Down for the count on Erev Yom Kippur :(
Yesterday, my nose was running so much that I needed to grab a tissue every time I bent down. Last night, I was coughing my fool head off, which made sleeping quite a challenge. Best guess: I think I have the flu. :( I'll either get to a doctor today or not, but, either way, I don't know whether I'll be able to fast in this condition. I wish everyone else an easy and meaningful fast. G'mar Tov (roughly, may you be sealed in the Book of Life).
posted by Shira Salamone at 9:29 AM
5 Comments:
I'm neither a doctor nor a rabbi, but at your age (no offense), you absolutely should not be fasting in this condition. At a minimum, you need to drink liquids and you should be eating as well. Obviously not a festive meal, but enough that you are not putting yourself in danger. Pikuach nefesh overrides the fast here. As Rav Soloveichik's father said (could be apocryphal) "I'm not makil on the fast, I'm machmir on pikuach nefesh."
JDub, I just spoke to my doctor--she said the same thing. So no fasting for me this YK.
I had a weird YK. Ate dinner, lit candles, went straight to bed. Woke up, davvened Shacharit (prayed Morning Service), ate breakfast, took medicine, went back to bed, read Torah reading & haftarah, ate lunch, daveened Musaf (Additional Service for Sabbath, New Moon, and Holiday), ate snack with my medicine, slept thru Minchah (Afternoon Service and spent Neila time (Neila being a special service that takes place on YK only) reading print-outs (printed Friday before dinner) from the Orthodox Union because I simply didn't have the koach/strength to pray. Oh, well, there's next year. At least I hope so--just found out this morning that a former co-congregant of roughly my age passed away on Yom Kippur.
I will disagree with jdub on something... Yom Kippur is Yom Tov. If you are NOT fasting, you should partake in a Seudah.
The EXCEPTION to this is if you are "fasting" but drinking water and food in small amounts to not constitute breaking your fast, then you are still fasting.
If a doctor tells you not to fast to protect your life, there is no reason to be doing it half way. Kiddush/Hamotzi/Seudah/Bensch.
While the idea way adults observe this Yom Tov is fasting, those required to eat observe this Yom Tov with a Seudah.
There is no scenario that I think it is reasonable that one is observing Yom Kippur, the holiest of Yomim Tovim, the Sabbath of Sabbaths, but eating canned tuna on crackers.
Just one yid's opinion.
Miami Al, thanks for raising an interesting question. I'll ask my High Holiday rabbi the next time I have an opportunity. Or maybe I can ask one of the rabbis at Mechon Hadar, where we frequently attend shiurim (lectures/classes on sacred subjects).
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