I am a really bad faster! What should I do on Tisha B’Av?

 

Question:

About Tisha B’Av – I am a really bad faster. I’m not nursing or pregnant, I have 6 kids Ka”h, my youngest is 3. Still, I could not make it through the fast on Shiva Asar B’Tammuz. I had to break my fast around 3:00 pm because I was extremely dizzy and weak with a major headache. What should I do on Tisha B’Av? I want to be able to fast but if I get sick is it worth fasting part of the day? At what point is it ok to break my fast? I usually feel guilty to break my fast so I try to keep fasting and then end up so weak that even after I break my fast, I still need to stay in bed while my husband watches the kids and fasts. I know this year is Nidche so it’s not as strict as other years.

 

Answer:

If you are not well to the point that you must lie in bed, or extremely weak, you may break your fast.

 

חולה שאב״ס פטור מלהתענות – תקנד, ו. משנ״ב שם טז, וכש״כ בנדחה – שם יד.

 

 

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