The Torah reading for fast days, read in the morning and again in the afternoon, is taken from the book of Exodus, where we read how Moses secured G‑d’s forgiveness after the people of Israel had sinned with the Golden Calf.

We first read Exodus 32:11–14, in which Moses evokes the merit of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and pleads with G‑d to forgive the people so that no one would say that He took them out of Egypt in order to kill them in the desert.

We then read from Exodus 34:1–10 how G‑d commanded Moses to carve a second set of Tablets to replace the ones he had smashed, and taught Moses the 13 Attributes of Mercy, a formula to be used when praying for forgiveness. The reading ends with Moses asking for—and obtaining—G‑d’s continued presence amidst the people.