The Real Purpose of a Taanis

It’s very important to remember the Rambam (Hilchos Ta’anis 5:1) who exhorts us to remember the real meaning underlying a fast day. It’s not just a day when we miss our morning coffee! The purpose of fasting is to focus on the spiritual side of the day and use it as catalyst for inspiration towards teshuvah. In this merit may the words of the Navi Zechariah, that : “The fast of the fourth (month,17th of Tammuz), the fast of the fifth (month, Tisha B’Av), the fast of the seventh (month, Tzom Gedalyah), and the fast of the tenth (month, Asorah B’Teves), shall be (changed over) for celebration and joy for the household of Yehudah” be fulfilled speedily and in our days.