Q&A: The “Aneinu” Prayer on the Four Fasts
Originally published:
This is an English translation (via GPT-5.4). Read the original Hebrew version.
The “Aneinu” Prayer on the Four Fasts
Question
Happy holidays,
I have a question that I came across and couldn’t find an answer to:
On the four fasts, we add in the prayer, “Answer us, for we are in great distress.” The problem is that in times of peace and prosperity, this feels a bit like saying something untrue and being ungrateful…
Could the Rabbi help me resolve this question?
Answer
We are in distress because of the reason for the fast, not because of our current situation. The Temple is still destroyed.
You do not say “Aneinu” on just an ordinary day; that is, the distress is not our everyday troubles but the destruction.