Question:
I know that many people are careful not to eat before hearing the Shofar on Rosh Hashanah. Does this restriction also apply to drinking? May one drink water, coffee, or tea before Davening and before hearing the Shofar, or must one refrain from all food and drink until after the Tekios?
Short Answer:
It is permitted to drink water before Davening and before hearing the Shofar on Rosh Hashanah. Furthermore, many Poskim permit even coffee and tea prior to Shacharis and prior to hearing Shofar. Nonetheless, there are individuals who choose to be stringent and refrain from all food and drink until after the Shofar is sounded. This stringency may be followed even if one will end up fasting past midday. This stringency is a personal custom and not an actual obligation. Certainly, one should not be stringent if doing so may lead to dehydration, weakness, headaches, or interfere with proper prayer and concentration.
Explanation:
One of the unique aspects of Rosh Hashanah is that alongside the prayers of the day stands the central mitzvah of hearing the sound of the Shofar. Due to the importance of this mitzvah, many people become accustomed not only to refrain from eating before hearing the Shofar, but even to avoid drinking until after the Tekios. The question, however, is whether this practice is actually required according to halacha, or whether it is merely a voluntary stringency.
To understand this issue, one must first examine the general laws of eating and drinking before Shacharis. Throughout the year, Chazal prohibited eating prior to prayer. Nonetheless, the Poskim distinguish between eating and drinking. While eating is generally restricted, drinking water before Davening has always been permitted. Furthermore, many Poskim permit tea and coffee as well, especially when they are consumed for alertness, strength, or concentration rather than for pleasure and enjoyment.
Accordingly, there is no explicit source in the Poskim that prohibits drinking water before hearing Shofar. Likewise, many authorities permit drinking tea or coffee before Shacharis even on Rosh Hashanah, despite the fact that the Shofar has not yet been heard.
Nonetheless, many pious individuals developed the custom to fast until after hearing Shofar. Their motivation is not because halacha requires it, but because of their desire to approach the mitzvah of Shofar with maximum reverence and anticipation. Since the Shofar is the central mitzvah of the day, they choose to delay even permitted drinking until after fulfilling the mitzvah. Similar to other stringencies that people adopt out of honor for a mitzvah, this practice developed as an expression of devotion and not because drinking is actually forbidden.
This explains why one will often find two different practices in the same community. Some individuals will not drink anything whatsoever until after the Tekios, while others will drink water, coffee, or tea prior to Davening. Both practices have valid halachic basis. The former follows a pious custom of stringency, while the latter follows the straightforward ruling of halacha that drinking is permitted.
Regarding Chabad practice, there does not appear to be one universally accepted custom. While some Chassidim were stringent not to drink before hearing Shofar, many veteran Chabad Rabbanim ruled that it is permitted to drink before Davening and before Shofar. Rav Zalman Shimon Dworkin permitted drinking before Shofar, and this was likewise the practice in Tomchei Temimim in 770. Similar rulings were given by Rav Avraham Osdoba and Rav Tuvia Bloy.
Practically, one who wishes to be stringent and refrain from drinking until after hearing Shofar may certainly do so. However, this should not be done at the expense of one’s health or ability to serve Hashem properly. Therefore, if one is thirsty, prone to dehydration, susceptible to headaches, elderly, taking medication, or walked a long distance to Shul, he should drink beforehand and should not feel obligated to adopt a stringency that may negatively affect his Davening or well-being.
Fasting Until Midday:
An additional point relevant to the lengthy Rosh Hashanah davening is whether one must be careful not to fast past midday. While on Shabbos and Yom Tov there is generally a prohibition against fasting until midday even if one had no intent to fast, many Poskim rule that Rosh Hashanah is an exception to this rule as there are Poskim who rule that one is even initially to fast on Rosh Hashanah. Accordingly, if the prayers extend beyond midday and one will not eat until afterwards, there is no prohibition in doing so. Indeed, this has been the custom of many Chassidim and Anash due to the lengthy davening of Rosh Hashanah. Nevertheless, some authorities disagree and rule that one should endeavor to eat before midday, and therefore some are careful to shorten the davening or arrange matters so that they can eat before Chatzos.
Summary Table
| Beverage | Before Shacharis and Before Shofar |
| Water | Permitted |
| Coffee | Permitted according to many Poskim |
| Tea | Permitted according to many Poskim |
| Other beverages consumed for health or concentration | Generally permitted according to the usual rules |
| Voluntarily refraining from all drinks until Shofar | Praiseworthy custom for those who choose to do so |
| Refraining from drinking when it may cause dehydration or weakness | Not recommended |
Sources:
- Regarding the general permissibility of drinking before Shacharis: Admur 89:5; Michaber 89:3; Tur 89.
- Regarding drinking before hearing Shofar: We do not find an explicit prohibition in the Poskim against drinking prior to hearing Shofar; Darkei Chaim Veshalom 716 records that one may drink tea or coffee before Shofar and that such was the custom of some Anash.
- Regarding coffee and tea before Davening: Darkei Chaim Veshalom 716; Kaf Hachaim 89:31; Ketzos Hashulchan 11:1; Piskei Teshuvos 89 footnote 213 who cites numerous Acharonim permitting tea and coffee before Davening.
- Regarding the custom to refrain from food and drink until after Shofar: Rokeach Hagadol 353, brought in Alef Hamagen 581:81 and 588:2; Beshamayim Rosh 74; Pischeiy Olam 74; see Sdei Chemed Daled Minim 3:22 and so writes Hiskashrus, and Otzer Minhagei Chabad 176, and so is custom of many of Anash.
- Regarding Chabad practice: Rav Zalman Shimon Dworkin permitted drinking before Shofar; this was likewise the custom in Tomchei Temimim in 770; similar rulings were given by Rav Avraham Osdoba and Rav Tuvia Bloy.
- Fasting Until Midday: Rokeach Hagadol 353; Alef Hamagen 581:81 and 588:2; Beshamayim Rosh 74; Pischei Olam 74; Sdei Chemed, Daled Minim 3:22; Otzer Minhagei Chabad p. 176; Ateres Zekeinim 597; Mishnah Berurah 597:2; Kaf Hachaim 597:6. Regarding the general prohibition of fasting until midday on Shabbos and Yom Tov, see Admur 288:1; Magen Avraham 652:4; Mishnah Berurah 652:7. For the stringent opinion regarding Rosh Hashanah, see Maaseh Rav 207.