עברית
Halachot and Customs
Is it permissible to chew gum on a fast?
Question
B'SD, is it permissible to chew gum on a fast (not Yom Kippur or Tisha B'Av)? Since I work with people? Thank you
Answer
Shalom,
It is forbidden to chew gum on a fast because it contains sweetness, thus it falls under the category of eating and drinking that are prohibited on a fast.
Sources: Chazon Ovadia, Four Fast Days (pages 29-30) citing She'elot U'Teshuvot Ohel Moshe, and She'elot U'Teshuvot Mikveh HaMayim. Also mentioned in She'elot U'Teshuvot Rabavot Efraim, Part 5 (Paragraph 80), She'elot U'Teshuvot Yitzchak Yiranen, Part 2 (Paragraph 11), and She'elot U'Teshuvot Divrei Beniyah, Part 5 (Paragraph 24).
Blessings,
Hillel Meirs
