Shulchan Aruch: Chapter 612 - [Prohibition] of Eating on Yom Kippur and the [Minimum] Quantity [for which one is Liable]

SECTION 612 The [Prohibition] of Eating on Yom Kippur and the [Minimum] Quantity [for which one is Liable]. (1–16)

1 What does [the prohibition against] eating involve? If, on Yom Kippur, one eats a quantity1 of food that puts his mind at ease when hungry,2 he is liable for kares,3 as it is written,4 “Any person who will not afflict himself [on that very day will be cut off from his people].” And after eating this quantity of food, one will not feel afflicted.”5

Our Sages received the tradition as a halachah transmitted to Moshe at Sinai that this quantity is the size of a large date,6 which is slightly less than the size of an egg.7 This measure applies for everyone, whether a dwarf, or Og, King of Bashan.8 For whenever anyone is hungry, his mind will be put at ease by eating this amount, except that the mind of Og, King of Bashan, will be less at ease and the mind of any other person will be more at ease.

2 All foods9 combine together to complete this measure,10 but not food and drink. If one ate half a measure [of food] and drank half a measure [of a liquid],11 [the two] do not combine, because his mind will not be set at ease in this manner.

Nevertheless, if one [ate] a vegetable with its brine or meat with salt on it, the brine and the salt are counted as part of the [minimum] measure, for any liquid used to prepare food [for consumption] is considered as the food itself.

3 If one ate twice, the two times are both counted [toward the minimum measure]; e.g., if one ate a small amount, stopped, and then ate a small amount again, [and continued doing this] until he had eaten the minimum measure, [everything he ate] is counted [toward the total and he is liable].

[The above applies only] when the [total] time he ate, from beginning to end, did not extend over more than kdei achilas pras, the time it takes to eat a pras (i.e., half a loaf of bread). If, however, [his eating] extended over more than the time it takes to eat half a loaf of bread, [the two or more times he ate] are not counted together, because one’s mind will not be set at ease by eating interruptedly in this manner

4 This measure [of time — the time it takes to eat] half a loaf of bread — which [relates to the prohibition against eating on] Yom Kippur and to all Torah prohibitions [involving eating], whether of Scriptural or Rabbinic authority, is [a matter of dispute]. According to some authorities, [half a loaf of bread is] equivalent to four eggs, while according to others, it is equivalent to three amply-sized eggs; i.e., [the volume of the contents of the eggs is estimated] generously, not scantily. With regard to actual practice, in questions of Scriptural Law one should follow the more stringent view, and in questions of Rabbinic Law one should follow the more lenient view.12

5 [Suppose] a person overate [grossly]13 on Yom Kippur; for example, after eating substantially during the day before the onset of Yom Kippur,14 he ate again immediately at the beginning of the night of Yom Kippur, while still satisfied and full from eating during the day of erev Yom Kippur. Since he does not benefit at all from overeating in this manner and it harms his body, he is not liable for kares.15

[The rationale: the above-quoted verse concerning] “any person who will not afflict himself” implies that [the punishment of kares] does not apply to one who harms his body through eating, for he is afflicted.

6 When does the above apply? When one ate foods that are appropriate only for a person who is hungry. If, however, one ate foods that are also fit for a person who is sated, e.g., spiced and seasoned foods that give the body pleasure even when he is satisfied, he is liable even though he ate when sated, for “the stomach always makes room for a delicacy.”16

[The above applies] provided one did not eat so much on the day before Yom Kippur that he would find all kinds of food nauseating. If, however, he is nauseated by food, he is not liable¹⁶ even if he ate seasoned foods. There is no objective criterion as to whether any particular individal derives pleasure from overeating in this way.

7 Deriving pleasure from eating and drinking on Yom Kippur is forbidden even when one does not actually eat or drink;17 for example, he tastes food with his palate and then spits it out. This applies even with regard to substances that are not fit to be eaten. For example, it is forbidden to taste wood with a spicy or sweet taste18 in order to moisten one’s throat [even though] one spits it out afterwards, as stated in sec. 567.19

By contrast, it is permissible to smell all types of fragrances on Yom Kippur, because fragrance is not a substance from which the body derives any pleasure;20 only the soul derives pleasure from it. Hence it is not forbidden on Yom Kippur. Indeed, it is desirable to smell [fragrances] on Yom Kippur in order to complete the sum of 100 blessings.21

8 One who eats foods that are not fit for human consumption is not liable for kares,22 even if he ate a large amount. He is, however, given lashes for rebellious conduct.23

9 If one ate the leaves that sprout from reeds, he is not liable, for these are not food for humans.24

10 If one ate the buds of vines that budded before Rosh HaShanah, he is not liable,²⁵ for they are considered as mere wood [and not food]. If they budded after Rosh HaShanah, they will still be soft on Yom Kippur and will be fit for human consumption. Therefore, if one ate them on Yom Kippur, he is liable.

11 If one ate dried peppers or dry ginger he is not liable, because they are not fit to eat.25 If he ate them while they were moist, when they are fit to be eaten, he is liable.

12 One who drinks a cheekful26 on Yom Kippur is liable.27 The measure of a cheekful is calculated for each person individually,28 a larger person according to his size, and a smaller person, according to his size.

The intent is not an entire cheekful, but an amount such that if moved to one side of one’s mouth, it would look like a cheekful. For a person of average size, this comes to less than a quarter (revi’is) of a lug.29

13 All liquids combine together to complete [the measure of] a cheekful.30

14 (If one drank liquids that are not fit to drink, e.g., brine, fishbrine, or undiluted vinegar that is so strong that if poured on the ground it will bubble, he is not liable for kares31 even if he drank a large amount, though he is punishable32 by lashes for rebellious conduct. If, by contrast, he drank vinegar diluted with water, even if he drank only a cheekful, he is liable [for kares].)33

15 Drinking at intervals is counted collectively [as contributing to the minimum measure]. For example, if one drank a little, paused briefly, and then drank again, and the combined measure of both drinks is a cheekful, he is liable.

When does the above apply? When the [total] time he drank, from beginning to end, was not longer than the time it takes to drink a revi’is of a lug.34 If, however, [his drinking] extended over a longer [time], the [two times he drank] are not counted together [and he is not liable].

Some authorities maintain that [these times] do count together [and the individual is held liable], unless the [total] time he drank, from beginning to end, extended over longer than the time it takes to eat half a loaf of bread, as is the law with regard to counting sporadic eating [toward the minimum measure].35

With regard to actual practice, the initial and preferred option is to be stringent and rule according to the latter view, as will be explained in sec. 618;36 see that source.

16 All of the measures mentioned in this section, whether for eating or for drinking, were discussed [in the Talmud] only with regard to the obligation of bringing a sin-offering.37 (Today, too, they are significant, with regard to [feeding] a sick person whose life is in danger,38 as explained [in sec. 618:13-14].) As far as the prohibition itself is concerned, even if one ate or drank the smallest amount he has violated a Scriptural prohibition.39

This law applies to all the Torah’s prohibitions regarding which a measure was mentioned: there is a Scriptural prohibition against partaking of even the slightest amount [of such a substance].