splitting of the Sea. This is based on a
tradition that Muhammad observed the Jews of Medinah fasting on this day
and thought it was a good idea to memorialize the defeat of Pharaoh and
salvation of the Israelites in this way. Now, Jews don't fast on the
seventh day of Passover, when we commemorate the Split, nowadays. But
the Talmud (Pesahim 68b) cites R. Eliezer's view that fasting is a
viable option for holidays, and the prooftext is how the Torah talks
about... the seventh day of Passover. Fascinating!
Search for more information about hungry Jews at4torah.com
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