This document compares fasting practices in Judaism and Islam. Judaism observes fasting on Yom Kippur, fasting for 24-25 hours from sunset to darkness. Strict fasting means not eating, drinking, bathing or sexual activity. Islam observes fasting during Ramadan for 29-30 days from dawn to sunset, except for children, the elderly, sick and pregnant women. The purpose of fasting in both religions is to feel empathy for the poor and have one's sins forgiven in Judaism. While the practices differ, with Judaism fasting being more strict, the overall goal of fasting is to go without food or drink for a period of time.

1. PANNASASTRA UNIVERSITY OF CAMBODIA
Sila Samadhi Panha
Faculty of Arts, Letters and Humanity
Comparative Religion
By Professor: Sok Leang
Session: Monday 5:30pm-8:30pm
Wednesday 7:00pm-8:30pm
COMPARATIVE OF JUDAISM’S FASTING
AND ISLAMIC’S FASTING
By Keo Song
ID: 47764
Academic Year 2015

2. Comparative of Judaism’s Fasting and Islamic’s Fasting
Religion is the key that we well-known as the way to teach people live in an
exceptional life. When people committed to different religious traditions come together to
discuss common themes, they often find their own practices and understandings enriched
and enlightened. Religion plays the importance role in human’s life in the loving-kindness
way and global destiny as well as animal living. In the world’s history there are 3 main
monotheistic religion which existed since the first world civilization born such as Judaism,
Islamic and Christianity. These three main religion seem very similar to each other because
they believe in only one god, they believe their religion’s bible which mean the Judaism
believe in Torah while Islamic believe in Quran and Christianity believe in The new and the
old testament yet the history of the bible has shown that they came from the same resource in
Israel. In addition, Fasting is one of the most ritual in these religion notably Fasting between
Judaism and Islamic.
Judaism Fasting has became one of the strangest thing that no any other religion can
do. Fasting in Judaism is defined as total cessation from all food and drink. A full-day fast
begins with sunset in the evening and continues through darkness of the next day. A minor
fast day begins with the dawn and concludes at darkness. Jewish celebrate Fasting two time
per year , one in the Yom Kippur festival which is probably the most important festival and
holiday for Jewish people. Yom Kippur is the day of Atonement which Jewish people
celebrate to pray thru the god to forgive all their mistake in the past time and express their
love forward to the god. Judaism people Fast 24 to 25 hours when they see the three star on
the sky and the sky become darker and before Fasting Jewish people have to well-prepared.
During Fasting, Jewish people will not allow to talk about food or drink because these kind of
things may make them do not succeed fasting or make an incomplete fasting and they have to
go to the Synagogue where people have known as Judaism church to pray and ask God to
forgive them. They also take a nap in the afternoon so that they can save their energy from
fasting as well as sniff the spices and they’re not allow to eat the food, take the bath, comb the
hair, brush the teeth during they fasting and sexual activity.

3. Ramadan is an Islamic’s festival when Muslim people Fasting in their life and all
Islam people must do in every year that is their duty. So the question is who can Fast in
Islamic? In Quran said very clear about the duty of Fast in Muslim world. The children under
age of puberty and woman in pregnant and men and women who are too old as well as the
sick people will not allow to Fast. However, Fasting will be the duty of Islamic people who
old enough (Men Women) must follow up the rule of religion. Therefore, they celebrate
Ramadan as well as Fasting which may be 29 or 30 days, depending on the moon’s position.
They Fast from the dawn until the sunset which mean they can stop fasting in the night and
freely to eat and drink or do something in the family. There are many reason why Islamic do
Fasting in every year. Many people said Fasting is the rule of Alloh who is the God of Islamic
so all Muslim people must follow that rule. In fact, Islamic people said Fasting makes them
feel compassion and empathy towards the poor, because when fasting person tasted the pain
of hunger for a while, they remembers those who are in this situation all the time, so they will
hasten to do act of kindness to them and compassion to them. So fasting is a means of feeling
empathy with the poor.
In Conclusion, I think that Fasting is a good way to let people know how hurt and pain
for those whom may have no food because of the poverty of life. Judaism and Islamic Fasting
seem quite different from each other. Jewish people Fast only 2 days per year and 25 hours
per time while Muslim Fast 29 or 30 days per year and start when the dawn until the sunset.
Seem Judaism Fasting stricter then Islamic because they’re not allow to eat something,
drinking even taking the bath, comb the hair, brush the teeth and sexual activity yet, Islamic
can do everything during fasting except eating and drinking only. Another different thing is
Jewish people do Fasting because they want the god forgive their fault and remind the mistake
in the past time when Islamic do Fasting because they want Muslim people know tasted the
pain of hunger feeling to those who don’t have food to eat. But the main point of Fasting is
define as going without food or drink in a period of time. As Humanity behavior I should do
fasting in every year but my Fasting may different from Islamic and Judaism because those
kind of Fasting are too effect for people life.
-The End-