The Aseret Yemei Teshuva – the Ten Days of Repentance – are special days of Rachamim (mercy). In Shem Mishmuel, Rav Shmuel Bornsztain writes that according to Chazal, these were the days in which Bilaam attempted to curse Bnei Yisrael, albeit unsuccessfully. We read (Bamidbar 23:8):
מָה אֶקֹּב לֹא קַבֹּה אֵ -ל וּמָה אֶזְעֹם לֹא זָעַם ה':
How shall I curse, whom G-d has not cursed? Or how shall I denounce whom the Lord has not denounced?
During these days, the world is filled with an abundance of mercy, and it is futile to try and evoke Hakadosh Baruch Hu’s attribute of anger as Bnei Yisrael approach Yom Kippur.
During the Aseret Yemei Teshuva we find an interesting custom – refraining from eating פַּת עַכּוּ"ם – the bread of a non-Jew. In other words, there is a minhag to only eat Pas Yisrael during this week even for those who do not restrict themselves all year round, and it is worth understanding why.
The Tur’s Explanation
The Tur writes (Orach Chaim, 603:1):
ָה מַפְקִיד לְרַב אִי אַתְּ יָכוֹל לְמֵיכַל כֻּלֵּי שַׁתָּא בְּטָהֳרָה יְרוּשַׁלְמִי רַב חִיָּא מַפְקִיד לְרַב אִי אַתְּ יָכוֹל לְמֵיכַל כֻּלֵּי שַׁתָּא בְּטָהֳרָה אֱכֹל וְאִי לָא אֱכֹל שִׁבְעָה יָמִים בְּשַׁתָּא וְכָתַב אבי"ה קִבַּלְתִּי אֵלּוּ הֵם שִׁבְעָה יָמִים שֶׁבֵּין ר"ה ליוה"כ ע"כ.
The Yerushalmi (Shabbat) states that Rav Chia instructed Rav that even if he could not eat in purity over the course of the entire year, he should nonetheless eat in purity seven days of the year – the days between Rosh Hashanah. Which seven days is the Tur referring to? The Aseret Yemei Teshuva.
On Rosh Hashanah, one does not need to be careful about eating in a state of purity since they are required to eat in such a state pure during the festivals, and one does not eat on Yom Kippur, leaving us with only seven days (out of the ten) during which one needs to be mindful. The Tur concludes:
וְעַל כֵּן נוֹהֲגִין בְּאַשְׁכְּנַז שֶׁאַף מִי שֶׁאֵינוֹ נִזְהָר מִפַּת שֶׁל עו"ג בעשי"ת הוּא נִזְהָר.
Therefore, in Ashkenaz, one who is usually not careful with a gentile's bread all year, during the ten days of teshuva should be careful.
The Shulchan Aruch’s Ruling
The Shulchan Aruch (Orach Chaim, 603:1) also states:
אַף מִי שֶׁאֵינוֹ נִזְהָר מִפַּת שֶׁל עַכּוּ"ם בַּעֲשֶׂרֶת יְמֵי תְּשׁוּבָה צָרִיך לִזָּהֵר:
Even one who is not careful with non-Jewish bread [during the year], should be careful during the Aseret Yemei Teshuva.
Why This Particular Stringency?
What is the reason to refrain from eating פַּת עַכּוּ"ם – also referred to as פַּת פַּלְטֵר and פַּת נָכְרִי – during this period? We understand that during the Aseret Yemei Teshuva, when we are asking Hakadosh Baruch Hu to act with us through Midat HaRachamim, that it is incumbent upon us to strengthen our observance of Mitzvot in general. But why does the Shulchan Aruch stress this particular issue of pat akum? If someone eats such bread, or related baked products, on Erev Rosh Hashanah, or breaks their Yom Kippur fast on them, why should they be any stricter during the days in between? They should arguably be stricter with everything during those seven days!
As an example, if each week you light candles and bring in Shabbat twenty minutes prior to sunset, on the Shabbat between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur should you not light candles and welcome Shabbat thirty minutes, or perhaps even a full hour prior? Or, if all year you take off your tefillin after Aleinu, during this week should you not keep them on until after Shir Shel Yom or perhaps even through Parshat HaTeshuva and Parshat HaMan after Tefillah concludes? Countless additional examples can be found without any effort whatsoever. It goes without saying that every Mitzvah should be performed as instructed in its entirety, so why the extra emphasis and caution with regards to eating pat akum? Why is this the only item mentioned in the Halacha?
Daniel’s Ten-Day Test
I found a wonderful idea in a sefer on the moadim written by Rav Yitzchak Isaac Sher. We read in Sefer Daniel (1:8-15):
וַיָּשֶׂם דָּנִיֵּאל עַל־לִבּוֹ אֲשֶׁר לֹא־יִתְגָּאַל בְּפַתְבַּג הַמֶּלֶךְ וּבְיֵין מִשְׁתָּיו וַיְבַקֵּשׁ מִשַּׂר הַסָּרִיסִים אֲשֶׁר לֹא יִתְגָּאָל׃ וַיִּתֵּן הָאֱ-לֹהִים אֶת דָּנִיֵּאל לְחֶסֶד וּלְרַחֲמִים לִפְנֵי שַׂר הַסָּרִיסִים׃ וַיֹּאמֶר שַׂר הַסָּרִיסִים לְדָנִיֵּאל יָרֵא אֲנִי אֶת־אֲדֹנִי הַמֶּלֶךְ אֲשֶׁר מִנָּה אֶת־מַאֲכַלְכֶם וְאֶת־מִשְׁתֵּיכֶם לָמָּה יִרְאֶה אֶת־פְּנֵיכֶם זֹעֲפִים מִן־הַיְלָדִים אֲשֶׁר כְּגִילְכֶם וְחִיַּבְתֶּם אֶת־רֹאשִׁי לַמֶּלֶךְ׃
Daniel resolved not to defile himself with the king’s food or the wine he drank, so he sought permission of the chief officer not to defile himself, and G-d disposed the chief officer to be kind and compassionate toward Daniel. The chief officer said to Daniel, “I fear that my lord the king, who allotted food and drink to you, will notice that you look out of sorts, unlike the other youths of your age—and you will put my life in jeopardy with the king.”
Commentators, including Ibn Ezra, Metzudat David, and Malbim, explain that he asked to withhold specifically from the king’s bread and the king’s wine. The chief officer was hesitant to serve Daniel (along with Chananya, Mishael, and Azariah) vegetables alone, as they would look impoverished compared to others and the king would eventually know the officer did not feed them as instructed. Daniel responded:
נַס־נָא אֶת־עֲבָדֶיךָ יָמִים עֲשָׂרָה וְיִתְּנוּ־לָנוּ מִן־הַזֵּרֹעִים וְנֹאכְלָה וּמַיִם וְנִשְׁתֶּה׃ וְיֵרָאוּ לְפָנֶיךָ מַרְאֵינוּ וּמַרְאֵה הַיְלָדִים הָאֹכְלִים אֵת פַּתְבַּג הַמֶּלֶךְ וְכַאֲשֶׁר תִּרְאֶה עֲשֵׂה עִם־עֲבָדֶיךָ׃
Please test your servants [us] for ten days, giving us legumes to eat and water to drink. Then compare our appearance with that of the youths who eat of the king’s food and do with your servants as you see fit.
Daniel asked for a ten-day test and the officer agreed. At the conclusion of the ten days, the results were clear:
נִרְאָה מַרְאֵיהֶם טוֹב וּבְרִיאֵי בָּשָׂר מִן־כָּל־הַיְלָדִים הָאֹכְלִים אֵת פַּתְבַּג הַמֶּלֶךְ׃
When the ten days were over, they looked better and healthier than the youths who were eating of the king’s food.
The Ten Days and Their Significance
On which specific ten days did Daniel, Chananya, Mishael, and Azariah refrain from eating the king’s bread? Rav Saadia Gaon says, these were the ten days between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur – the Aseret Yemei Teshuva. He adds, this count of days corresponds to the ten tests Avraham Avinu received from Hakadosh Baruch Hu and passed.
Rav Sher suggests this is the reason the Tur instructs us to practice caution and withhold from eating pat akum during the Aseret Yemei Teshuva. Throughout these days, we recite many Tefillot and take various actions meant to invoke the memory of our Avot, all to receive a favorable judgement. Seemingly, as we have learned numerous times before, we can request such a judgment from Hakadosh Baruch Hu based on the merits of our forefathers. We can do so since we have a direct connection to them – after all, they are our forefathers. But what about Daniel, Chananya, Mishael, and Azariah? Why should the merit of their actions benefit us today? Rav Sher answers, by withholding from eating pat akum during the Aseret Yemei Teshuva, in the same way they withheld from eating the king’s bread and ate nothing but vegetables, we can also ask Hakadosh Baruch Hu that their merit be recalled and that it, too, should count towards our favorable judgement.
We can now understand why this strictness, and this one alone amongst all our other acts and behavior, is listed by the Tur and Shulchan Aruch within their guidance for the Aseret Yemei Teshuva and days of judgement.
