The Mishnah on Observing the Fast

8:1. [On] Yom Kippur, it is forbidden to eat, to drink, to wash, to anoint oneself, to put on sandals, or to have intercourse. A king or bride may wash their face, and a woman after childbirth may put on sandals—the words of R. Eliezer. But the sages forbid it. [ . . . ]

4. [With regard to] children: they do not “afflict” them [i.e., impose fasting and other restrictions] at all on Yom Kippur. But they train them a year or two before in order that they become accustomed to the commandments.

5. If a pregnant woman smelled [food on Yom Kippur], they feed her until she feels restored. A sick person is fed at the word of experts. And if no experts are there, they feed him upon his own request until he says, “Enough.”

Adapted from the translation of Joshua Kulp.

Credits

m. Yoma 8:1, 4–5, adapted from Mishnah Yomit, trans. Joshua Kulp, www.sefaria.org. Originally from https://learn.conservativeyeshiva.org. Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported (CC BY 3.0) License.

Published in: The Posen Library of Jewish Culture and Civilization, vol. 2: Emerging Judaism.

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