Sources and Reasons:
One Who Mistakenly Ate or Drank on a Fast Must Continue the Fast
It is agreed that one who mistakenly drank or ate on a fast must continue fasting, as the Shulchan Aruch writes in siman 568, סעיף 1:
If one vowed to fast on this day and forgot and ate, he completes his fast. The same applies if it was a fast for a dream, a public fast, or a day on which he customarily fasts because his father or teacher died, end quote.
One Who Mistakenly Ate or Drank on a Fast — May He Say Aneinu?
The poskim disagree as to whether one who is not fasting may recite Aneinu.
According to the Chayei Adam, one who is not fasting may, if he prays with the congregation, recite Aneinu in Shome’a Tefillah, and may say, “on this fast day.” However, the Ma’amar Mordechai disputed this, and the Biur Halachah at the beginning of siman 565 wrote that his words are correct: an individual who is not fasting may not recite Aneinu.
However, regarding one who mistakenly ate or drank, the Mishnah Berurah writes in siman 568, se’if katan 3, that he may recite Aneinu, because he must continue fasting.
This is his wording there: It appears that on a public fast, even though he ate, he may recite Aneinu in his prayer, for he may say, “on this fast day,” as the Sages instituted fasting on it, as stated above in siman 565. However, if it is an individual fast, although he is obligated to complete it, once he ate an amount that would invalidate his fast had he not vowed to fast on that day, he may not recite Aneinu [Nehar Shalom].
It is clear that the law of one who mistakenly ate differs from that of one who does not fast at all. Therefore, one who mistakenly ate may recite Aneinu, as the Sages instituted fasting on that day, whereas one who is not fasting may not recite Aneinu.
However, in practical halachah, Chazon Ovadia, Ta’aniyot p. 76, rules that one who mistakenly eats on one of the fasts, although he is obligated to complete the fast, may not recite “Aneinu” in prayer. Nevertheless, I have cited the words of the Mishnah Berurah to illustrate the distinction between one who is not fasting and one who is fasting but forgot and mistakenly ate or drank, who is still considered to be on a fast day.
Birkat Kohanim at Minchah on Public Fasts
In the Gemara, Ta’anit 26b, the Tanna’im disagree as to whether Birkat Kohanim is recited at Minchah and Ne’ilah. This is the wording of the Gemara:
At Shacharit, Musaf, Minchah, and Ne’ilah, Birkat Kohanim is recited at all of them; these are the words of Rabbi Meir. Rabbi Yehudah says: At Shacharit and Musaf, Birkat Kohanim is recited; at Minchah and Ne’ilah, Birkat Kohanim is not recited. Rabbi Yosei says: At Ne’ilah, Birkat Kohanim is recited; at Minchah, Birkat Kohanim is not recited.
What is the basis of their disagreement? Rabbi Meir maintains: Why is it that Kohanim do not spread their hands at Minchah every day? Because of intoxication. Today there is no intoxication. Rabbi Yehudah maintains: At Shacharit and Musaf, when intoxication is not common every day, the Rabbis did not institute a decree; at Minchah and Ne’ilah, when intoxication is common every day, the Rabbis instituted a decree. Rabbi Yosei maintains: Regarding Minchah, which exists every day, the Rabbis instituted a decree; regarding Ne’ilah, which does not exist every day, the Rabbis did not institute a decree.
The halachah follows Rabbi Yosei. Why, nowadays, do Kohanim spread their hands at Minchah on a fast day? Since they do so close to sunset, it resembles the Ne’ilah prayer, end quote.
This is likewise ruled in practice by the Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chaim siman 129: at Minchah, Kohanim do not recite Birkat Kohanim except at Ne’ilah. However, at Minchah on fast days, Kohanim recite Birkat Kohanim, because intoxication is not common and it resembles Ne’ilah.
This is the wording of the Shulchan Aruch there:
Birkat Kohanim is recited only at Shacharit, Musaf, and Ne’ilah, on a day that has Ne’ilah, such as Yom Kippur, but not at Minchah, because intoxication is common at that time, lest the Kohen be intoxicated; and they decreed regarding Minchah on a fast day because of Minchah on other days. However, on a fast without Ne’ilah, since the Minchah prayer is close to sunset, it resembles the Ne’ilah prayer and is not confused with Minchah on other days; therefore, Birkat Kohanim is recited at it.
May a Kohen Who Is Not Fasting Recite Birkat Kohanim at Minchah on a Fast Day?
The Pri Chadash writes in Orach Chaim siman 129:
If there is a Kohen in the synagogue at Minchah who, due to some circumstance, did not fast, he should not go up to the duchan with the Kohanim who are fasting.
The reason for his ruling is seemingly straightforward: since he is not fasting, he is included in the decree that Birkat Kohanim is not recited at Minchah because intoxication is common. This is also cited by Kaf HaChaim, Orach Chaim siman 129, se’if katan 6, in the name of Shalmei Tzibbur, Machzik Berachah, and others.
However, Makor Chaim in siman 127:2, as well as Responsa Ginat Veradim, Orach Chaim, klal 1, siman 49, permit a Kohen who is not fasting due to circumstances beyond his control to recite Birkat Kohanim. Their reasoning is that although he himself is not fasting, the decree concerning intoxication does not apply, since it is not an ordinary day but a fast day.
A Kohen Who Forgot and Mistakenly Ate or Drank on a Fast May Go Up to the Duchan and Recite Birkat Kohanim
I have not found this matter stated explicitly in the poskim. However, it appears to me that since one who forgot and mistakenly ate or drank is obligated to continue the fast, as cited above from the Shulchan Aruch in siman 568, this is the ruling.
And since we have demonstrated from the Mishnah Berurah that the law of one who forgot and drank or ate differs from that of one who does not fast at all, and according to the Mishnah Berurah one who mistakenly ate on a fast may recite Aneinu because he is still considered to be on a fast day;
and since even regarding a Kohen who does not fast at all, the poskim disagree, with some poskim maintaining that he may recite Birkat Kohanim, as cited from Ginat Veradim and others;
therefore, a fasting Kohen who mistakenly forgot and ate or drank may certainly go up to the duchan and recite Birkat Kohanim. Such a Kohen is fasting, and the decree concerning intoxication does not apply to him at all.
As proof, I will cite the Responsa Ginat Veradim, Orach Chaim, klal 1, siman 49, which writes concerning a Kohen who is not fasting that he may recite Birkat Kohanim on a fast:
Regarding Birkat Kohanim at Minchah, it appears that there is no concern even if the Kohen is not fasting, since the essential reason that Kohanim do not raise their hands at Minchah is only lest he be intoxicated. At this Minchah prayer there is no concern, since it is prayed near sunset and resembles the Ne’ilah prayer. Furthermore, it is uncommon for a Kohen who is not fasting to further add sin to transgression by becoming intoxicated on a fast day; and not only that, but to then come to the synagogue to pray with those who are fasting and raise his hands while intoxicated, end quote.
Although the Pri Chadash and others disagree with him regarding a Kohen who is not fasting, it appears to me that even they would agree regarding a fasting Kohen who forgot and ate, for the decree concerning intoxication does not apply to him, particularly in light of what we demonstrated from the Mishnah Berurah: he is deemed a fasting Kohen and, according to that view, may even recite “Aneinu.”
This response was translated automatically from Hebrew and has not yet been reviewed by a person. Therefore, it may contain inaccuracies and should not be considered a definitive reference.
