DailyHalacha.com for Mobile Devices Now Available

Halacha is For Refuah Shelemah for
 Rav Aharon Yehuda Leib ben Gitel Feige

Dedicated By
Shoshana Judith bat Bila and Daniel Yacov

Click Here to Sponsor Daily Halacha
      
(File size: 746 KB)
Can A Man or Woman Eat or Drink Prior To Kiddush On Shabbat Morning

The obligation to recite Kiddush on Shabbat morning takes effect only after the recitation of Shacharit. Therefore, before one prays on Shabbat morning, he is permitted to drink tea, coffee and water – those beverages that are allowed to be drunk before the morning prayers. Since the Kiddush obligation descends upon a person only after Shacharit, the prohibition against eating or drinking before Kiddush does not apply before he prays; hence, he is allowed to drink whatever is permissible to be drunk before one prays in the morning generally.

The question arises as to whether or not this Halacha applies to women, as well. According to the Ben Ish Chai (Rabbi Yosef Chaim of Baghdad, 1833-1909), women become obligated to recite Kiddush immediately when they awaken Shabbat morning, and therefore they may not eat or drink anything until they recite Kiddush. Others, however, including the Kaf Ha'chayim (Rabbi Chayim Palachi, rabbi of Izmir, Turkey, 19th century) and Chacham Bentzion Abba Shaul (Israel, 1924-1998), distinguish between women who normally pray Shacharit in the morning, and those who do not. If a woman normally prays Shacharit, then here status is no different from that of a man with regard to this Halacha, and her obligation to recite Kiddush does not take effect until after she prays Shacharit. But if a woman does not normally recite Shacharit, and she recites only the morning blessings and the like, then her Kiddush obligation takes effect immediately when she arises in the morning, and therefore she may not eat or drink anything until she first recites Kiddush. In such a case, when a woman must recite Kiddush in the morning, if she finds it difficult to recite the entire text of Kiddush she may recite from "Ve'shamru," or even from "Al Ken" or just the Beracha itself.

Summary: On Shabbat morning, a man may drink water, tea or coffee before the morning prayers, since the Kiddush obligation has yet to take effect. This applies as well to women who are generally accustomed to reciting Shacharit every morning. Women who normally do not recite Shacharit, however, must recite Kiddush before they eat or drink anything on Shabbat morning, and in such a case they need not recite the entire text of Kiddush.

 


Recent Daily Halachot...
Berit Mila – Omitting Vidui from the Prayer Service; The Song “Ata Ahubi”
Lighting Candles at a Berit Mila
Should the Father Wear Tefillin at a Berit Mila?
Is It Permissible To Be A Sandak Twice
Laws and Customs Regarding the Sandak
The Night Before a Berit Mila
The Two Stages of Circumcision at Brit Milah
Some Laws Governing The Timing Of A Bris When Health Issues of The Newborn Boy Are At Hand
Performing a Postponed Brit Milah Close to Shabbat
The Cup of Wine at a Berit Mila
Are Tahanunim Recited at Shaharit if a Berit is Scheduled for Later in the Day?
Being a Sandak at One’s Own Son’s Berit
The Procedure for a Pidyon Haben
The Value of Partaking of a Pidyon Haben Meal
Which Kohanim are Qualified to Accept Pidyon Haben Money?
Page of 239
3585 Halachot found