Holy Men and Hunger Artists: Fasting and Asceticism in Rabbinic CultureThe existence of ascetic elements within rabbinic Judaism has generally been either overlooked or actually denied. This is in part because asceticism is commonly identified with celibacy, whereas the rabbis emphasized sexuality as a positive good. In addition, argues Eliezer Diamond, it serves the theological agendas of both Jewish and Christian scholars to characterize Judaism as non or anti ascetic. In fact, however, Diamond shows that rabbinic