Page 34  The Jewish Press  Friday, September 14, 2018

Can Pregnant And Nursing Women Eat On Yom Kippur?

By Rabbi David Brofsky

In recent years, there has been a flurry of halachic on the severity of one’s condition. fifth month onwards, due to the significant chances of
discussion on whether pregnant and nursing women A person whose health may be endangered if he induced labor and even miscarriage, a woman should
should be permitted – or even encouraged – to drink does not eat or drink – e.g., someone with a heart or drink b’shiurim )Techumin 17).
small amounts of water on Yom Kippur to avoid en- kidney disease – must also break his fast and, if pos- While there may be insufficient evidence that fast-
dangering their lives or the lives of their fetus. Let sible, eat or drink b’shiurim. ing affects an unborn child, it has long been assumed
us first review the laws of one who is sick on Yom A “choleh she’ein bo sakana” – a sick person whose that fasting induces labor and that many women give
Kippur and then examine the status of pregnant and life is not in danger but who must continue to take birth on or immediately after Yom Kippur due to
nursing women. medication, such as antibiotics, or one who suffers the fast. Indeed, in 2014, the Soroka Medical Center
from a chronic condition but is not presently sick and (Beer Sheva) published a study on the impact of fast-
Background therefore must fast – should try to swallow his medi- ing on pregnancy, claiming that fasting doubles one’s
The Torah (Leviticus 16:29-31) commands us to cines without water. Some suggest that a person who risk of preterm (i.e., before the 37th week) delivery.
“afflict” ourselves on Yom Kippur, understood by the is unable to swallow medicines without water should Numerous poskim, including the Tzitz Eliezer
rabbis as referring to abstaining from eating and mix a bit of water with a bitter substance, such as (7:20:4), R. Shalom Zalman Auerbach (see Nishmas
drinking. The Mishnah (Yoma 73b) teaches that in a drop of soap, chamomile, or mouthwash, and take Avraham, Orach Chayim 617), Teshuvos VeHanha-
addition to eating and drinking, one may not wash, medicine with that water. gos (2:292), and R. Ovadia Yosef (Chazon Ovadia,
anoint, wear (leather) shoes, and engage in marital R. Moshe Feinstein (Igros Moshe, Orach Chayim Yamim Noraim p. 287), disagree with R. Fischer’s
relations on Yom Kippur. 3:91) permits a person leniency while, of course, maintaining that when jus-
The Mishna also who must take medi- tified, a pregnant woman may – sometimes must –
teaches that to be cul- R. Yisrael Yaakov Fischer (1928-2003), cine to prevent the de- break her fast.
pable on Yom Kippur, velopment of a serious R. Dr. Mordechai Halperin (Halacha, Refu’a Ufi-
one must eat or drink a prominent posek and av beis din of medical condition, and kuach Nefesh, ch. 5) also rejects R. Fischer’s blanket
a “shiur,” i.e., eat the certainly someone who leniency; however, he insists that during the ninth
equivalent of a large date the Edah HaChareidis, ruled that suffers from a potential- month, a woman should drink b’shiurim. He writes
(kakoseves hagasa), esti- ly life-threatening situa- that since a fasting woman loses 2-3 liter of water
mated to be the volumet- nowadays pregnant women should tion, to swallow his pills and during birth she will lose close to another liter of
ric measurement of about with a bit of water. blood, giving birth while fasting poses a potentially
1.5 fl. oz. (44 ml), or drink
eat and drink b’shiurim life-threatening situation for the mother.
a cheek-full (melo lug- even without asking a doctor. Pregnant Women
mav) of liquid, also gener- The Talmud (Pesa- Nursing Women
ally estimated to be about chim 54b; Shulchan Nursing women often express concern that due to
1.5 fl. oz. Aruch, Orach Chayim, the fast, they will be unable to produce enough milk
The Gemara (Yoma 76b) explains that although 617:1) states that pregnant and nursing women must for their child. Indeed, the Devar Shmuel (107) rules
these measurements will not satiate a person, they complete their fast. that if the mother’s inability to produce enough milk
will still their hunger and thirst, at which point they The Gemara (Yoma 82b; Shulchan Aruch ibid. 2) may endanger, or cause discomfort to, the child, the
are no longer considered to be in a state of “affliction.” does indicate that if a pregnant woman is sick, she mother may drink. Therefore, poskim such as R. Av-
Furthermore, in order be culpable, one must con- must eat/drink to preserve the life of her unborn igdor Nebenzhal and R. Rabinovitch (ibid.) rule that
sume the food within the amount of time it takes to child. Indeed, a pregnant woman who begins labor, nursing women may drink b’shiurim if they fear their
eat half of a loaf of bread (b’kedei achilas peras). The who is in a “high-risk” pregnancy, who has a history milk supply may diminish.
Achronim differ as to whether “kedei akhilas peras” of miscarriage, or who has another medical condition R. Halperin (ibid.) is also inclined to permit a
is the equivalent of nine minutes, eight minutes, be- which may affect her pregnancy should eat/drink nursing woman to drink b’shiurim if she is concerned
tween six and seven minutes, four, three, or even two based counsel of a doctor and the ruling of a rabbi about her ability to nurse throughout the fast. Fur-
minutes. educated in these matters. thermore, both poskim argue
Regarding drinking, the Shulchan Aruch cites However, a woman in a that there is no need to encour-
two opinions regarding whether the time frame for normal, healthy pregnancy is age the child to drink formula to
drinking is identical to that of eating – that is, kedei instructed to rest, stay home prevent the mother from drink-
achilas peras – or much shorter, kedei shetiyas revi’is, from shul if necessary, and ing. This view is often attribut-
which is the amount of time it takes to drink a revi’is complete her fast. Of course, ed to the Chazon Ish as well.
(roughly four ounces) of liquid. It is customary to ac- her husband must also do ev- Many poskim, though, re-
cept the stricter view, equating eating and drinking. erything possible to ensure ject this position and argue that
While it is still biblically prohibited to eat or drink that his wife can rest, including unless the mother shows signs
less than these amounts (chatzi shiur), there is no taking care of his children and, of dehydration of inability to
punishment for doing so and, as we will see, there if necessary, praying at home. nurse, there is no justification
may be significant, practical ramifications regarding A number of modern hala- for drinking, even b’shiurim, on
these measurements. chic authorities, however, have Yom Kippur (Har Tzvi 1:210:1).
challenged this practice. As we
The Sick on Yom Kippur shall see, some fear for the un- Summary
In general, saving a life sets aside all prohibitions, born child while others are con- The Yom Kippur fast is sus-
as the Tosefta teaches, “Nothing stands in the way cerns about the health of the pended when there is a concern
of saving one’s life (pikuach nefesh)” (Shabbos 9:22). woman. for the health of a pregnant
Therefore, the Talmud explicitly permits one who For example, R. Yisrael woman, her unborn child, or a
is dangerously ill to eat and drink on Yom Kippur Yaakov Fischer (1928-2003), child sustained by breastfeed-
(Yoma 82a). a prominent posek and av beis ing. In recent years, modern
Although danger to life sets aside the prohibitions din of the Edah HaChareidis, poskim have debated whether,
of Yom Kippur, the Gemara (Kerisus 13a) states that ruled that nowadays pregnant women should eat due to new medical information, there is justification
a person whose life is in danger should preferably and drink b’shiurim even without asking a doctor. to permit drinking b’shiurim even without an urgent
eat “less than a shiur.” Therefore, a person who is He writes: “Nowadays, our generation is weaker, and medical need.
ill (choleh sheyesh bo sakana) should eat less than tens of women have miscarried due to the fast. All While this article simply presents the different
the volume of a date (kakoseves) and drink less than pregnant women, until the ninth month, should eat halachic approaches, a pregnant or nursing woman
a cheek-full in the time it takes to consume half of a on Yom Kippur b’shiurim” (approbation to Penei Ba- should obviously seek medical advice from a doctor
loaf of bread. ruch and Even Yisrael 7:36:4). and halachic guidance from her posek before the fast.
In practice, one who is ill and must eat on Yom Other poskim of the Edah HaChereidis – includ- Rabbi David Brofsky has taught Talmud and
Kippur should eat approximately 1 fl. oz. (30 ml) – ap- ing R. Moshe Halberstam, R. Meir Bransdorfer, as halacha in numerous institutions in Israel, including
proximately the size of a small box of matches – and well as R. Yaakov Epstein (Chevel Nachaloso 9:16) Yeshivat Har Etzion, Midreshet Lindenbaum, and
drink slightly less than a cheek-full of liquid every – concur. More recently, R. Nahum Eliezer Rabino- Midreshet Torah V’Avodah. He is the author of “Hilk-
nine minutes. If necessary, one may eat/drink every vitch, a prominent Religious Zionist posek and head hot Tefilla,” “Hilkhot Moadim” and a forthcoming
six minutes, or every four or two minutes, depending of Yeshivat Birkat Moshe, has ruled that from the book on hilchot aveilut.