An Artless Fast

Today is Asarsa b'Tevet (the tenth of Tevet) and a fast day. We mark Nebuchadnezzer's seige on Jerusalem which resulted in thh destruction of the Beit haMikdash in 586 BCE.

These minor fasts are hard for me because, other than the whole no eating and drinking, the day is pretty much the same as always. I cook, I clean, I play with the girls. I can drive if I want. I can wash my hands. I do try to make certain distinctions in the day for myself. I don't listen to the radio/iPod/streaming media and I try to read a bit more than my usual morning readings. (Oddly enough this is more dificult as the girls get older.) This year I've added a distinction for the girls: no art.

Its a minor thing, but they love their colors and playing with stickers and the bits of collage materials I have for them. I suppose I could just focus their attentions on making something about the Beit haMikdash, but I'm not sure what that would be. So we just cut out art. So far I've only been asked once to paint. I just said "not now" and Chaya moved on to wanting oatmeal, but it is only 10:00 AM.

I'm not sure how much they will understand about why we aren't doing art or even if it will come up again, but they accept the simple statement of "we don't do X on Shabbat." At just under three it is so hard to tell what the really understand and what they simply accept as parental law.