Is this true - Chassidish Women do not fast, period

Ruchel

Wed, Mar 19 2008, 9:47 am

chocolate moose wrote:

louche wrote:

suppose you're a healthy, single 20-year-old who works as a librarian. Why should you not fast?

Because, if you don't fast well, and have to lie in bed all day, that's not the point of the fast. My daughter doesn't fast except for YK and TB (IIRC) b/c of that. She's a teenager.

Indeed when I fasted I was in bed all day, except YK that I managed to go to shul and stay half awake on my chair...

louche

Wed, Mar 19 2008, 10:18 am

chocolate moose wrote:

louche wrote:

suppose you're a healthy, single 20-year-old who works as a librarian. Why should you not fast?

Because, if you don't fast well, and have to lie in bed all day, that's not the point of the fast. My daughter doesn't fast except for YK and TB (IIRC) b/c of that. She's a teenager.

as I said--if you're a HEALTHY 20-year old, not a growing teen and not a sickly adult, young or otherwise. I very much doubt that needing to lie in bed all day is the norm for a healthy 20-year old--ESPECIALLY for a fast like 10 Tevet which starts so late and ends so early you can easily get up before sunrise and eat breakfast, so essentially all you're doing is skipping lunch. I'll warrant many healthy nonpregnant, non-nursing 20-year-olds fast considerably longer than that when they're trying to fit into a dress for a simcha or a date.

Rivky

Wed, Mar 19 2008, 10:40 am

False all the way. I come from a family-all females fast. We're not talking about someone who is weak, or not feeling well or pregnant....All abled females who feel ok...fast. It's a family tradition by us sort of. Each family is different though.

flowerpower

Wed, Mar 19 2008, 12:11 pm

im chassidish, we fast every fast from age 12 until forever unless we are highly preggo, nursing or have other issues. we never miss a yom kippor or tisha baav unless we give birth that day

Blossom

Wed, Mar 19 2008, 12:16 pm

Quote:

we never miss a yom kippor or tisha baav unless we give birth that day

Ma'am it's within 3 days of Yom Kippur, and within 30 days of Tisha B'av, not only the day of.

Ruchel

Wed, Mar 19 2008, 12:40 pm

louche wrote:

I'll warrant many healthy nonpregnant, non-nursing 20-year-olds fast considerably longer than that when they're trying to fit into a dress for a simcha or a date.

I hope it's a joke...

amother

Wed, Mar 19 2008, 12:56 pm

we fast when able - eg 20 yr old, librarian...
I will not fast this year as I am nursing, but otherwise always fasted.

btw I have a friend whose father made her continue fasting after fainting on asara beteves. what do u say to that Question

peach

Wed, Mar 19 2008, 1:27 pm

Perhaps its certain groups of chassidim. Because as mama bear said, she never fasted when she was single, and most women in her community only fast on TB and YK.

In my circles (litvish), that's unheard of. Every woman fasts on every fast unless she is preg, nursing, or sick, and got a heter from a rov.

chocolate moose wrote:

Because, if you don't fast well, and have to lie in bed all day, that's not the point of the fast. My daughter doesn't fast except for YK and TB (IIRC) b/c of that. She's a teenager.

Actually, some days that IS the point of the fast. Not to lie in bed, but to fast. and if it means the person will lie in bed all day, they are still accomplishing by fasting. Specifically about YK, it says that if a person has a choice to fast all day and it means they wont daven a word but will sleep all day, or they can eat less than the shiur and daven and do teshuva, they should still fast. Because the fast is mechaper and is the point of the day.

Not the case with all the fasts, but with YK.

Love My Babes

Wed, Mar 19 2008, 1:45 pm

I usually start fasting and break it for lunch. the woman in our family do not usually fast. but I went to a BY school and most of the girls there fast. some never even heard of not fasting. they even do the practice 3 fasts before bas mitzva...which I find quite odd, because u are practicing not eating???????

greenfire

Wed, Mar 19 2008, 2:19 pm

well ... I was taught to start fasting 3 fasts before bas mitzvah if you can ... and did so till I got sick while pregnant ... people go sometimes according to what their parents decides vs minhag ... a lot of parents are lenient with girls ... do NOT ask me why ... I've seen variety in all circles ...

Shif

Wed, Mar 19 2008, 2:22 pm

I agree w/Peach, it must be according to family minhag. I used to work w/a Chasseedish guy and he said that his wife (and all women in their families) never fasts (except for YK and TB)....they are Satmar/Pupa.

pink car

Wed, Mar 19 2008, 8:47 pm

my parents grew up chassidish and my mother never fasted besides YK or TB.

I fasted if I had the strengh to, but if I was feeling weak, I was a able to break the other fasts.

I went to a mixed school - chassidish/litvish, and the majority of chassidish girls did NOT fast, while all of the litvish girls DID fast...

Mama Bear

Wed, Mar 19 2008, 8:55 pm

peach wrote:

Yes, on TB and YK that's the point of the fast. But if a girl will spend the entire taanis esther in bed instead of helping her mother with purim preps, or not be able to function at work or miss work etc on a hot shiva asar b'tammuz, what's the point...

amother

Wed, Mar 19 2008, 10:35 pm

None of the women in my family fast and my mother never did so I didn't either. I went to a chassidis school in BP and most of the girls in my class did not fast. I didn't even try. My 13 year old daughter is in Bais Yaakov and always fasts because most of her friends do. I always tell her she can eat when she wants to but has fasted all the fasts since her Bas Mitzvah.

morahaviva

Thu, Mar 20 2008, 12:14 am

One year I had a Breslover coteacher and she told me that women dont fast except for the "big two" once the are pregnant, or even teaching - anything having to do with taking care of kids.
I dont think our Kloisenberg or Satmar female relatives fast either, but I could be wrong (it has happened once or twice!)