January 29, 2026 · 36:19
🔥 Fasting for children before bar/bat mitzvah (major vs minor fasts) – The common idea that a child must **fast three fast days before bar/bat mitzvah** is described as a **myth**; there is **no such halachic requirement**. – **Yom Kippur**: Shulchan Aruch rules that a **healthy child** should fast **two Yom Kippurs before bar/bat mitzvah** (e.g., a boy may already have to fast from age 11 if he is healthy). – **Training pattern (for healthy children)** as cited from Rav Schachter: – **2 years before bar/bat mitzvah**: fast the **entire Yom Kippur**. – **Previous 2 years** before that: fast **half-day** on Yom Kippur. – Before that age: **no fasting** at all. – **Minor fasts** (e.g., Tisha B’Av, 10 Teves, 17 Tammuz, Taanis Esther): **no fasting requirement for children** at all. – This applies **equally to boys and girls**, adjusted to their respective bar/bat mitzvah ages and health. 🎲 Gambling for money “just for fun” (Asmachta, gezel, addiction, communal practice) – The Gemara discusses **mesachek b’kuvia** (gambling) and whether gamblers are **invalid as witnesses**. Two main approaches: – **Gezel derabbanan / Asmachta**: the loser never fully intended to part with the money; gambling becomes a **form of rabbinic theft**. On this view, **even occasional gambling** is problematic. – **Eino osek b’yishuvo shel olam**: the gambler contributes nothing productive to society; invalid as an eid only if he **does this as his main occupation**. Occasional gambling would not inva