chassidish women fasting?

↑ shalhevet

Mon, Sep 21 2009, 6:14 pm

Mrs. XYZ wrote:

shalhevet wrote:

Ruchel wrote:

Nu... Dutch wait only 1 hour between meat and milk, (most) Sefardim eat kitniot on Pessach, and many chassidish groups hold women only fast tisha beav and Kippur.

One has nothing to do with the other. But if I write why I won't be popular around here. (Hint: the first two minhagim are in full accordance with the SA.)

Shalhevet, my husband told me that the Brisker are very lenient when it comes to fasting. True?

AFAIK, true. But there is no blanket heter for women, only for circumstances warranting heterim.

↑ Sherri

Mon, Sep 21 2009, 6:50 pm

shalhevet wrote:

Mrs. XYZ wrote:

shalhevet wrote:

Ruchel wrote:

Nu... Dutch wait only 1 hour between meat and milk, (most) Sefardim eat kitniot on Pessach, and many chassidish groups hold women only fast tisha beav and Kippur.

One has nothing to do with the other. But if I write why I won't be popular around here. (Hint: the first two minhagim are in full accordance with the SA.)

Shalhevet, my husband told me that the Brisker are very lenient when it comes to fasting. True?

AFAIK, true. But there is no blanket heter for women, only for circumstances warranting heterim.

They say that the Briskers are not lenient about fasting, they are machmir about "Vnishmartem meod lnafshosechem"- guarding your health

chanchy123

Tue, Sep 22 2009, 2:58 am

Atali wrote:

shalhevet wrote:

Ruchel wrote:

Nu... Dutch wait only 1 hour between meat and milk, (most) Sefardim eat kitniot on Pessach, and many chassidish groups hold women only fast tisha beav and Kippur.

One has nothing to do with the other. But if I write why I won't be popular around here. (Hint: the first two minhagim are in full accordance with the SA.)

Shalhevet,

I was going to say this on the Nishmat thread but since you brought it up again here I will say it here.

Unless you have learned Shas and poskim thoroughly (which based on the fact that you don't believe in women learning gemara I can safely assume you haven't), I don't see how you are in the position to say that another rav's psak halacha is not in accordance with poskim.

Have you learned through all the piskei halacha throughout the generations related to fasting? I assume not. Therefore, you cannot say that the chassidishe rabbonim who pasken that women don't have to fast (or for that matter, the rabbonim who pasken that women can learn gemara) are going against halacha simply because they pasken differently than your rabbonim.

The only exception that I see to this is something that so clearly seems to defy halachic logic (such as going mixed swimming wearing a bathing suit), but there are very few things that really fall into that category.

Oh, and I am fasting today.

I'm with Shlahevet here even though I very much disagree with her regrading Nishmat (I haven't had a chance to run through that entire thread, but I do remember the last one on the subject).
Halacha is poskened based on certain rules, you don't have to know every single psika any obscure rabbi gave in any period of time in order to know that something does not rely on the basic rules.

Now, I'm just going to leave this thread quietly and go about my day.

smilethere

Tue, Sep 22 2009, 6:20 am

The great debate!! I went to a mixed school - all kinds chassidish, sefardi, litvish etc. and we had this massive debate every single fast day.

I am chassidish - and always fasted until I was pregnant. Then I became more easy. I think it is more important for me to be a good mother and have energy for my children, rather than lie in bed all day - I am a bad faster. Obviously YK and TB are different.

On the other hand, I remember a classmate who's sister fainted on asara beteives. Her father let her sip some water, and made her continue fasting. That seems rather extreme to me.

↑ Atali

Tue, Sep 22 2009, 10:18 am

chanchy123 wrote:

Atali wrote:

shalhevet wrote:

Ruchel wrote:

Nu... Dutch wait only 1 hour between meat and milk, (most) Sefardim eat kitniot on Pessach, and many chassidish groups hold women only fast tisha beav and Kippur.

One has nothing to do with the other. But if I write why I won't be popular around here. (Hint: the first two minhagim are in full accordance with the SA.)

I could easily see how a rav can pasken that in our times women are weaker and need the energy to properly care for their children and that fasting endangers the welfare of their children (even emotionally). Even single chassidish girls are usually responsible for helping out at home.

I don't pasken this way, but it certainly doesn't seem to be beyond the bounds of halacha.

↑ Mrs. XYZ

Tue, Sep 22 2009, 12:45 pm

shalhevet wrote:

Mrs. XYZ wrote:

shalhevet wrote:

Ruchel wrote:

Nu... Dutch wait only 1 hour between meat and milk, (most) Sefardim eat kitniot on Pessach, and many chassidish groups hold women only fast tisha beav and Kippur.

One has nothing to do with the other. But if I write why I won't be popular around here. (Hint: the first two minhagim are in full accordance with the SA.)

Shalhevet, my husband told me that the Brisker are very lenient when it comes to fasting. True?

AFAIK, true. But there is no blanket heter for women, only for circumstances warranting heterim.

Is'nt it generally like that in all circles? Is there anyone who holds that pregnant and nursing women HAVE to fast (on the minor fasts)?
I think there is only a small percentage of chassidim who hold of a 'blanket heter for all women', by the majority of chassidim it is just a blanket heter for all pregnant and nursing women.

Grandmama

Thu, Nov 26 2009, 4:41 pm

proud2bajew wrote:

This question is purely out of curiosity, not meant to judge in ANY WAY!!! Very Happy

Why do chassidish woman hold that you only fast yom kippur and tishaa b'av? even the single girls?

thanks!

I heard it quoted from the Satmar Rebbe, Rabeinu Yoel, that if someone came to him to ask him about a woman fasting, if she was pregnant or nursing, no fasting except YK and TB.....if she was not pregnant or nursing, then avada no fasting, cuz she "should be" one of the above!
Single girls were always considered "shvach" and not an inyan to consider fasting, although I know of many families where the chasidish girls and women do fast, and fast often....all the possible days. My grandmothers fasted and hardly ate during the times when you are allowed to eat, there was not much to eat in those days anyway, but I had one grandmother that fasted every Monday and Thursday!
I heard that one of my grandmothers spent her whole day in the Beis Medrash, and had to be dragged out to eat dinner at night! And this was every day.....so I don't know what the world was like 80- 100 years ago. I was told to fast only on YK and TB since I was 12 so that is all I do.