Survive the Fast – A Practical Guide

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tisha-bav1. Before the Fast – Hydrate

a. The #1 best preparation for fasting is adequate hydration. Drink the equivalent of 8-10 cups of water in the course of a day (about 4 or 5 water bottles) for at least 3 days before the fast. Electrolyte replacements like PowerAde or Gatorade are useful after strenuous exercise but are no substitute for regular and adequate hydration.

b.      Avoid drinks or foods that cause your body to get rid of water on the day before the fast. Such foods and drinks include alcohol, tea, caffeinated coffee and chocolate. Avoid processed foods containing lots of salt such as pickles, cold cuts, or cheese. Most tomato sauces, canned fish and smoked fish have a lot of added salt.

c.       The above is a good rule-of-thumb for hot, humid days in general.

2.      Erev Ta’anis

a.      Eat a good breakfast. It will help stretch your stomach and give you energy throughout the day.

b.      Eat a light lunch and avoid eating between lunch and the pre-fast meal. Avoid starting the pre-fast meal on a full stomach.

c. Don’t get a headache: Withdrawing from caffeine produces a headache in people who drink several cups of coffee a day. If you consume this much caffeine in coffee or other foods or drinks you should prepare yourself for the caffeine-free period by reducing or eliminating caffeine from your diet in the days before the fast. Don’t try to get through the fast by drinking coffee right before the onset of the fast, since this will cause you to lose a lot of water.

d.      The Pre-Fast Meal:

i.      Drink at least 2 cups of water to help digestion.

ii.      Include some foods high in oils and fats in the pre-fast meal, since such foods delay emptying of the stomach and effectively prolong your meal.

iii.      Beware of fatty meats or salted potato chips that could load you up with too much salt.

iv.      Salads and other high fiber foods that are so important in one’s normal diet should be de-emphasized for the pre-fast meal since they travel quickly through the digestive system.

v.      Fruit, despite its high fiber content, is worthwhile since it carries a lot of water in a “time-release” form.

vi. Make the meal tasty enough so people will eat: The pre-fast meal doesn’t have to be bland. Spices such as lemon or herbs are fine for fasting, but salt and monosodium glutamate should be reduced as much as possible.

3. The Fast

a. Do Not Stop taking Medications without consulting your physician.

b.      Any medications taken on a fast day must be taken with enough water to clear the esophagus. Serious injury and infection can be caused. This is not considered drinking and breaking the fast.

c.       Anyone with a medical condition or recent infection or illness MUST CONSULT WITH A PHYSICIAN AND ROV first, before undertaking the fast. Avoid waiting to the last minute to ask a Shailah.

d.      Children under Bar-Mitzvah or Bas-Mitzvah have absolutely no obligation, Mitzvah or benefit from fasting any of the Ta’aneisim besides Yom Kippur. There is no Chinuch or training for fasting.

e.      The Halacha clearly states that boys 12 years old and girls 11 years old should try to fast as much as they can on Yom Kippur. But they must avoid becoming weakened or ill. At the age of 11 and 10 respectively, they should fast till an hour or two past their usual breakfast time AND THAT’S IT. Any children below that age should not fast at all. If they are up to it, they may withhold food and drink on the night of Yom Kippur since they ate earlier.

f.        DO NOT ASSUME that it’s okay to continue fasting if you are not feeling well. Speak to a doctor. Ask a Rov.

4. After The Fast

a. Don’t eat improperly after Fasting: Even people who have prepared well for fasting will be hungry after Maariv.

b. Be sure not to eat food too quickly at the post-fast meal.

c. Begin the break-fast meal with several glasses of milk or juice: these put sugar into the bloodstream and occupy space in the stomach, discouraging you from eating too rapidly.

d. Be careful about eating high salt foods such as lox, since you will still be a little dehydrated.

e. Don’t try to make up for fasting by stuffing yourself. Keep it light and simple.

f. Drink a lot of fluids to avoid waking up extremely thirsty in the early morning hours.

Adapted from an article by Michael M. Segal MD PhD

Prepared by Rabbi Yisroel Kleinman, Former Oorah Camp Director

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6 COMMENTS

  1. Drinking juice after the fast puts sugar into the bloodstream too quickly causing headache. I find it much better to break the fast on herring/kichel and water.
    A little bit of salt before the fast is a good idea –if– your Blood Pressure tends to be on the low side as the lack of fluid intake will cause a BP drop and result in lightheadedness and cold feeling in your feet and hands. A bit of salty food will help get your BP up before the fast.

  2. if we felt the mourning & yearned for the Bais Hamikdosh from “our hearts” & cried for it then this fast would be nothing, for then YOU would realize I should be fasting for our loss that we have not gotten back yet. Then we would not be looking at our watches for chatzos so we can go back to the couch. each person would say I don’t care about the couch I just ask for one thing Hashem, just restore your presence & bais Hamikdosh to this world.

    May we all do teshuva & mourn the loss of our bais hamikdosh like it was the first year since taken from us & may our tefillos all be accepted by Hashem

    Easy fast to everyone

  3. Maybe (or may be not) children below Bar/Bat Mitzvah age “have no obligation, Mitzvah or benefit” in fasting. I thought we are obligated to teach them to fast the year previous to their Bar/Bat Mitzvah.

    In any case I feel for girls who just turned 12 and who never fasted before. Especially if it’s Tisha B’Av and a hot day. Especially if nightfall, as it happens to be the case this year, is very late. Look up e.g. zmanim in London. I really feel for those girls: even on Tisha B’Av no one has to be *that* miserable. If children are already used to fasting at bar/bat mitzvah, it makes it much easier.

  4. Regarding 3e, Rav Pam told us that despite the statement in Shulchan Aruch, my 11 year old daughter need not fast at all on Yom Kippur. She was healthy but didn’t want to fast if not required. There were no extenuating circumstances like a headache, child at risk or the like.

    I have no further information on this.

  5. In connection with Tisha B’Av: You may be interested in my architectural renderings of Bais HaMikdash HaShlishi TVBB”A (The Temple of the Future) according to RASH”I on Sefer Yechezkel (Ezekiel), Chap. 40 – 43, as explained by the Tosafos Yom Tov (HaRav Yom Tov Lipman Heller ZT”L) in his Sefer Tzuras HaBayis:

    http://home.comcast.net/~a.rokach/site/?/page/Bais_HaMikdash_HaShlishi_TVBBA/&PHPSESSID=9da7f0b76937a399df04ac3154668fb9

    These renderings were made with professional computer software (Autodesk 3ds Max Design) from a three-dimensional CAD (AutoCAD computer-aided design) model.

    According to our Sages, studying drawings or models of the Mikdash is a higher-level fulfillment of the Mitzvah “VeAsu Li Mikdash.”

  6. #3: The concept of children fasting a little bit is to “train” them for fasting when they become of age.

    Since we hope that this will be the last Tish’a B’Av in which we have to fast, we do NOT train our children in this particular fast.

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