Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur Archives

18 09, 2026

Guidelines re Pregnant and Nursing Women on Yom Kippur

September 18th, 2026|Moadim, Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur|

Pregnant
1. Is a pregnant woman in the category of safek pikuach nefesh regarding her baby?
  1. According to Shulkhan Arukh, pregnant and nursing women – in a normal case, no special conditions, high risk, etc. – fully fast on YK – OH 617:1 – עוברות ומיניקות מתענות ומשלימות ביום הכיפורים. This has been the practice for close to 1,500 years.
  2. However, in recent years, a number of poskim, doctors, and women have become aware and drawn our attention to the fact that fasting, and in particular, not drinking liquids, can increase the likelihood of miscarriage or premature birth or other similar serious complications. It

23 08, 2026

Yom Kippur Selichot and Vidui Without a Minyan

August 23rd, 2026|Minyan, Orach Chayim, Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur, Shulchan Arukh, Synagogue|

QUESTION

What should a congregation do if it does not have a minyan for Yom Kippur services, particularly regarding the Selichot and Vidui normally recited during Chazarat HaShatz?

ANSWER

Without a minyan, you cannot do Chazarat HaShatz. However, each person should recite Vidui as part of the silent Amidah. There is also no problem with reciting an additional Vidui together after the Amidah.

The Selichot may also be recited without a minyan, but the Yud-Gimel Middot HaRachamim (Thirteen Attributes of Mercy) cannot be said in their regular way without a minyan. Rather, they should be read with trope (

23 08, 2026

Nursing Mother Drinking on Yom Kippur

August 23rd, 2026|Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur, Women|

QUESTION

A woman who is nursing a seven-week-old baby feels that it will be difficult for her to fast while drinking with shiurim (measured intervals). What is the ruling?

ANSWER

First, I would ask whether it would be manageable to drink at intervals of 30 seconds, within the range of opinions for kedei shetiyat revi’it (the time it takes to drink a revi’it;

16 08, 2026

Woman Making Her Own Berakhot When Hearing Shofar From Her Husband

August 16th, 2026|Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur, Women|

QUESTION

If I blow shofar just for my wife later in the day, should she make both berakhot herself and I just blow?

ANSWER

Correct – she should make the berkahot. See the Rema (SA OH 589:6):

אף על פי שנשים פטורות יכולות לתקוע וכן אחר שיצא כבר יכול לתקוע להוציאן אבל אין מברכות ולא יברכו להן: הגה והמנהג שהנשים מברכות על מצות עשה שהזמן גרמא ע”כ גם כאן מברכות לעצמן אבל אחרים לא יברכו להן אם כבר יצאו

16 08, 2026

Repeating Shofar Berakhah After Already Being Yotzei

August 16th, 2026|Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur, Women|

QUESTION

If someone blows shofar for another person before the main communal shofar blowing and is already yotzei the mitzvah, can he recite the berakhah again when blowing for the congregation later?

ANSWER

Yes. See the Rema (SA OH 585:2) and MB there (585:5):

קודם שיתקע, יברך “לשמוע קול שופר” ויברך “שהחיינו”.
הגה: ואין חילוק בין אם יברך לעצמו, או שכבר יצא ומברך להוציא אחרים, אפילו הכי מברך התוקע שתי ברכות הנזכרות
Before one blows one makes the blessing “to hear the sound of the shofar” and makes the blessing “shehecheyanu.” Rema: And there is no distinction

16 08, 2026

Blowing Shofar for Children’s Activity Before Main Service

August 16th, 2026|Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur|

QUESTION

Can a ba’al tokea (shofar blower) blow shofar for a children’s activity before the official blowing for the congregation? If so, should he recite a berachah? Does it matter if there are parents or teachers in the room who would also be hearing the shofar?

ANSWER

Yes, he may blow shofar for the children’s activity. If he is blowing kosher tekiot, then he and the others present are yotzei (fulfill their obligation), and he should certainly make the berachah. Even if he is not doing a full set of kosher tekiot, he can still make the berachah
because of chinukh – the mitzvah

31 07, 2026

Earliest Time for Reciting Selichot

July 31st, 2026|Moadim, Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur, Tefillah|

QUESTION

What is the earliest time that we can begin saying Selichot? Is there a ma’alah (advantage) to beginning twenty minutes before chatzot so that the final Yud-Gimmel Middot (Thirteen Attributes of Mercy) are recited after chatzot?

ANSWER

The original practice for Selichot is to rise early, before alot ha-shachar (dawn), and recite Selichot during the ashmoret (the final watch of the night;

10 05, 2026

Can a Child or Woman Blow the Shofar in Elul

May 10th, 2026|Minhag, Moadim, Orach Chayim, Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur, Shacharit, Mincha and Ma'ariv, Synagogue, Tefillah, Women|

QUESTION

Can a woman or child blow the shofar at the end of Shacharit during Elul?

ANSWER

I have not found much discussion of this question in the poskim. For some background, there is a widespread Ashkenazi minhag (custom) to blow the shofar at the end of Shacharit during the month of Elul (Rema, Orach Chayim 581:1). The purpose of this practice is not to fulfill the Torah mitzvah of shofar, which applies on Rosh Hashanah, but rather to awaken us spiritually as we prepare for the Yamim Nora’im (Tur OH 581). The sound of the shofar reminds us that Rosh Hashanah is

27 09, 2020

A Woman Holding the Sefer Torah During Kol Nidrei

September 27th, 2020|Orach Chayim, Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur, Sefer Torah, Tefillah, Women|

QUESTION

Brooklyn, NY

May a women hold one of the two sifrei Torah during Kol Nidrei? Neither person is on the bimah and they will be 8 or so feet away from the bimah, for Covid-19 reasons.

ANSWER

Should be fine, but I would make sure that there is a third man standing in front or whatever, and it’s clear that the three men are the beit din.

27 09, 2020

Splitting into Two Minyanim for Chazarat HaShatz

September 27th, 2020|Orach Chayim, Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur, Shema and Shemoneh Esrei|

QUESTION

Maryland, USA

We have two outside minyanim starting at 7:30 Yom Kippur morning. I’m worried about having a minyan at both right away. The two tent areas are only about 50 feet apart. If people stand in the middle, can they count for both minyanim?

ANSWER

What an interesting question. I don’t know if it’s ever been dealt with. Why not just count it as one minyan and have one Shaliach Tzibur until more arrive? (Which is probably why it’s never been dealt with before.)

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