Afflicting our Souls

Where I live you can’t ignore Lent even if you want to. So, rather than ignoring the current Christian holy season, let’s address some important, related halacha. There is no institutionalized asceticism in Judaism. True, Nazirites abstain from certain things, alcohol and grapes. Priests who are serving have to keep themselves under strict control, but neither of those is a system of self-denial. A few historical rabbis have practiced self-denial, including Simon ben-Yohai and Daniel Zion. However, these rabbis only neglected themselves for the sake of spending more time studying the Torah.

The reason we do not systematically deny ourselves physical pleasure because we believe that the physical world is not evil, God made it to be good and to be enjoyed. Physical creation is celebrated throughout the Bible, in passages like Psalm 104:14-15, “He makes plants sprout for the beasts, and herbs by the work of man, to bring forth bread from the earth / And wine that makes man’s heart rejoice, to make the face glow from oil, and bread to sustain the heart of man.”

Food and wine are good, created for our joy. Rav even states that we will have to answer to God for all of the good things which we were allowed to eat and refused (JT Kiddushin 4:12). R. Elazar HaKappar even states that someone who gives up the good things God has given us will be counted a sinner. He based this on the fact that Nazirites are required to offer a sin offering when they complete their vows (BT Taanit 11a, Num. 6:11). Early believers also made statements to this effect, saying that God created food for man to enjoy (Didache 10:3). The Messiah also did not come as an ascetic, but “eating and drinking” (Matt. 11:19).

What the sages to encourage is moderation (cf. Mishneh Tora, Hilkhot De’ot ch. 3). Although there are specific times when we fast for repentance or intersession, like the Fast of Esther which just passed, we do not make self-deprivation a way of life. Fasting in Judaism is purposeful, limited, and clearly defined. It is a sign of mourning, despair, and/or repentance, when we deprive ourselves of things which are normally not only good but necessary as a sign of our earnestness. In fact, the Hebrew phrase translated "fasting" means to "afflict the soul," which, according to Rashi, means that we must abstain from something which is necessary for the "soul," the life force. Because fasting is restricted to not eating and drinking at all, it cannot become a lifestyle.