The Mitzvah to Eat on Erev Yom Kippur
Shulchan Aruch (604) states, יום בערב לאכל מצוה בסעודה ולהרבות הכפורים, "There's a mitzvah to eat on erev Yom Kippur and to make a large seudah..." We will discuss several reasons for this mitzvah.
The Tur (Orach Chaim 604) writes, "The Torah is telling us to prepare on the ninth day [of Tishrei] for the fast that will be on the next day. Hashem's love for Bnei Yisrael is evident here because we are obligated to fast not more than one day a year, and this fast is for our benefit, to atone for our aveiros. Hashem commanded us to eat and drink before the fast so that the fast wouldn’t harm us. It is a mashal to a king who had an only son. He commanded him to fast one day, and he commanded him to be well fed before the fast, to be able to tolerate it."
The Tur is giving us a wonderful lesson. Due to our many aveiros, we may think it necessary to fast many days. But Hashem loves us, and He makes our teshuvah easy. He requires us to fast only one day a year and to eat well before the fast so the fast won't harm us.
Rabbeinu Yonah (Shaarei Teshuvah 4:8-9) writes three reasons for the meal on erev Yom Kippur:
- To express our joy that our aveiros will be forgiven.
- Since we can’t make a seudah on Yom Kippur (as we do during every other yom tov), we make the seudah on erev Yom Kippur. The seudos on Shabbos and yom tov are important because when a mitzvah is performed with joy, the reward is far greater. We can't make a meal on Yom Kippur, so we make the meal on erev Yom Kippur.
- "So that we will have strength and energy on Yom Kippur to pray and to seek ways to do teshuvah."
The Sfas Emes Hakadmon (quoted in Ein Yaakov, Yoma, 81: Anaf Yosef) teaches that the purpose of the meals on erev Yom Kippur is to put people in a good mood so they will be willing to forgive their fellow man. He writes, "I think the atonement takes place more on the ninth day than on the tenth. Because on the ninth day, Yidden make peace with one another. Chazal say that if you sinned against your fellow man, you aren't forgiven before you receive his forgiveness. When one fasts, he can get short-tempered, and that can divide us. But when one eats and drinks, he has a happy heart, and all Yidden are united."
13. The Tur continues, "The Midrash tells a story of a mayor who sent his servant to buy him a fish. Only one fish was for sale in the market, and the servant offered to pay a gold coin for it. However, it was erev Yom Kippur, and a Jewish tailor was also there, and he offered an even higher price. The bidding continued and went higher as they each tried to secure the fish. Finally, the tailor bought it for five gold coins. The servant returned to the mayor and told him what had happened. The mayor summoned the tailor.
'What do you do for a living?' the mayor asked.
'I am a tailor.'
'So why did you buy a fish worth one gold coin for five gold coins, and why did you out-bid my servant?'
The tailor replied, 'I would even pay ten gold coins for this fish because Hakadosh Baruch Hu commanded us to eat and drink and to trust that He will forgive our sins.'
The mayor said, 'You acted properly,' and let him go free.
The Midrash concludes that the tailor opened the fish and found a diamond inside. He had parnassah from it for the rest of his life.
(Tzaddikim taught from this episode that the meal of erev Yom Kippur is mesugal for parnassah and wealth.)
14. Rebbe Yehoshua of Belz zt'l gave another reason for this mitzvah: Regarding a fast day, we say, לפניך המזבח גבי על מונח כחלב היום שנתמעט ודמי חלבי מיעוט שיהא מלפניך רצון יהי, "...May it be Your will that my fats and my blood that became less today due to my fast, that they be considered like the fats and blood that went on the mizbeach." On Yom Kippur, we want to bring a korban from very special and holy fats and blood. Therefore, we have a mitzvah to eat on erev Yom Kippur. When we fast, the korban will be created from the fats and the blood of this mitzvah.
15. Rebbe Dovid'l Biderman zt'l of Yerushalayim was eating the seudah hamafsekes meal together with guests. The crown consisted of brokenhearted, lonely, poor, and ill people, etc. He spoke with them in a friendly manner, and kept the conversation light, wanting them to be happy and forget about their tzaros. Reb Shmuel Shenker zt'l (son-in-law of Reb Yosef Chaim Zonnenfeld zt'l) passed by Reb Dovidl's home, and he was shocked by the light atmosphere. He came inside and asked, "Reb Dovid'l, is this the right time for such idle chatter? Yom Kippur is approaching!" Reb Dovid'l replied that with a mashal: When an infant has a toothache, the mother will put aside all her and to eat well before the fast so the fast won't harm us.
