{"id":5843,"date":"2010-02-07T07:00:17","date_gmt":"2010-02-07T05:00:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ph.yhb.org.il\/en\/?p=5843"},"modified":"2010-02-07T07:00:17","modified_gmt":"2010-02-07T05:00:17","slug":"05-07-07","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ph.yhb.org.il\/en\/05-07-07\/","title":{"rendered":"7 \u2013 The Infirm are Exempt from Fasting"},"content":{"rendered":"

When the Prophets and Sages instituted these fasts, they did so for healthy people, not for the sick.\u00a0 This is the difference between Yom Kippur and all other fasts.\u00a0 On Yom Kippur, even the infirm are obligated to fast, because it is a Biblical command.\u00a0 Only people whose lives may be in danger if they fast are exempt, for the preservation of human life overrides the Torah\u2019s commandments.\u00a0 On the other fasts, however, which were instituted by the Rabbis, anyone who is sick, even if his condition is not life-threatening, is exempt from fasting.<\/p>\n

In general, people whose pain or weakness precludes them from continuing their regular routine of life, forcing them to lie down, are considered sick.\u00a0 For example, those who have the flu, angina, or a high fever need not fast.<\/p>\n

Almost everyone develops a headache and feels weak on a fast day, and most people find it easier spending the day in bed than continuing to function normally.\u00a0 Sometimes, a person who is fasting even feels worse than a flu sufferer.\u00a0 Nonetheless, such feelings are not considered a sickness, rather the natural effects of fasting, which will pass within a few hours after the fast is over.\u00a0 Therefore, only one who needs to lie down because of an illness is exempt from fasting.\u00a0 One who suffers from the fast itself, however, must continue to fast even if his weakness causes him to prefer to lie down in bed.\u00a0 Only one who becomes so weak from the fast that he leaves the category of a suffering faster and enters that of the infirm may break his fast.<\/p>\n

In addition, anyone who knows that fasting can cause him to fall ill need not fast.\u00a0 For example, someone who suffers from an active ulcer or severe migraines is exempt from fasting, because it is liable to precipitate his illness.\u00a0 Similarly, a weak person who knows that there is a good chance that he will become ill if he does not eat is exempt from fasting.\u00a0 Diabetes sufferers who need to take insulin need not fast, and some of them are even exempt from fasting on Yom Kippur.\u00a0 Those who have kidney stones are exempt from fasting, because they have to drink a lot of water.\u00a0 A person with high blood pressure is not considered sick and should fast, unless his doctor instructs him otherwise.\u00a0 Whenever in doubt, consult a God-fearing doctor.[8]<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

One who is exempt from fasting because of an illness may, le-chatchila<\/i>, eat a full meal and drink as much as he needs starting from the morning, but it is appropriate not to indulge in delicacies.\u00a0 Such a person need not eat a little at a time, as is the rule on Yom Kippur.\u00a0 Since that fast is Torah mandated, and even the sick are obligated to fast, the Rabbis were strict with those who are dangerously ill and need to eat, demanding that they eat less that the proscribed measure, if possible, to avoid breaking the fast.\u00a0 On the Rabbinic fasts, however, the infirm are not commanded to fast and they therefore need not eat a little at a time.[9]<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

It is also important to note that sick people who need to take medicine regularly, like a person who has started a regimen of antibiotics or one who suffers from a chronic disease, must continue taking their medicine even on a fast day.\u00a0 If possible, one should swallow it without water.\u00a0 Realize that almost no medicine, including antibiotics, does any harm to those who take it without water. \u00a0One who cannot swallow pills without water should add something bitter to the water, until it becomes undrinkable, and use it to swallow the pill.<\/p>\n

\n
\n
\n[8]<\/a>. Regarding the various illnesses, I enlisted the aid of Rabbi Professor Steinberg, author of The Halachic Encyclopedia of Medicine<\/i>.\u00a0 Some say that there is a difference between Tish\u2019a B\u2019Av and the other, minor fast days.\u00a0 On Tish\u2019a B\u2019Av, only someone who is actually sick or liable to become sick because of the fast is exempt.\u00a0 On the minor fasts, however, even someone who is in great pain, significantly more than other people, is exempt from fasting. \u00a0This is derived from the law of pregnant or nursing women.\u00a0 After all, they are not considered sick and they are obligated to fast on Tish\u2019a B\u2019Av and exempt from the minor fasts.\u00a0 Accordingly, the Aruch HaShulchan (550:1) writes that one who is weak should not be strict and fast on the minor fasts, only on Tish\u2019a B\u2019Av.\u00a0 The Kaf HaChayim (550:6, 554:31) concurs.\u00a0 However, many poskim<\/i> do not make such a distinction, and we can explain [their reasoning as follows].\u00a0 Chazal<\/i> exempt only pregnant and nursing women from the minor fasts, because the fetus or baby needs [nourishment], but those who are not sick, just in pain, remain obligated.\u00a0 Either way, it seems that in intermediate situations, one may act more leniently on the minor fasts than on Tish\u2019a B\u2019Av.\n<\/div>\n
\n[9]<\/a>. Less than the proscribed amount is as follows: drinking less than a cheek full and eating less than a dried date within nine minutes.\u00a0 See below, chapter 10, note 2, where we cited stricter opinions, mainly regarding Tish\u2019a B\u2019Av, but most poskim<\/i> follow the more lenient viewpoint.\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

When the Prophets and Sages instituted these fasts, they did so for healthy people, not for the sick.\u00a0 This is the difference between Yom Kippur and all other fasts.\u00a0 On Yom Kippur, even the infirm are obligated to fast, because it is a Biblical command.\u00a0 Only people whose lives may be in danger if they […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[60],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5843","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-05-07"],"yoast_head":"\n7 \u2013 The Infirm are Exempt from Fasting - Peninei Halakha<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/ph.yhb.org.il\/en\/05-07-07\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"7 \u2013 The Infirm are Exempt from Fasting - Peninei Halakha\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"When the Prophets and Sages instituted these fasts, they did so for healthy people, not for the sick.\u00a0 This is the difference between Yom Kippur and all other fasts.\u00a0 On Yom Kippur, even the infirm are obligated to fast, because it is a Biblical command.\u00a0 Only people whose lives may be in danger if they […]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/ph.yhb.org.il\/en\/05-07-07\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Peninei Halakha\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2010-02-07T05:00:17+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"\u05e6\u05d5\u05d5\u05ea \u05d4\u05d0\u05ea\u05e8\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"\u05e6\u05d5\u05d5\u05ea \u05d4\u05d0\u05ea\u05e8\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ph.yhb.org.il\\\/en\\\/05-07-07\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ph.yhb.org.il\\\/en\\\/05-07-07\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"\u05e6\u05d5\u05d5\u05ea \u05d4\u05d0\u05ea\u05e8\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ph.yhb.org.il\\\/en\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/8822293bfa4f7cd35b44a3c311851b63\"},\"headline\":\"7 \u2013 The Infirm are Exempt from Fasting\",\"datePublished\":\"2010-02-07T05:00:17+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ph.yhb.org.il\\\/en\\\/05-07-07\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":883,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ph.yhb.org.il\\\/en\\\/#organization\"},\"articleSection\":[\"7 - 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