14 Feb Fasting during Sheva Brachos
The question arises if a person gets married the week of Purim or the week of Asara Beteves and the fast day falls out in middle of his or her Sheba Brachos does the person need to fast?
The Ritva in at the end of Meseches Taanis says that if a Chosson has one of the four fast days fall out during his Sheva Brachos he should fast. This is in spite that Sheva Brachos are his Yom Tov and a Yom Tov is always celebrated by eating nevertheless since this Yom Tov is a private Yom Tov and the fast is a public fast especially if the fast is for Yerushalayim which the passuk says “Im lo.. es Yerushalayim.. Rosh Simchasi. The Biur Halacha in siman taf kuf mem tes brings this Ritva and says that this Ritva is not a contradiction to what it says in siman taf kuf nun tes that one who is making a Bris fasts but does not complete his fast. Despite the fact that a Bris is also a private Yom Tov. The answer is that regarding the Bris we are dealing in a case where Tisha BeAv fell out on Shabbos so it was pushed off to Sunday, whereas in the case of the Chosson the fast day is on that day. We see from the above Biur Halacha that a Bris and a Chosson will have the same din as far as a fast goes.
The Kaf Hachaim in siman taf kuf mem tes seif koton tes brings down beshem the Bais Dovid that argues on the Ritva and says that a Chosson should not fast during Sheva Brachos as his Yom Tov is greater than a Bris. A Bris is only docheh the taanis when the taanis is a nidcha but a Chosson is docheh the taanis even if it is not a nidcha. The Kaf Hachaim says that the Magen Avraham in siman taf kuf nun seif koton vov holds like the Ritva that if the chuppa takes place when it is still the day of the taanis the chosson can’t drink from the cup of wine till night fall. Interesting to note the Rema write in the name of the Trumas Hadeshen in siman kuf nun vov that the Chosson should say aneinu before he goes to the chupa thereby he will be able to drink from the kois even when it is still day. The Mishna Berura explains that if it is a taanis tzibbur he can’t break the fast when it is still day whereas a Chosson that is fasting on the day of his wedding can break the fast early to drink from the cup of wine as it is a private fast.
The Gra which is quoted in the Shaarei Tzion siman taf resh peh vo seif koton zayin says that a Chosson does not fast any of the fasts even if the fast is not a nidcha.
Regarding Taanis Esther there is reason to be more meikil as it is not one of the fasts we fast as a zecher to the Bais Hamikdosh and Yerushalayim. The Pischei Teshuva brings down in the name of birchas Yaakov that a Chosson should not fast on taanis Esther.
The Kitzur Shulchan Aruch in siman kuf mem alef seif bais says that a Chosson should not fast taanis Esther during sheva Brachos but he should pay back the fast at another occasion.
A Chosson who does not want to fast has on whom to rely on. A Chosson who wants to fast has on whom to rely on. Whatever the Chosson does the main thing is that he should have good Mazel.
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