# Breaking the Fast (of Yom Kippur) **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [September 25, 2023, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-the-fast-of-yom-kippur/990694 "2023-09-25T23:16:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2023, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-the-fast-of-yom-kippur/990694/21 "2023-09-27T19:59:26Z")
That reminds me of driving around suburban Connecticut on Christmas or Easter Sunday, when virtually everything is closed. ---
**Author:** ![FinsToTheLeft](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/finstotheleft/32/2930_2.png) [@FinsToTheLeft](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FinsToTheLeft)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2023, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-the-fast-of-yom-kippur/990694/22 "2023-09-27T21:04:35Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > Some of our families used beef liver rather than chicken liver, and I still prefer the beef version. My grandmother was 100% chicken liver. I can still taste her chicken liver with fried onions and hard-boiled eggs and she’s been gone for more than 35 years. > [@Broomstick](#): > > Of course, that means no dairy the rest of the meal but hey, that’s the sort of thing you deal with if someone keeps kosher Beef liver or chicken liver, either way it’s fleishig so no combining with dairy if you keep kosher (not that we did). ---
**Author:** ![DocCathode](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doccathode/32/18773_2.png) [@DocCathode](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DocCathode)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2023, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-the-fast-of-yom-kippur/990694/23 "2023-09-27T21:28:31Z")
The woman I love treated me to Domino’s pan pizza (1/2 mushrooms, 1/2 onions and green peppers) and brownie/cookies. It was wonderful. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2023, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-the-fast-of-yom-kippur/990694/24 "2023-09-27T21:53:05Z")
> [@FinsToTheLeft](#): > > Beef liver or chicken liver, either way it’s fleishig so no combining with dairy if you keep kosher (not that we did). The no-chicken-with-dairy is a rabbinical prohibition so if you wanted to rules lawyer it you could say the Torah did not forbid that combination, but the rabbis doing their “fence around the rules” imposed the greater restriction. But yes, in practice neither form of chopped liver is eaten with anything dairy. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2023, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-the-fast-of-yom-kippur/990694/25 "2023-09-28T01:05:56Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > But yes, in practice neither form of chopped liver is eaten with anything dairy. Bur liver-flavored eggplant salad - a popular Israeli dish - can. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Strangelove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.strangelove/32/6613_2.png) [@Dr.Strangelove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Strangelove)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2023, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-the-fast-of-yom-kippur/990694/26 "2023-09-28T01:21:51Z")
Two double-doubles at In-n-Out. I’m not Jewish. I just only eat one meal a day, and that day it was at 10:30p (but the day before at 7p). Ok, I did have a coffee earlier, so I guess it doesn’t count. Plus I took a shower and wore leather shoes. ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2023, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-the-fast-of-yom-kippur/990694/27 "2023-09-28T20:15:56Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > The no-chicken-with-dairy is a rabbinical prohibition so if you wanted to rules lawyer it you could say the Torah did not forbid that combination, but the rabbis doing their “fence around the rules” imposed the greater restriction. If you want to get legalistic about it, the Torah didn’t prohibit meat with mild either. It prohibited cooking meat in its mother’s milk. To go from there to no chicken and milk is a real stretch, especially given that chickens don’t make milk. My wedding had a kosher caterer and they produced a mock chopped liver made from beans. It was actually pretty tasty. And this was back in 1964 long before the current craze for mock meat. ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2023, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-the-fast-of-yom-kippur/990694/28 "2023-09-28T21:02:08Z")
> [@xtenkfarpl](#): > > Some years ago I was in Israel during Yom Kippur. I’m not religious myself, and this was pure coincidence, I wasn’t even aware to expect it. Managed to stock up on some basics like bread & cheese to keep me fed for the day, before all the stores closed. I had the same experience as well! Except I did not stock up on anything in advance. I did not expect generic convenience stores and mini-markets to close, and it took a while to find a place that was open. (I think religious coercion is still a problem in Israel even now. Once a Lutheran told me she was afraid to open her shop on Yom Kippur. This year I read there were public clashes on Yom Kippur between Orthodox Jews and secular Jews and other groups.) > [@Broomstick](#): > > The no-chicken-with-dairy is a rabbinical prohibition so if you wanted to rules lawyer it you could say the Torah did not forbid that combination, but the rabbis doing their “fence around the rules” imposed the greater restriction. Non-Rabbinical Jews do not have to rules-lawyer, since they don’t care about rabbinical law in the first place and they do eat meat and milk together. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2023, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-the-fast-of-yom-kippur/990694/29 "2023-09-28T21:29:07Z")
> [@Hari\_Seldon](#): > > If you want to get legalistic about it, the Torah didn’t prohibit meat with mild either. It prohibited cooking meat in its mother’s milk. To go from there to no chicken and milk is a real stretch, especially given that chickens don’t make milk. True. I’ve long seen a sort of “more observant than YOU” streak in some Jews. Not the way I think or live, but how they conduct their affairs is not my business. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2023, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-the-fast-of-yom-kippur/990694/30 "2023-09-30T15:21:14Z")
> [@DPRK](#): > > I had the same experience as well! Except I did not stock up on anything in advance. I did not expect generic convenience stores and mini-markets to close, and it took a while to find a place that was open. (I think religious coercion is still a problem in Israel even now. Once a Lutheran told me she was afraid to open her shop on Yom Kippur. This year I read there were public clashes on Yom Kippur between Orthodox Jews and secular Jews and other groups.) Everything is closed on Yom Kippur in Israel. Everything. You know what Israelis call businesses that never close? 24/7/364. Because even places that are always open close for one day a year. ---
**Author:** ![xtenkfarpl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/c2a13f/32.png) [@xtenkfarpl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xtenkfarpl)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2023, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-the-fast-of-yom-kippur/990694/31 "2023-09-30T18:24:46Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > Everything is closed on Yom Kippur in Israel. Everything. Just how rigid is this? If you have a heart attack, an ambulance won’t come? Or if a hostile state launches an attack, your soldiers won’t fight? (We know that one is not true)… ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2023, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-the-fast-of-yom-kippur/990694/32 "2023-09-30T18:33:43Z")
Saving a human life takes precedence over pretty much everything else so yes, you’d get an ambulance if you needed it. The 1973 war took place during a time during which it started on both Yom Kippur and Ramadan. Great, two opposing sides, both hangry, with a whole lot of other nations taking sides. Just happy it didn’t turn into WWIII. ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2023, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-the-fast-of-yom-kippur/990694/33 "2023-09-30T18:42:53Z")
I did not see a whole lot of vehicular traffic (in the middle of Tel Aviv!), but what I did notice were a few ambulances, cop cars, and the very occasional private car. Maybe some neighbourhoods with a heavy proportion of immigrants, or on the other hand some parts of Jaffa, are more exciting (or have an actual restaurant open) but I did not check. > [@Broomstick](#): > > The 1973 war took place during a time during which it started on both Yom Kippur and Ramadan. Great, two opposing sides, both hangry, with a whole lot of other nations taking sides. Just happy it didn’t turn into WWIII. I vaguely remember a story that Dayan and Meir were explicitly told by both the Soviet Union and the U.S. that the nuclear option was off the table for Israel. (Though, Wikipedia suggests that Meir “authorized” a nuclear alert, hinting at a possible “Samson option”, i.e. WWIII once the USSR gets involved, to pressure Nixon into airlifting more supplies.) ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2023, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-the-fast-of-yom-kippur/990694/34 "2023-09-30T18:56:19Z")
I taper off caffeine between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. Otherwise, I’d get migraines (or take caffeine.) I break my fast at the temple, with a glass of orange juice. Then i usually go home and eat supper with my family. This year we had bagels, cream cheese, lox, white fish, pickled herring, corned beef, tongue, and Genoa salami. No, we don’t keep kosher. 😉 Other than the caffeine, i find the fast easy. Years of practice will do that. Years of practice fasting for Yom Kippur also makes fasting for a colonoscopy trivial. You mean, i can have as much as i want to drink, and also have ginger ale, jello, and gummy bears? Easy peasy. ---
**Author:** ![xtenkfarpl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/c2a13f/32.png) [@xtenkfarpl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xtenkfarpl)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2023, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-the-fast-of-yom-kippur/990694/35 "2023-09-30T19:01:00Z")
Getting a bit off-topic, but I’m just recounting travel experiences here. I was in Beersheeba, which is in the negev desert quite a bit south of Jerusalem. It’s a smallish but significant city in the region, I think. There is a big riverbed which semed to be almost completely dry; I wonder how often it flows? I was stopping over on the way to visit the Dead Sea and Masada, things on any bucket list. Glad to have seen that part of the world! ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2023, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-the-fast-of-yom-kippur/990694/36 "2023-09-30T20:06:12Z")
> [@xtenkfarpl](#): > > Just how rigid is this? If you have a heart attack, an ambulance won’t come? No, no. Security and rescue services never take a day off. I think Yom Kippur is one of the busiest days a year for EMS - not just for fast-related emergencies, but also for bicycle accidents. Because no-one drives, everyone who isn’t in shul is out riding their bike in the middle of the street. ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2023, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-the-fast-of-yom-kippur/990694/37 "2023-09-30T22:22:59Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > Everything is closed on Yom Kippur in Israel. Everything. You know what Israelis call businesses that never close? 24/7/364. Because even places that are always open close for one day a year. That’s funny because of course Israeli years are not 365 days long. They are usually either around 254 days (ordinary years) or 285 days (leap years). There are 7 leap years and 12 ordinary years in every 19 year cycle. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Strangelove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.strangelove/32/6613_2.png) [@Dr.Strangelove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Strangelove)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2023, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-the-fast-of-yom-kippur/990694/38 "2023-10-01T03:17:19Z")
> [@Hari\_Seldon](#): > > They are usually either around 254 days (ordinary years) or 285 days (leap years). That seems a liiiiitle on the short side (according to Wikipedia, it’s ~354 days or ~384 days, depending). ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2023, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-the-fast-of-yom-kippur/990694/39 "2023-10-01T03:59:57Z")
Must have been thinking of those Jews on Venus. ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2023, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-the-fast-of-yom-kippur/990694/40 "2023-10-01T14:26:29Z")
Of course you’re right. Brain cramp. Twelve months of 29 or 30 days (with some variations so that certain holidays don’t conflict with the Sabbath) in ordinary years and 13 months in leap years. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-the-fast-of-yom-kippur/990694.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-the-fast-of-yom-kippur/990694.md?page=3)