Beit Midrash

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קטגוריה משנית
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  • Yom Kippur
To dedicate this lesson
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1. The Mitzva to Fast
There is a positive commandment to fast on Yom Kippur, as we read, "In the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, you shall practice self-denial" (Vayikra 16:29). The primary expression of this self-denial (inuy, which may also be translated "affliction" or "suffering") is refraining from life-sustaining food and drink. Because this is the most important of the forms of self-denial, someone who eats knowingly is liable to karet, while someone who eats unknowingly (for example, having forgotten that it is Yom Kippur) is liable to a sin offering.
However, there are additional components to the mitzva of self-denial. While this mitzva does not obligate us to engage in activities which cause us pain, such as sitting in the midday sun, it does require us to refrain from certain pleasurable activities which cause us suffering when we are deprived of them (Yoma 74b and 76b-77b). This is based on the verse, "It shall be a Sabbath (Shabbat) of complete rest (Shabbaton) for you, and you shall practice self-denial" (Vayikra 23:32). Our Sages expound: "Shabbat" – you should refrain (tishbetu) from eating and drinking; "Shabbaton" – you should refrain from other activities which would reduce the affliction (Yoma 74a). The Torah uses the term "self-denial" five times, which leads the Sages to conclude that there are five activities which must be avoided: eating and drinking, washing, applying cream or lotion, wearing leather shoes, and engaging in sexual relations (m. Yoma 73b and Yoma 76a).
2. Washing
All washing for pleasure is forbidden on Yom Kippur, whether in hot or cold water. No part of the body may be washed, not even the pinky. However, if someone has gotten muddy, has excrement on him, or has had a nose bleed, he is permitted to wash the affected areas. Similarly, after changing a diaper, it is permissible to wash both the baby and one’s hands with soap and water. Even though washing to remove filth does involve a small amount of pleasure, this is not the primary intention, so it is not considered washing for pleasure (SA OĤ 613:1).
Someone preparing food for a child may wash the food or the dishes, as this is not washing for pleasure.
Someone who is so sweaty that it is really bothering him, and he is suffering may rinse the sweaty areas, since he is not doing so for pleasure (MB 613:2; SHT ad loc. 4).
Someone who is very sensitive, and who cannot settle down if he does not wash his face in the morning, may wash his face. If he is able to refrain, he should be commended. If someone wakes up with deposits in the corners of his eyes which cannot be removed without water, he may use a little water to remove them (SA 613:4; MB ad loc. 9).
A person should not rinse his mouth on Yom Kippur, both because of the prohibition on washing, and because it is possible that while doing so, he will swallow a drop of water. Even someone who knows that he has bad breath and is bothered a lot by it is not allowed to rinse his mouth. He may, however, brush his teeth with a dry toothbrush.
If a newlywed bride (within thirty days of marriage) is worried that if she does not wash her face her husband will find her unattractive, she may wash her face. This is because she is not washing for pleasure, but rather to avoid repelling her husband.
A person may take a barely damp towel (for example, a towel which was used for hand-drying) and pass it over his eyes and face, thus cleaning and refreshing himself a bit. This is because using something only minimally wet is not considered washing. Minimally wet means that it is not wet enough to wet something else with which it comes into contact (SA 613:9). As a rule, wipes do wet things they come into contact with, and therefore they may not be used for cleaning and refreshing. However, they may be used to remove dirt. If they are so dried out that they cannot wet something else, they may be used to freshen up a bit.
3. Washing for a Mitzva
Hand-washing is permitted for a mitzva. Therefore, Kohanim are allowed to wash their hands (up to the wrists) before Birkat Kohanim (Rema 613:3; SA 128:6). However, someone who had a nocturnal emission on Yom Kippur should not immerse himself, even if he would normally do so on a weekday. A nidda also does not immerse on Yom Kippur (SA 613:11-12).
After waking up in the morning, a person should use a cup to wash his hands three times to the knuckles (where the fingers meet the palm). This is because a spirit of impurity lurks on the hands after a night’s sleep, and it can cause harm to the body’s orifices. In order to remove this spirit, the hands must be washed three times, alternating between left and right. After using the facilities, one washes the hands again and recites the berakha of "al netilat yadayim." This washing is a mitzva, as the Sages ordained hand-washing before praying Shaĥarit (Peninei Halakha: Prayer 8:4 n. 2). Even though normally we enhance the mitzva by washing the entire hand, on Yom Kippur we wash only to the knuckles, because according to the basic law this is adequate for both cleanliness and the removal of the spirit of impurity (SA 613:2). True, generally even when one tries to wash only up to the palm, the palm gets a little wet; but this is not a concern, since it is not his intension.
If someone touches a part of the body which is generally covered and assumed to be sweaty, he is considered to have touched something dirty. If he wishes to study Torah or pray afterwards (for which clean hands are required), he may wash his hands to the knuckles, as he is washing them for a mitzva and not for pleasure (MB 613:5-6; Kaf Ha-ĥayim ad loc. 6; Peninei Halakha: Prayer 5:2).
If someone goes to the bathroom without touching any normally covered part of the body, it is unclear if he needs to wash his hands. To resolve this doubt, he should make sure to touch a covered part of his body. Afterwards, all agree he must wash his hands to the knuckles so that he can recite Asher Yatzar (SA 613:3; MB ad loc. 4).
4. Applying Cream and Using Perfume
One may not apply oil, cream, lotion, moisturizer, or anything else meant to nourish the skin, even to a small part of the body (SA 614:1). Obviously, any makeup which may not be applied on Shabbat because of issues of dyeing (Tzove’a) or spreading (Memare’aĥ) may not be applied on Yom Kippur either, as everything prohibited on Shabbat is prohibited on Yom Kippur as well (Peninei Halakha: Shabbat 14:4).
Someone who is itchy may apply oil to his skin (Yoma 77b), as long as it is not medicinal. For on Yom Kippur, like on Shabbat, someone who is only suffering minor discomfort is rabbinically forbidden to use medicine. This is lest he come to pulverize herbal ingredients to prepare medication, thus violating the Torah prohibition of grinding (Toĥen). However, if the oil is sometimes used by healthy people, it is not considered medicinal, so someone itchy may use it. If the itchiness is making the person really miserable, he may apply commercially produced medicinal oil (Peninei Halakha: Shabbat 28:5).
Perfumes or deodorants that make people smell good may not be used. Since touching the residue would wet one’s finger (tofe’aĥ al menat le-hatfi’aĥ), using them is considered a form of washing. However, they may be used to remove a bad odor, just as a person may wash to remove grime or get rid of a bad smell. In both cases, the intention is neither for pleasure nor to refresh (section 2 above). Mosquito repellent may also be used, since the intention is not for pleasure but rather to provide protection from mosquitos.
5. Wearing Shoes
Neither shoes nor sandals may be worn on Yom Kippur. In the past, these were generally made of leather, because people did not know how to craft strong, durable, and flexible shoes from other materials. Slippers would sometimes be made of cork, rubber, or wood. Poor people who were used to walking around barefoot would sometimes wear slippers even outside. The question arises: Is it permitted to wear non-leather footwear on Yom Kippur?
Some Rishonim forbid walking in wooden shoes, because one walking in them does not feel the roughness of the ground beneath his feet. However, they permit cork and rubber shoes, because one walking in them does feel the roughness of the ground and suffers accordingly (Rashi; Rambam; Tosafot; Rabbeinu Yeruĥam).
Other Rishonim permit wearing all non-leather shoes. They maintain that, by definition, non-leather footwear cannot be shoes. Rather, such "shoes" are just items of clothing, and as such they may be worn on Yom Kippur (Ramban; Rosh; Rashba). Indeed, most Aĥaronim rule this way in practice (SA 614:2).
However, it seems clear that this opinion assumes a reality in which non-leather shoes were uncomfortable to walk in. Therefore, it was reasonable to maintain that they were not considered shoes. Nowadays, though, quality shoes are made from a variety of non-leather materials. Therefore, it would seem that on Yom Kippur one may not wear any shoes which are worn year-round outside even on rocky and rough terrain. The material that they are made from is irrelevant.
True, a generation ago it was still unusual to make quality shoes from other materials, so there were poskim who permitted walking in comfortable shoes as long as they weren’t made from leather or synthetic leather. However, with the passage of time, excellent non-leather shoes are becoming more and more readily available, so the numbers of those who permit wearing such shoes on Yom Kippur are decreasing.
Thus, as we said above, one may not wear even non-leather shoes on Yom Kippur if they are worn year-round on rocky or rough terrain. One may wear cloth slippers or basic rubber shoes, since they are not normally worn on rough terrain. (Nevertheless, since some poskim are still permissive and allow non-leather shoes to be worn, one should not object if someone else relies on them.)
6. When Wearing Shoes is Permitted
Those who are sick or have recently given birth, and are therefore liable to get sick if they walk barefoot, may wear shoes (SA 614:3).
Someone who is walking in a place where he might get stung by a scorpion or the like may wear shoes. Similarly, someone who is walking in a place with mud and muck may wear shoes so that his feet do not get dirty. A soldier on a military mission may wear army boots (SA 614:4). This is because the prohibition on wearing shoes is limited to when they are worn to allow for comfortable walking, but when they are necessary for other reasons, wearing them is permissible.
Those who need orthotics, and suffer greatly if they do not use them, may put them inside slippers or simple rubber shoes, even if the orthotics are made of leather. This is because orthotics are not worn for pleasure, but to deal with exceptional pain (Ĥelkat Ya’akov 2:83).
7. Marital Relations
The fifth form of self-denial is abstaining from marital relations. In order to ensure that no one comes to sin, married couples should follow the nidda restrictions, such as not touching one another, and sleeping in separate beds (SA 615:1; MB ad loc. 1).
A number of Ashkenazic Rishonim write that before Yom Kippur, men should make a point of avoiding foods likely to cause a nocturnal emission (Rema 608:4). Nowadays, doctors do not know what foods cause this. Therefore, it is not necessary to avoid any particular foods. It is proper for young men to avoid sleeping in positions which they know are likely to lead to a nocturnal emission. Many recite the first four chapters of Tehillim before they go to sleep, with the hope that the merit of their recitation will help prevent a nocturnal emission (MB 619:14).
8. Children
Once children reach the age of ĥinukh, meaning the age when they can understand the mitzvot of Yom Kippur, we teach them not to wash, apply cream, or wear shoes on Yom Kippur. Generally, children reach this stage at five or six. Some who are meticulous make sure their children do not wear shoes from the age of three.
In addition to the mitzva to train children to keep the mitzvot of the day, it is also forbidden for adults to cause children (even day-old babies) to transgress. Just as adults may not feed children insects or blood, or cause a young Kohen to become impure, so too it is forbidden for adults to wash children, apply cream to them, or put shoes on them (Peninei Halakha: Shabbat 24:2). However, if there is a certain degree of medical need, one may wash a child and apply cream. These do not fall under the prohibition of taking medicine (which is a rabbinic prohibition on Shabbat and Yom Tov), because the Sages permitted undertaking these activities for a child who is sick or experiencing discomfort (ibid. 24:6). Similarly, if a child is likely to hurt himself going barefoot, an adult may put on his shoes for him.
In terms of fasting, we do not begin this with children who are only five or six, because they are not strong enough and fasting may be harmful. Therefore, we wait until the age of nine. At that point, healthy children are encouraged to fast part of the day. For example, if they generally eat breakfast at eight in the morning, they should wait until the afternoon to eat. Weaker children should begin fasting at age ten rather than nine.
From the age of eleven, children should be encouraged to fast the whole day. If they are weak, they can be lenient and fast only half the day.
Girls from the age of twelve (bat mitzva) have a Torah obligation to fast, while boys have a rabbinic one. Even a twelve-year-old boy who is weak should make an effort to fast the whole day. If he is sick (even if not deathly ill), he is not obligated to fast, since he is not yet thirteen (bar mitzva). Nevertheless, he should try to fast until the afternoon. From the age of thirteen, boys too have a Torah obligation to fast.
Many encourage younger children who have reached the age of ĥinukh to fast through the night. Even though some object to this stringency, many follow it in order to train the children to participate a little in the fast. However, if the children ask to eat or drink, they should be fed (Elef Ha-magen 616:5).
Many maintain that before the age of nine, children should not be allowed to fast at all during the day, lest they endanger themselves (Rema 616:2). However, most children want to fast for a few hours even before they turn nine. Since doctors do not feel this is dangerous, most people let them fast during the morning. We are not required to try to stop this custom (Eshel Avraham [Buczacz], based on Rashi).

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