Late pregnancy and fasting on Tishah B’av Rabbanit Rachel Weinstein
Av 5580 / July 2020
Topic : Moed ,
She'ela
B”h on tisha b’av this year I will be 34.4 weeks pregnant with my first. What are the halachot pertaining to late pregnancy and fasting?
B”h on tisha b’av this year I will be 34.4 weeks pregnant with my first. What are the halachot pertaining to late pregnancy and fasting?
Teshuva
The general rule is that pregnant women don’t fast on the “small” fasts but do fast on Yom Kippur and Tishaa B’Av (Shulchan Aruch Orach Chaim 554:5, 617:1). There is of course a difference between the two, Yom kippur being מדאורייתא, we are more lenient regarding Tishaa B’Av. This Hallacha is in the case of a pregnancy without high risk or complications.
Conclusion:
Practically this means that if you are healthy and strong and have no additional medical issue that would make fasting a problem, it seems that you should try to fast. If during the fast you feel unwell or have contractions you should break your fast.
I would like to stress that you should not take any chances and if you feel unwell please listen to your body and break your fast if you feel that you need to.
I hope the rest of the pregnancy goes well, I would like to wish you an easy and meaningful birth and fast.
Bezr”h we will see full geula soon and the fasts will turn to Moed VeSimcha.
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Rabbanit Rachel Weinstein is a graduate of Hilkhata, Matan's Advanced Halakhic Institute and is a certified Meshivat Halakha. She studied in Migdal Oz, and Nishmat. Rachel teaches in her community and is a Yoetzet Halakha. She gives classes for women, teaches Kallot and runs the Matan Beit Shemesh Kallah teachers certification course. She lives in Tekoa and is the mother of 8 children.
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