can you drink on yom kippur

On Yom Kippur, traditional Jewish law says not to eat or drink at all during the 25‑hour fast, including water, for all healthy adults who are obligated to fast. However, if fasting without drinking would endanger someone’s health, Jewish law not only allows but requires that person to drink (and eat) as needed, ideally under rabbinic and medical guidance.

Core rule: no drinking for the healthy

For someone who is healthy and required to fast, the classic Yom Kippur observance includes:

• No food and no water for about 25 hours.

• The prohibition technically applies even to small amounts, though larger quantities within a short time incur the most serious level of violation.

• Many observant Jews even avoid rinsing the mouth or brushing teeth with water unless there is a specific leniency given by a rabbi.

This is part of treating Yom Kippur as a day focused on the soul rather than physical comfort, stepping away from physical pleasures like eating, drinking , washing, and anointing.

When drinking is allowed or required

Jewish law places protection of life and serious health above fasting:

• People for whom fasting poses a danger (serious illness, certain heart conditions, some diabetics, and similar cases) are told to drink and eat, because preserving life overrides the fast.

• Many authorities instruct such people to drink and/or eat in measured amounts with breaks in between (“shiurim”) to minimize halachic violation if that is medically safe.

• If measured amounts and breaks are not safe or practical, the person should drink and eat normally; health and safety come first.

Groups commonly discussed as candidates for leniency include:

• Some pregnant and nursing women, especially if there is a risk to them or the baby.

• People with a history of collapsing or serious medical events from fasting.

• Those recovering from serious illness or recent major surgery, under medical and rabbinic advice.

What about “just a sip of water”?

From a strict halachic standpoint:

• Even a small sip is still considered forbidden for someone who is otherwise obligated and safe to fast.

• For people who are allowed or required to drink for health, rabbis often recommend:
  • Very small measured sips (less than a cheekful),
  • Spaced out by specific time intervals,
    so that halachically it is not considered a full “act” of drinking, provided a doctor says this pattern is medically adequate.

User discussions in contemporary Jewish forums echo this: observant users emphasize that the whole point of the fast is refraining even from water, but also strongly remind people that a genuine health risk suspends the fast.

Practice vs. principle today

In practice, you will see a range:

• Fully observant adults in good health generally do not drink anything at all on Yom Kippur.

• Many communities actively publicize that anyone with significant health concerns should speak to both a doctor and a rabbi before Yom Kippur to get a clear plan about if and how to drink or eat.

• Online Q&A sites and community posts frequently stress: do not “self‑puch” through a dangerous fast just to be strict; halacha considers that irresponsible.

If you are asking for yourself

If your question is practical (about your own situation):

1. Speak to a doctor who understands your condition and ask whether a 25‑hour fast without water is safe.
2. Take that answer to a competent rabbi (or halachic authority in your community) before the fast to work out:
   • Whether you should fast at all.
   • Whether you should drink with measurements and intervals, or drink and eat normally.

This is important because in Jewish law, risking serious harm in order to keep the Yom Kippur fast is not considered pious; protecting life is a primary mitzvah.

Bottom line:

• Healthy, obligated adults do not drink on Yom Kippur.
• Anyone for whom that could be dangerous must drink (and/or eat) as needed, ideally following medical guidance and a rabbi’s ruling.