In this episode, we learn positive mitzvah #32, which is to fast on the holiday of Yom Kippur.
- This mitzvah applies to the 10th day of Tishrei (the seventh month of the year).
- The Torah states that we should "afflict" our souls on Yom Kippur. Our Sages interpret that to mean that we should fast, that is no food or drink.
- There are four additional afflictions:
- No marital relations are forbidden
- No wearing leather shoes
- No washing or bathing
- No anointing oneself with oils
- It is a matter of dispute whether these four additional activities are prohibited at the same Torah level as fasting, or if they are Rabbinic enactments
- Our Sages teach that by eating on the 9th day of Tishrei, one prepares for a successful fast, thus it will be considered as though he or she fasted for two days