**Natalie Sikavi —**

Celebrations in Judaism usually involve food. Many Jewish holidays require certain foods to symbolize the essence of the festivals. For example, during Hanukkah it’s customary to eat oily food to remember the miracle of the oil that burned for eight days. Contrastingly, there are several communal fasts in the Jewish calendar.

Most significant of the fast days is Yom Kippur, the only fast explicitly commanded in the Torah and a holiday observed by almost all Jews no matter their denomination. It is a day of prayer and one-on-one with G-d. It’s a time to atone for sins committed in the previous year and to pray for a successful new year. Fasting on Yom Kippur helps us focus on prayer.

It may seem that being hungry would detract from prayer because we would focus instead on our hunger. But this hunger can be used to help one realize that there is more to life than bagels and lox. All year long we spend time pursuing our physical desires, but on Yom Kippur we are able to understand that we need to feed our soul. We should use this hunger to realize that in the coming year we should focus less on physical pleasures and more on achieving the goodness that we are in this world to pursue.

Fasts that fall on Saturdays are either pushed to the following Sunday or expedited to Thursday. This is because Saturday is a day of rest and celebration and fasting is not permitted. Yom Kippur is the only exception to this rule, as it is the holiest day of the year.

Other fasts commemorate tragedies that have befallen our nation, such as the destruction of the holy temple. There are six of these rabbinically decreed fasts during the year. In addition to mourning the loss of the temple, we also use these days to ask G-d to expedite its rebuilding and request that no more tragedies fall upon the Jewish people.

There are also individual fasts that one may take on for one reason or another. Oftentimes a fast is used to repent for a terrible personal sin or to reverse a bad dream, which is seen as a heavenly decree.

One may also begin a fast to ask for G-d’s help through a tough time. I remember a time when the Seattle Jewish community decided to fast for one of my close friends, who was suffering from a deadly cancer at the age of 17. The purpose was to fast and focus our prayers on asking G-d to save his life.

It’s customary for a bride and groom to fast on their wedding day from day break until after the chuppah ceremony. A wedding day is a day of forgiveness akin to Yom Kippur. The bride and groom pray to be absolved of their sins in order to begin a new and successful life together.

Fasts in Judaism are used not merely to deprive oneself of food, but are undertaken to reflect on past transgressions and look forward to bright futures.

**Zakariya Dehlawi —**

I’ve talked about fasting before, but I never really explained why or how Muslims fast. “Sawm,” or fasting, is the fourth pillar of Islam and an important aspect of our faith.

I’m not an Islamic scholar, but most Muslims are well versed in fasting since it’s something we do often. I’ll be offering you the layman’s understanding of the process. Any mistakes are my own, and any benefits are thanks to God.

Fasting is practiced by many religions, and in a variety of ways. It also isn’t exclusive to Abrahamic traditions. Many other religions incorporate fasts, including Hinduism and Buddhism. We believe that many of the previous prophets (peace and blessings be upon them all) fasted. This is alluded to in one of the numerous places that God commands us to fast in the Quran: “Oh you who believe! Fasting is ordained for you as it was ordained for those before you, so that you might remain conscious of God” (chapter 2, verse 183).

From the above verse you have the main reason for why Muslims fast: God ordered us to. You also get the primary benefit, to increase our consciousness of God. That’s only one benefit, and there are others, but first we need to understand the mechanics of a Muslim fast.

When we talk about fasting, there’s a physical aspect and a spiritual aspect. Physically it means not ingesting anything during the daylight hours, or dawn to sunset. This includes not eating or drinking. Also, sexual relations are to be avoided during those hours.

Spiritually, fasting means purifying one’s thoughts and having the intention that it’s being done for God. You’re supposed to refrain from negative ideas and actions, which is extra tough, since I get cranky when I don’t eat.

Fasting is purported to offer physical benefits, such as lowering high blood pressure, weight management, among others. But the true benefits come from the spiritual aspect.

Internally, fasting builds willpower. There’s nothing like passing up a tantalizing candy bar when you haven’t eaten in seven hours. It really highlights the struggle of mind over matter, which can be applied to other aspects of life. Going hungry allows us to empathize with the impoverished all over the world who don’t get enough food, hopefully making us more generous in our assistance to the needy.

Muslims are obligated to fast during the month of Ramadan, but we’re also encouraged to perform optional fasts other times of the year. It’s reported that the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, would often fast on the Monday and Thursday of the week. We can fast almost whenever we want, but Islam prohibits excessiveness, so there are also injunctions against fasting too much.

Fasting is at its essence an act of worship done to please God. It’s a covenant you make with your Creator and your Creator alone, since no one can really tell if you are fasting or not. By fasting, you show your respect and love for God while improving yourself.

**Celeste Flint —**

When Zakariya, Natalie and I decided to talk about fasting, I realized I should probably do it for once.

That’s about how much most Protestants fast. It’s kind of sad.

At first it felt pointless. I read my Bible at lunch, but life went on the same — just a little hungrier. It felt religious and ceremonial. My heart wasn’t in it, and I really wanted barbeque chicken.

It was one of those gorgeous warm days, so I went to a beach in Renton and sat with a Bible. Sometimes you just need to separate yourself from distractions to figure out what’s going on inside.

Someone was grilling burgers. My stomach ached. I read my Bible and prayed.

A Russian woman joined me on the bench so she could watch her daughters while they played on the beach. One of the girls because water was pouring into her sand hole.

I felt like an empty hole. I couldn’t even fast right.

One of the first things the woman said was how grateful she was for Jesus taking care of her family.

I felt selfish. I haven’t been that forward about praising Jesus in a while. I started to pray for my heart. I was isolating myself and my faith. God had given me a reason to fast.

My initial attitude was wrong. Fasting shouldn’t be a religious act, as if it makes a person good. Only Jesus can make people truly better.

There are a few different approaches people take to fasting.

For me, fasting is like intense prayer. The hunger I felt during my fast was a constant reminder of Jesus. It was a good way to force myself into the obedience of prayer and gratefulness.

I had a friend in high school, Anne, who used to skip a lunch almost every week to pray for her church or her family. She usually ate something during class. For her, fasting wasn’t about hunger. It was about taking a typically selfish time and dedicating it to Jesus.

Some people fast like observant Jews do at Passover. Most Jewish scriptures are in the Christian Bible, so it makes sense. Everything in Passover points to the coming of Jesus.

Usually those who do this eat only light evening meals for 40 days, fasting from food entirely for the last week.

However, it’s not required or expected that people fast at all. Some people can’t fast, like pregnant women and diabetics.

For Lent, sometimes people give up watching television or eating junk food. Usually, it plays out more like a failed New Year’s resolution, but often Christians will give up something that distracts them from loving people and God, such as addictive role-playing games.

Jesus preached against those who showed off their religiosity by letting everyone know about their fasting. In Matthew 6:16-18 he said, “And whenever you fast, do not put on a gloomy face as the hypocrites do, for they neglect their appearance in order to be seen fasting by men.”

Basically, he said, it’s best to fast in private and God the Father will bless you, but those who make a public scene out of it have already received their reward.

In the end, fasting has to do with our hearts. If it’s about ceremony or bringing ourselves glory, it’s pointless. But when we make it about Jesus, it’s got eternal value.