For those of you fasting, Yom Kippur starts just before sundown tonight and ends tomorrow night about an hour after sundown (when all the needed time for praying, etc., is taken into account).
For those of you fasting, Yom Kippur starts just before sundown tonight and ends tomorrow night about an hour after sundown (when all the needed time for praying, etc., is taken into account).
If you're pregnant – especially if you are in latter stage of pregnancy – don't fast. New research reported here several days ago shows that fasting on Yom Kippur makes having a premature delivery much more likely.
In the same way, if you're sick, need to take meds, or have any chronic illness or disease, err on the side of caution – do not fast.
There is a rabbinically prescribed manner of eating food and drinking on Yom Kippur, which involves taking a tiny amount of liquids or of solid food, waiting approximately 15 minutes or longer, and doing it again and and again and again as needed, with each sip or taste followed by the 15-minute or longer wait period.
But if you're ill or pregnant or just feel terrible, don't worry about that. Drink and eat as needed. If you can safely do it and you want to try the sip and wait method the rabbis approve for ill people, etc., do it. But if you still feel weak or ill, just drink liquids and eat as needed.
That, my friends, is FailedMessiah.com's unapproved summary of responsible rabbinic Yom Kippur fasting opinion.
So if if you are fasting, have an easy one!
Gemar chatima tova!