Chapter 1. Those Obligated to Fast
Those Obligated
A.
Everyone is obligated to fast, and it is forbidden to breach the established enactment.
[1]
Minors
B.
Minors until the age of bar mitzvah and bat mitzvah are exempt from fasting, and they are not obligated even in a partial-day fast.
[2]
An Ill Person
C.
An ill person, even if he is not in danger, is exempt from the fast, and may eat and drink normally, without measured amounts, since in a case of illness the Sages did not enact the decree. It is forbidden for him to be stringent upon himself.
[3]
Who Is Considered Ill
D.
The definition of an ill person is like that of a person who is permitted to take medication on Shabbat: either one who has taken to bed, or one whose whole body is ill, meaning that he is in a condition in which he cannot function.
[4]
When the Fast Is Postponed
E.
In a year when the fast is postponed, even one who has only minor ailments is not obligated to fast, even though he can function normally.[5]
Pregnant and Nursing Women
F.
Pregnant and nursing women do not fast. The definition of a pregnant woman is from the time she knows she is pregnant [through a pregnancy test and the like], even within forty days of the formation of the fetus. The definition of a nursing woman is as long as she is actually nursing, even partially; but if she is not actually nursing at all, even if she is within twenty-four months of giving birth, she must fast.
[6]
A Woman After Childbirth
G.
A woman within thirty days of giving birth does not fast; regarding these thirty days, we are lenient to count them from time to time, i.e., as full twenty-four-hour periods.
[7]
A Woman After Miscarriage
H.
A woman who miscarried, if the miscarriage occurred after forty days from the beginning of her pregnancy, has the status of a woman after childbirth, who does not fast within thirty days of the birth or miscarriage.
[8]
Ensuring That One Can Fast
I.
One must see to it that he will be able to fast. Therefore, one who knows that if he does not exert himself during the fast he will not fall under the category of an ill person must do so [-rest] in order to be able to fast.
Eating Meat, Wine, and Delicacies
J.
Even those who are permitted to eat should not eat meat, drink wine, or consume delicacies, except for minors who do not understand mourning; for them it is permitted.
[9]
[1]
Shulchan Aruch (siman 550, se’if 1).
[2]
Shulchan Aruch (ibid., Mishnah Berurah, se’if katan 5).
[3]
Shulchan Aruch (ibid., Mishnah Berurah, se’if katan 4).
[4]
Shulchan Aruch (siman 328).
[6]
Biur Halachah (siman 559, se’if 9).
[7]
Shulchan Aruch (siman 550, se’if 1).
[8]
Shulchan Aruch (ibid., and siman 617, se’if 4, and siman 330, se’if 4).
[9]
Biur Halachah (siman 617, se’if 4).
