Fast in a Mask

One of the better-known aspects of Purim is the link drawn in Tikkunei Zohar to Yom HaKippurim, as hinted at in the name of the latter. But the connection extends as well to the day that precedes these two Yamim Tovim.

Yom Kippur, the ultimate fast day, is preceded by another day on which eating is so central that according to some, every bite one takes is its own fulfillment of a mitzvah (of a d’Oraisa level no less). And in the best v’nahapoch hu fashion, the lead-in to a Purim day filled with feasting and absolute joy is none other than a fast day.

But perhaps there’s another level to this mirroring correspondence between these two sets of days. According to Rabbeinu Yonah, one reason for the mitzvah to eat and eat some more on Erev Yom Kippur is a fulfillment of the mitzvah of seudas Yom Tov. Yom Kippur, after all, is the greatest Yom Tov of all, and that would call for a meal in its honor. But it’s a very different kind of Yom Tov, one that accomplishes its exalted purpose of teshuvah and kapparah specifically through fasting. And so, the seudas Yom HaKippurim takes place on the day prior.

Perhaps Rabbeinu Yonah’s explanation opens a window of understanding into the nature of Taanis Esther as well. In Ohr Gedalyahu, Rav Gedalyah Schorr speaks of the importance of fasting as a central component of the war against Amalek. As the Rambam writes, the reason Chazal instituted fast days as a response to communal calamities is to acknowledge that those troubles are not happenstance but were sent our way as a Divine wake-up call.