What is the order for fast days? [the seven latter fast days (1:6)]. The ark is taken into the city square, [the ark containing the Torah scroll, by way of saying: "We had a modest vessel and it was shamed by our transgressions." And why to the city square? By way of saying: "We cried out within the house of prayer, and we were not answered. We shall abase ourselves openly in the public square!"], and calcined ashes are placed upon it [Because earth is also called "ashes," it is taught "calcined ashes." For here "ashes," literally, are required, so that the Holy One Blessed be He bring to mind the binding of Isaac and have compassion. ("upon the ark":) because it is written (Isaiah 63:9): "In all their affliction, He was afflicted."], upon the head of the Nassi, and upon the head of the chief of beth-din. [And they themselves do not take (ashes to put on their heads), so that they be more sorely humiliated. For there is no likening one who abases himself to one who is abased by others.] And everyone (of the people) places (some ashes) on his head. The eldest among them exhorts them (lit.: "says before them words of conquest") [so called in that they "conquer" a man's heart to turn him to penitence]: "My brothers, in respect to the men of Ninveh, it is not written: 'And G d saw their sackcloth and their fast,' but (Jonah 3:10): 'And G d saw their deeds, that they had repented of their evil way.'" And in the Kabbalah [Prophets] (Joel 2:13): 'And rend your hearts, and not your garments.'"

They then stand in prayer, designating as the prayer leader an elder, [who knows the order of the prayers], who is fluent (in praying), who has children, and whose house is empty, [i.e., who does not have food for his children, and who, in his distress, prays with feeling. Or: whose house is "empty" of transgression, no evil report having circulated about him in his youth.], so that his heart be intent upon his prayer. And he recites before them twenty-four blessings: the eighteen daily blessings, [i.e., the Amidah], and an additional six [between "goel" and "rofe"].

They (the additional six) are: zichronoth, shofroth, [all of the verses as recited on Rosh Hashanah], (Psalms 120): "To the L rd I cried in my distress, and He answered me," (Ibid. 121): "I shall lift my eyes to the mountains," (Ibid. 130): "From out of the depths I have called to You, O L rd." (Ibid. 102): "A prayer of the afflicted, when he faints." R. Yehudah says: It was not necessary to recite zichronoth and shofroth, but, in place of them (I Kings 8:37): "If there be famine in the land; if there be pestilence, etc.", and (Jeremiah 14): "The word of the L rd that came to Jeremiah concerning the drought." And for each section, he recites an appropriate conclusion. [After zichronoth, a conclusion for zichronoth; after shofroth, a conclusion for shofroth, as explained below.]

For the first [i.e., at "goel Yisrael," he begins to enlarge. (Even though it is not one of the six, he calls it "the first," for at that point he begins to add and enlarge.)], he says: "He who answered Abraham in Mount Moriah, may He answer you, and may He give ear to the voice of your outcry on this day. Blessed are you, O L rd, Redeemer of Israel." For the second (zichronoth - the first of the six): "He who answered our forefathers at the Red Sea, may He answer you, and may He give ear to the voice of your outcry on this day. Blessed are You, O L rd, who remembers what is forgotten." For the third (shofroth): "He who answered Joshua in Gilgal, may He answer you, and may He give ear to the voice of your outcry on this day. Blessed are You, O L rd, who gives ear to teruah" (the sound of the shofar). For the fourth ("To the L rd I cried"): "He who answered Samuel in Mitzpeh, may He answer you, and may He give ear to the voice of your outcry on this day. Blessed are You, O L rd, who gives ear to outcry." For the fifth ("I shall lift up my eyes to the mountains"): "He who answered Eliyahu in Mount Carmel, may He answer you, and may He give ear to the voice of your outcry on this day. Blessed are You, O L rd, who gives ear to prayer." For the sixth ("From out of the depths"): "He who answered Jonah from the maw of the whale, may He answer you, and may He give ear to the voice of your outcry on this day. Blessed are You, O L rd, who answers in a time of affliction." For the seventh [of the blessings on which he enlarges (But the blessings which he adds for the fasts are only six. For the first blessing, "goel Yisrael," is part of the Amidah. It is just that he enlarges on it.)] ("A prayer of the afflicted"): "He who answered David and Solomon his son in Jerusalem, may He answer you, and may He give ear to the voice of your outcry on this day. Blessed are You, O L rd, who has mercy on the land."

Once, in the days of R. Chalafta [in Sepphoris] and R. Chananiah b. Tradyon, a prayer leader completed the entire blessing, and they did not answer "Amen" after him. For in the Temple, they did not answer "Amen" after each blessing, but "Baruch shem kevod malchutho l'olam va'ed" ("May the Name of the glory of His kingdom be blessed forever" (see Berachoth 63a). And these men were not in the Temple, but they followed the practice of the Temple.] "Blow, Cohanim, blow." [The sexton of the house of prayer would say thus to them for each prayer.] "He who answered Abraham our father in Mount Moriah, may He answer you, and may He give ear to the voice of your outcry on this day." "Blow, sons of Aaron, blow." He who answered our forefathers at the Red Sea, may He answer you, and may He give ear to the voice of your outcry on this day." And when this came to the attention of the sages, they said: We followed this practice [not to answer "Amen," but "Baruch shem kevod …"] only at the eastern gate and in the Temple Mount [i.e., the eastern gate of the Temple Mount and the eastern gate of the azarah. For they would pronounce the full Name (the tetragrammaton) at the conclusion of each blessing, and it did not suffice to answer "Amen." And it is not to be suggested that it was their practice to blow the shofar only in the Temple, for of a certainty they did so outside it, as is apparent in this tractate and in Rosh Hashanah.]

The first three fasts (see 1:4), the men of the watch would fast, but not complete. [There were twenty-four priestly watches. Each watch would officiate in its own week.] And the men of the beth-av would not fast at all. [The mishmar was divided into seven batei-avoth ("patriarchal houses"), corresponding to the days of the week, each officiating on its day.] The second three, the men of the watch would fast, but not complete, and the men of the beth-av would fast, but not complete. [For the first fasts are not so stringent (as the last), for which reason they were not completed. So that if the (priestly) service became too taxing for the beth-av officiating that day, the others would come to assist them and enable them to perform it.] The last seven, all would fast and complete. These are the words of R. Yehoshua. The sages say: The first three fasts, neither fasted at all. The second three, the men of the watch fasted, but did not complete, and the men of the beth-av did not fast at all. The last seven, the men of the watch fasted and completed, and the men of the beth-av fasted, but did not complete.

The men of the watch are permitted to drink wine at night [This does not refer to a fast but is incidental to "the men of the watch" (above). ("at night":) For there is no reason to fear that the service might become too taxing for the men of the beth-av at night so that they would have to come to their assistance.], but not in the daytime. And the men of the beth-av (may drink wine) neither in the daytime nor at night. [For the entire night they had to return to the altar limbs and fat-pieces that "sprung" from it.] The men of the watch and the men of the ma'amad (deputation) may not cut their hair and wash (their clothing). [("the men of the ma'amad":) They are the Israelites stationed in Jerusalem to stand over the offerings of their brethren and to pray that they be received with favor. Deputies from all of Israel stood there ("ma'amad" = "standing") at the time of the (sacrificial) service. For how could an individual's offering be sacrificed if he were not standing over it when Scripture states (Numbers 28:2): "…shall you observe to offer to Me in its appointed time" — It is a mitzvah for the Israelite to stand over the Cohein at the time of the service. ("They may not cut their hair and wash":) after entering upon their watch, that entire week. This, so that they cut their hair beforehand and not enter their watches unkempt.] And on Thursday [in the midst of their watch] they are permitted (to do so) because of the honor of the Sabbath. [For most men cut their hair on Thursday and do not wait until Friday to do so because of their Sabbath preparations.]

All [of the days] of which it is written in Megillath Ta'anith not to eulogize — (the day) before, it is forbidden; (the day) after, it is permitted. R. Yossi says: Before and after it is forbidden. Not to fast — before and after it is permitted. R. Yossi says: Before, it is forbidden; after, it is permitted. [(In Megillath Ta'anith there are recorded) days in which miracles were wrought for Israel in the second Temple period and which were made festive days, some days, interdicted in fasting alone, and others, of greater import, on which eulogies were, likewise, interdicted. With the latter, eulogies are forbidden on the preceding day, too, lest one come to eulogize on the festive day itself. But the day after, they are permitted, for the festive day having already passed, there is no cause for apprehension. As to the halachah, we rule that Megillath Ta'anith was annulled and that fasting and eulogies are permitted on all those days interdicted therein, except for Channukah and Purim, where they are forbidden on those days themselves, but permitted before and after.]

A fast is not decreed upon the congregation ab initio on Thursday, so as not to inflate (food) prices. [For when the shopkeepers see them buying two big meals on Thursday night (one for the night following the fast, another for Shabbath), they will think that a famine is approaching and they will raise their prices. But if they begin fasting on Monday, they will know it is because of the fast. Another interpretation: So that they not say: If beth-din had not seen that a famine was coming, they would not press to decree a fast now, so close to the Sabbath, saying which, they will inflate their prices.] These three fasts: the first (three) — Monday, Thursday, Monday; the second three — Thursday, Monday, Thursday. R. Yossi says: Just as the first do not begin on Thursday, so the second, and so the last.

A fast is not decreed upon the congregation on Rosh Chodesh, Channukah, or Purim. And if they had begun, it is not interrupted. [If they had decreed the fasts before then, and they had begun to fast over an affliction even for one day, and one of these three intervened, the fast is not interrupted.] These are the words of R. Gamliel. R. Meir said: Even though R. Gamliel said that it is not interrupted, he agrees that it is not completed [until the end of the day, but it is permitted to eat close to sunset], and, likewise, with the ninth of Av which falls out on a Friday [(as when beth-din declared the New Moon by sighting), one eats in the evening before sunset because of the honor of the Sabbath, that he not enter the Sabbath hungry. The halachah is not in accordance with R. Meir, but (on the aforementioned days), one fasts and completes the fast, as he does on the ninth of Av which falls out on a Friday.]