ABSTRACT
In the ritual of the First Temple, fasting was a permanent feature; in addition, the death of a national leader could initiate a day-long fast or even a weekly fast. The purpose of such fasting was manifold. Its most widely attested function was to avert or terminate calamities. Fasting also served as a means of obtaining divine forgiveness. Thus the practice of fasting, which was a spontaneous phenomenon in the period of the First Temple, later entered the calendar as a recurring event in commemoration of historical calamities. Jewish sources lay down a series of prescriptions to regularize the process of fasting. According to tradition, fast days fall into three categories: fasts decreed or referred to in the Bible; fasts decreed by the rabbis; and private fasts. Yom Kippur Katan is a fast day which takes place on the last day of each month.
