Taanit
Bekhor
(Fast
of the First Born)
We read in Exodus
l2:l2-l3 "For the night I will go through the land of Egypt and strike
down every firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and I will
mete out punishments to all the gods of Egypt, I the Lord. And the blood
on the houses in which you dwell shall be a sign for you: When I see the
blood I will pass over you, so that no plague will destroy you when I
strike the land of Egypt."
Thus,
the firstborn of every Jewish family have a double cause to be thankful
on Pesah. Not only did they participate in the general deliverance of
the Jewish people, but they escaped the death that was the lot of the
Egyptian firstborn. Indeed, the theme of the special dedication of the
Israelite firstborn to God as a result of this special redemption occurs
throughout the Torah's account of the Exodus.
Today,
the distinguished position of the firstborn is expressed in the observance
of pidyon haben, redemption of the firstborn son from a kohen when the
baby is 30 days old, and taanit bekhor, or fast of the firstborn on the
day before Pesah (the fourteenth of Nisan).
Although
the idea of dedication to God because of His having saved us is an appealing
one, it is customary to exempt oneself from fasting on this day by participation
in a seudat mitzvah (religious feast). The most common practice is to
attend a siyum, the conclusion of the study of a Talmudic tractate, which
is considered an appropriate occasion for a seudat mitzvah.
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