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Why does the Torah (תורה) prescribe fasting to commemorate tragedy rather than prayer or introspection? The Gemara (גמרא) (Berachos 6b) declares that "the essential reward of fasting is charity." Rashi (רש"י) and Rambam (רמב"ם) offer two complementary perspectives: fasting creates hunger that teaches us to empathize with the poor, while charitable giving that genuinely affects our lifestyle transforms us and reconnects us to community.
Rabbi Zweig explores the purpose of fast days through the lens of Asara B'Teves, the fast commemorating the siege of Jerusalem. He opens with a fundamental question: Judaism does not promote asceticism but rather moderation and proper enjoyment of the physical world. Why, then, does the Torah (תורה) institute fasting as the primary observance of commemorating tragedy, rather than prayer, contemplation, or communal discussion? The shiur focuses on a Talmudic statement in Tractate Berachos 6b: "Agra d'ta'anis tzedakah" - the essential element or reward of a fast day is charity. Rabbi Zweig presents two interpretations that reveal the deeper purpose of fasting.
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Berachos 6b, Hilchos Teshuvah (Rambam), Yeshayahu on redemption of Zion
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Why does the Torah separate Avrohom's eulogy for Sarah from his crying for her? The shiur shows that Sarah required a public eulogy focused on the communal loss of a leader, not Avrohom's private grief. This teaches that we must view Jewish tragedies through a national lens first, seeing attacks on Am Yisrael as collective losses that dwarf personal concerns.
