If you’re new to Jewish fasting, Asarah B’Tevet can feel intimidating – especially if you’ve only heard about fasting as an all-or-nothing endurance test.
But Jewish fasting isn’t one-size-fits-all. There are many valid ways to observe a fast day with intention, care, and spiritual meaning – including options for people who can’t fast safely.
In this short video, I walk through what Asarah B’Tevet is, why it’s often considered a gentler place to begin, and how to approach fast days in a way that supports your body and your Jewish life.
If you want a deeper, step-by-step guide to fasting (or not) with clarity and compassion, you can get Fasting (or Not) With Intention here.
Transcript below.
Transcript:
If you’re new to Jewish fasting, Asarah B’Tevet on Tuesday, December 30th, 2025, is a gentle place to begin because it’s the shortest fast of the year for the Northern Hemisphere folks.
It’s not supposed to wreck you.
So let’s make this easier for you.
The number one thing that matters more than most people realize is that if you drink caffeine, start tapering off a few days before a Jewish fast begins. Most “bad fast” experiences are actually just caffeine withdrawal.
Asarah B’Tevet is a minor fast, just daylight hours.
(The two major fasts are 25 hours long.)
It marks the beginning of the siege of Jerusalem by the Babylonians, which led to the destruction of the first Beit HaMikdash, the first Temple.
So know this: fasting is not one size fits all. Every person should have their own plan for a fast day.
You can fast fully: no food or drink, the traditional way.
You could fast partially, part of the day. Maybe just going as long as you can until you feel like you need to end it.
You can also modify how you eat by eating simpler foods, drinking only water, that sort of thing.
And you can mix and match those two types of partial fasting.
But you can also observe the day spiritually without fasting at all. And this matters because if fasting is not safe for you-
because of health, medicine, pregnancy, mental health, a past or present eating disorder, or chronic illness- then eating is not a failure. For you, eating is a mitzvah.
If you’re unsure if fasting will be safe for you or if you’re nervous about it, check with your doctor.
And if you have a rabbi, ask ahead of time what your options are. You might be surprised.
They can also work with you to end your fast if you need to end early in a spiritually uplifting way.
And that conversation is part of the practice of fasting. It’s not some loophole you should be ashamed of. This isn’t about proving toughness. Or your willingness to suffer.
Asarah B’Tevet invites us to notice the early warning signs of breakdown-
personal, communal, spiritual-
And to reflect on what we can do when things start to fracture.
I wrote a full guide called “Fasting (or Not) With Intention.”
It walks you through fasting options, prep, modified observances, spiritual alternatives, and what to do if you can’t fast safely.
You can use it for any fast day of the year.
You can get it here.
