Chinuch in Fasting: Analysis of Ein Maanin on Yom Kippur

Full Summary

This shiur provides an in-depth analysis of a Mishnah (משנה) in Masechta Yoma dealing with the concept of "ein maanin" - not preventing children from eating on Yom Kippur. Rabbi Zweig begins by establishing the basic meaning of "ein maanin," arguing that it refers to not preventing a child who wants to eat, rather than forcing a child who doesn't want to eat to consume food. He explains that Rashi (רש"י)'s interpretation ("ein chayav limnoa") suggests there's no obligation to prevent the child from eating, while the Rambam (רמב"ם)'s position indicates it's actually forbidden (asur) to make young children fast due to danger (sakana). The discussion then turns to a fundamental question raised by Tosafos (תוספות): why is there chinuch (educational training) for the mitzvah (מצוה) of fasting on Yom Kippur when we don't require chinuch for other prohibitions like eating non-kosher food? Tosafos provides two answers: first, that the chinuch here is for the positive commandment (aseh) of fasting rather than the negative commandment of not eating; second, that while normally there's no chinuch for lo ta'aseh (negative commandments), here it's different because the father (not Beit Din) is involved. Rabbi Zweig explains a fundamental distinction between positive and negative commandments regarding spiritual growth. For negative commandments, simply refraining from the forbidden act provides no spiritual benefit - one doesn't become a greater tzaddik merely by not eating non-kosher food when not tempted. However, positive commandments provide actual spiritual growth through their performance. This explains why chinuch typically applies only to positive commandments. The shiur addresses why the Mishnah specifically states "kedei sheyehyu regilim bemitzvot" (so they should become accustomed to mitzvot). According to the first interpretation in Tosafos, this refers to standard chinuch for the positive commandment of fasting. According to the second interpretation, since there's normally no chinuch for negative commandments, the phrase indicates a special type of training - not for spiritual benefit, but simply to accustom the child to the system of mitzvot and rules. A significant insight emerges regarding the difference between Rashi's and the Rambam's readings of the Mishnah. Rashi understands "ein chayav" as indicating there's no reason or obligation to prevent eating, while the Rambam's interpretation of "asur" (forbidden) implies that there would normally be good reason to have children fast, but it's prohibited due to danger. This leads to the Rambam's innovative concept of "calibration" - that a child's limited fasting (e.g., one or two hours) is proportionally equivalent to an adult's full fast, meaning the child is actually performing the complete mitzvah appropriate to his level. The shiur concludes with practical applications, noting that according to the Rambam's calibration theory, even eight-year-olds could theoretically participate in proportional fasting, but the Mishnah prohibits this due to the danger that young children who don't understand the concept of food being withheld may become severely upset, creating a health risk. This reading explains why the Mishnah needed to specify that it's forbidden rather than simply stating there's no obligation.