Is one allowed to eat Hamotzie before Davening?

 

There is a prohibition to Kovaya Seuda before davening in case they might forget to daven before the zman tefilla, however, one is allowed to snack on fruits and other foods and eat bread or mezonos up to a beitza (2 kzaysim).

Before Shacharis, one may not eat at all. If not eating disturbs one’s kavanah in davening, one may be lenient to eat before Shacharis. Chassidim would be particular to eat before Shacharis in such cases. But since the purpose was not to be kovaya seudah they would ordinarily eat mezonos and not bread. Bichlal, one may not eat more than a kebeitza. Generally, Mashpiim in Lubavitch preferred mezonos over bread.

 

Q. Is there a difference between men and women?

A. There is room to be meikel for a woman since there is an opinion that woman can fulfill their chiyuv of Tefilla with a short bakasha, a request of Hashem, in the morning.

 

Sources:

See Orach Chaim 232:3, Alter Rebbe 386:4 and Alter Rebbe 106:2.

שו״ע או”ח סי’ פט ס”ג-ד, ונו”כ. שו”ע אדמו”ר הזקן שם ס”ה. אג”ק חי”ד עמ’ יט, שכח, שערי הל’ ומנהג או”ח ח”א סי’ לט-מ ועוד. לקוטי ספורי התוועדויות גרינגלאס.

ולהעיר גם ממכתב הר”ר אלטר שימחאוויץ ב’תולדות חב”ד בפולין, ליטא ולטביא’ עמ’ קכב. ויש שהעדיפו פת יבשה על מזונות מוטעמים.

 

 

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