Fast of Gedalia Explained: Origins, Observances, and Significance

The Fast of Gedalia, observed on the third of Tishrei, one day after Rosh Hashanah, commemorates the assassination of Gedalia ben Achikam. He was appointed governor of the remaining Jewish population in the Land of Israel after the Babylonian conquest and destruction of the First Temple. His murder led the few Jews left in the land to flee to Egypt, effectively ending Jewish presence in the region.

Interestingly, while the assassination itself is believed by some to have occurred on Rosh Hashanah, the fast was established for the following day, the third of Tishrei. This was to avoid disrupting the joy of the High Holy Day.

The observance includes fasting from food and drink, and the recitation of special penitential prayers known as 'Selichot'. The Fast of Gedalia is part of the 'Ten Days of Repentance,' the period between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, considered a time for introspection and seeking forgiveness.

During these ten days, additional liturgical passages are added to daily prayers, including 'Avinu Malkeinu' (Our Father, Our King). A custom instituted by the Baal Shem Tov involves reciting three chapters of Psalms daily from the beginning of Elul until Yom Kippur, with the Fast of Gedalia specifically associated with Psalms 73, 74, and 75.