Re: Kiddush on Yom Kippur?

Yosey Goldstein (JOE-G@VM.VIPS.COM)
Mon, 11 Nov 96 14:20:19 EST

Rabbi A.B. asked: "A katan (minor - under age of Bar/Bat Mitzvah) is
not to fast the entire day of Yom Kippur. Should he/she need to say kiddush
for Yom Tov (the Holiday)? > If this assumption is correct, then why do we
not find the text in our Machzorim (or Siddurim)? This question would hold
true for a holeh (sick person) who is not able to fast, too."

Gad Frenkel replied: " When the Sochatchover Rebbe Z"L (a.k.a. The Avnei
Nezer) was a young boy his father sent him home to eat on Yom Kippur. When
he returned his father asked him if he had made Kiddush. His answer was
that the only reason a child makes Kiddush is for the purpose of Chinuch
(training in the performance of Mitzvohs), and certainly his father did not
want to train him to eat on Yom Kippur!"

I had heard from my Rosh Yeshiva (Rabbi Y.Y. Ruderman ZT"L of Ner Israel)
that there was some epidemic in the times of Reb Yisroel Salanter. The
doctors said that people weakened by fasting were more succeptable to
contracting the illness. There was therefore an argument among the Rabbonim
of that area whether or not fasting on Yom Kippur that year was permitted
or prohibited. Many Rabbonim felt that since it was not a certainty that
fasting would cause anybody to contract the illness then one would be
required to fast. However many Rabbonim felt that even the chance that one
would contract the illness because of fasting was reason enough to consider
it a life threatening situation. (Pikuach Nefesh) On Yom Kippur reb Yisroel
Salanter got up at the Bima and he announced that everybody was required to
eat and he made Kiddush at the Bima for the entire congregation, as is
required before eating on any holiday.

Why the kiddush is not printed in any Machzor is simply because since under
normal circumstances this kiddush is never recited, there was no reason to
print it. (In fact every publishers always wish their customers good health
and therefore there is no reason to print it :-> )

Thanks

Yosey