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Week 32 - Friday - 7 July 2000

YOMA: CHAPTER 8 : MISHNA 4

One does not cause children to fast on Yom Kippur, but one trains them one or two years before, in order that they will become accustomed to the commandments.

Kehati

"A girl twelve years and one day old, and a boy thirteen years and one day old, who have produced two pubic hairs, are considered adults in regard to all commandments, and they are obligated by Torah law to fast the entire day on Yom Kippur" (Rambam, Hil. Shevitat Asor 2:11). By Rabbinic law, however, children must be accustomed to fast on Yom Kippur even before they reach their majority. This mishnah teaches from what age children are trained to fast.

One does not cause children to fast on Yom Kippur - according to Rashi, this means that one is not obligated to withhold food from them. From Rambam's ruling (Hil. Shevitat Asor 2:11) it appears that he interprets the mishnah to mean that they are not permitted to withhold food from them, though, regarding all the other commandments, a person who wants to advance the education of a child he is permitted to do so, and he trains the child to perform the commandments properly, as an adult does, regarding fasting, however, he is not permitted to train him to fast before the age determined by the Sages (Rabbeinu Nissim);

But one trains them - to fast a few hours, e.g., if they are accustomed to eat at the fourth hour of the day, they feed them on Yom Kippur at the fifth or the sixth hour of the day, one or two years before - they reach their majority. The Gemara explains that the mishnah means that if a child is weak, and could not endure the fast, he is trained one year before he reaches his majority, but if the child is healthy, he is trained two years before he reaches his majority. As stated in the introduction to this mishnah, a boy reaches his majority at the age of thirteen years and one day, and a girl at the age of twelve years and one day, when they are punishable and are obligated by Torah law to fast; therefore "one trains them one or two years before,"

In order that they become accustomed to the commandments - according to one opinion in the Gemara, there are two types of training regarding the fast: (1) to fast some hours; and (2) to complete the fast. Eight and nine-year-old girls and nine and ten-year-old boys are trained to fast some hours; ten and eleven-year-old girls and eleven and twelve-year-old boys are trained, according to Rabbinic law, to fast the whole day; a twelve-year-old woman and a thirteen-year-old man are obligated by Torah law to complete the fast. According to this opinion, the mishnah is interpreted in other ways, but that is outside the scope of this work (see the Gemara and Rashi; see also Rambam, Hil. Shevitat Asor, and the commentaries, op. cit.; see also Hameiri, who discusses this point at length. He states, at the beginning of his commentary, "This mishnah, its topic, and the ruling derived from it have been confused by the commentators").

In his commentary on this mishnah, Rambam writes: "And know that the males who have completed thirteen years, and females after completing twelve years, are obligated by Torah law to fast, if they have produced two pubic hairs, for females endure the fast better than males, for the male temperament is hot, and their body is more prone to decay. And males and females as from the age of eleven on must fast the entire day by Rabbinic law, in order to educate them to fulfill the commandments, and from nine and ten years on both boys and girls fast for some hours during the day so that they shall be trained to fast, and they are not allowed to eat unless they are distressed by hunger."

YOMA: CHAPTER 8 : MISHNA 5

If a pregnant woman smelled, they feed her until she recovers. A sick person they feed according to the word of the experts; and if there are no experts there, they feed him at his own wish, until he says "Enough."

Kehati

If a pregnant woman smelled - the smell of food on Yom Kippur, and she has such a strong craving for that food that if she does not eat, she and the fetus are endangered, they feed her until she recovers - and her mind is at ease, for saving life overrides all the commandments (except the prohibition of idolatry, incest, and bloodshed). However, one first whispers in her ear that it is Yom Kippur, and if this is not effective, they feed her less than the minimum forbidden quantity. If this does not set her mind at ease, they feed her according to her wishes (Gemara; Rambam, Hil. Shevitat Asor 2:9).

A sick person they feed according to the word of experts - i.e., doctors, who consider it dangerous for the sick person to fast; and if there are no experts there, they feed him at his own wish until he says "Enough" - the Gemara explains that even if experts who are present say there is no need for him to eat, but the sick person himself says that he must eat, then it is considered as if there were no experts present at all, i.e., only the opinion of the sick person, and not that of the doctors, is taken into account, and they feed him at his own wish, until he says "Enough," for we know that "The heart knows its own bitterness" (Prov. 14:10) is a basic principle.

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