Hunger strike

HH

Throughout the ages holy Jews would seek out HY with all their hearts, and they sought every possible way they could get closer to HY, and so they fasted to detach themselves from the physicality of this ephemeral world and cling to the true life of the Torah and to gain attention and grace from HY.

Today people's fasting is almost the antithesis of everything holy. People fast to lose weight so that they can further pursue their earthly desires without being weighted down. And people go on hunger strikes, an ostentatious show to gain the attention of mortals, to parade how much they really want to be indulging in the empty pleasures of this world but have been forced to aim for an even higher empty indulgence of recognition. Perhaps one of the first people to fast and let his body deteriorate all for the sake of gaining more and illicit worldly pleasure was Amnon who made himself sick so that he could rape his half-sister Tamar.

Even though Rabbainu spoke extensively about fasting and revealed many amazing virtues of fasting, it is not the custom of Breslov to take on extra fasting. However certainly when one fasts for a few hours, or limits his pleasures in this world, he can tap in and gain the aspects of fasting. Just let him do so between himself and His creator, this is not a public relations campaign trying to prove something to the world, but an intimate bonding with HY and a way to gain His grace.

Na Nach Nachma Nachman MayUman