On the 17th of Tammuz
I skipped lunch today. I suppose this is not, in itself, a rare occurrence in these modern times. We get too busy to stop for lunch some days. Or we don't have time to pack a lunch in the morning and the lunches for sale nearby seem too far away, or too expensive, or too junk-food for our taste. But today I was at home, and there was food in the fridge and the pantry, and I was hungry . And I skipped lunch anyway. Because today is the 17th day of the Hebrew month of Tammuz, a minor fast day in the Jewish tradition. Now technically, I should have fasted from first light (not sure how this is defined in halacha ) to nightfall (enough darkness to see three small stars, or alternately, 50 minutes after sunset). But I'm still a baby Jew and, to be honest, I didn't notice that it was a fast day until well after breakfast. Oops. And thanks both to the My Jewish Learning daily email and to the Jewish calendar the Chabad people send me every year for reminding me whe