The Mishnah begins by addressing the fasting requirements for children on Yom Kippur. It states that minors are not to be afflicted, meaning they are not obligated to refrain from eating. This is because, as explained in the Gemara, children's development depends on food and drink. Therefore, the Mishnah explicitly says we do not prevent them from eating.
However, the Mishnah introduces the concept of training children in the observance of the commandments, known as chinuch. This training begins before they reach adulthood, or gedolim, and become fully obligated in the Torah's commandments. The Mishnah specifies that this training occurs "one year before" or "two years before" their maturity. Rashi clarifies that this chinuch involves a fast of hours, meaning a partial fast. For instance, if a child usually eats breakfast at 8:00 AM, on Yom Kippur, they would be encouraged to delay it until 9:00 AM, fasting an extra hour or two.
Rashi further explains the terms "one year before" and "two years before" in relation to a child's maturity. The "year before" refers to the year immediately preceding their full obligation, which is termed samuch lepirkan. A girl reaches maturity at 12 years and one day, entering her 13th year, while a boy reaches maturity at 13 years and one day, entering his 14th year. Thus, for a girl, her 12th year (from 11 years and one day) is samuch lepirkan, and for a boy, his 13th year (from 12 years and one day) is samuch lepirkan. When the Mishnah says "one year before," it refers to the year before samuch lepirkan. For a boy, this would be his 11th year. "Two years before" would mean two years before samuch lepirkan, which for a boy would be his 10th year. So, the Mishnah indicates that a boy begins partial fasting at 11 or 10 years old, and a girl at 10 or 9 years old.
The Gemara questions this, asking why the Mishnah would state "one year before" if "two years before" is already mentioned. If children are trained to fast at an earlier age (e.g., 10 for a boy), it stands to reason they would also be trained at a later age (e.g., 11 for a boy), making the "one year before" redundant. Rav Chisda resolves this by explaining that the Mishnah refers to two different types of children: a healthy child (bari) and a sick child (choleh). A healthy child begins the chinuch process earlier, three years before becoming an adult (e.g., at age 10 for a boy). A sick child, being weaker, begins the chinuch of partial fasting one year later, two years before becoming an adult (e.g., at age 11 for a boy). Thus, "one year before" refers to a sick child, and "two years before" refers to a healthy child, both relative to the samuch lepirkan year.
Rav Huna then presents the laws of chinuch for a girl (tinoket). At 8 or 9 years old, chinuch for partial fasting (ta'anit sha'ot) begins. At 10 and 11 years old, they begin fasting a full day (mashlimin), but this is a rabbinic obligation (mi-derabbanan). At 12 years old, the obligation to fast a full day becomes a Torah law (mi-de'oraita). Rashi clarifies that the ages of 8 and 9 for partial fasting depend on the girl's health: a healthy girl starts at 8, while a sick girl starts at 9. Similarly, for the rabbinic full-day fast, a healthy girl starts at 10, and a sick girl at 11. However, at 12 years old, the Torah obligation to fast applies equally to both healthy and sick girls.
Rav Nachman discusses the laws of chinuch for a boy (tinok), not disagreeing with Rav Huna but providing the corresponding rules for males. For a boy, partial fasting begins at 9 or 10 years old, depending on whether he is healthy or sick. Full-day rabbinic fasting begins at 11 or 12 years old, again depending on health. At 13 years old, the obligation to fast a full day becomes a Torah law, applying to all boys regardless of health.
Rabbi Yochanan offers a different perspective, stating that there is no such thing as a rabbinic full-day fast (hashlama de-rabbanan leita). According to him, the only type of chinuch is partial fasting. Thus, for a girl, chinuch of partial fasting occurs at 10 and 11 years old, and at 12, the Torah obligation to fast begins. For a boy, partial fasting is at 11 and 12 years old, and at 13, the Torah obligation begins. The Gemara then challenges Rabbi Yochanan's view, noting that the Mishnah's phrasing "one year before or two years before" is difficult to reconcile with his opinion, especially since he rejects the concept of rabbinic full-day fasting, which Rav Huna and Rav Nachman used to explain the Mishnah's ages. Rabbi Yochanan responds by interpreting the Mishnah's "one year or two years before" as simply referring to one or two years prior to the age of full obligation, without the intermediate stage of samuch lepirkan or rabbinic full-day fasting.
The Gemara introduces a Baraita by Rabba bar Shmuel, which states that children are not afflicted on Yom Kippur but are trained "one or two years before their maturity" (shana o shtayim samuch lepirkan) with partial fasting. This Baraita aligns well with Rabbi Yochanan's opinion, as he holds that chinuch involves one or two years of partial fasting before the Torah obligation. However, it poses a difficulty for Rav Huna and Rav Nachman, who believe that chinuch for partial fasting can extend further back, up to three or four years before maturity. The rabbis (Rav Huna and Rav Nachman) answer that the term chinuch in this Baraita refers to the training for a full-day rabbinic fast (chinuch hashlama), which indeed begins one or two years before maturity. The Gemara then asks if the term chinuch can indeed refer to a full-day fast, citing another Baraita that defines chinuch as delaying a meal by an hour or two, clearly indicating partial fasting. Abba bar Ulla resolves this by stating that there are two types of chinuch: chinuch for partial fasting and chinuch hashlama for full-day fasting.
The Mishnah then discusses a pregnant woman (uvra) who smells food and develops a craving (she-hericha). In such a case, she is fed until her spirit is restored (ad she-tashiv nafshah). Rashi explains that it is the fetus that is craving the food, and if the mother does not eat, both she and the baby are in danger. Similarly, a sick person (choleh) is fed on the advice of experts (beki'in), typically two doctors. If no experts are available, the sick person's own assessment is trusted, and they are fed until they say "enough." Some Rishonim suggest that the case of the pregnant woman is not unique and applies to anyone who experiences a dangerous craving on Yom Kippur. However, Rabbeinu Manoach argues that it is specific to a pregnant woman due to the inherent danger to both mother and fetus, while a non-pregnant person's craving would not typically warrant breaking the fast. The Maharami Chabib adds that "smelled" is not to be taken literally; even seeing or thinking about food that causes a craving is sufficient.
A Baraita elaborates on the procedure for a pregnant woman who craves forbidden food, such as sacrificial meat (basar kodesh) or non-kosher meat (basar chazir). Initially, a stick (kush) is dipped in the gravy and placed on her lips. If her mind settles, that is sufficient. If not, she is given the gravy itself. If still unsettled, she is given the meat. This gradual approach is taken because nothing overrides the preservation of life (pikuach nefesh). The Maharami Chabib, based on the Rambam, distinguishes between kosher and non-kosher food: for kosher food, she is fed immediately, as the only transgression is eating on Yom Kippur. For non-kosher food, where there are two transgressions (eating non-kosher food and eating on Yom Kippur), the gradual approach is used. The principle of pikuach nefesh dictates that life takes precedence over all commandments, with three exceptions: idolatry (avodah zarah), forbidden sexual relations (giluy arayot), and murder (shfichut damim).
The Gemara then seeks the source for these three exceptions. For idolatry, Rabbi Eliezer explains that the verse "love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul (bechol nafshecha), and with all your might (bechol me'odecha)" implies that one must be willing to give up one's life. The juxtaposition of "soul" and "might" (money) teaches that even if one values money more than life, or vice versa, one must be willing to sacrifice either for the service of God. The Gaon of Vilna questions how one could value money more than life, suggesting an interpretation where one is willing to endure hardship in life for money, not to die for it. He therefore proposes an emendation to the text, adding Rabbi Akiva's statement that one must serve God "even if He takes your life," which explicitly requires martyrdom for idolatry. The Chiddushei HaRim offers a novel explanation: one who loves money more than life is someone who eagerly anticipates the passing of days to accrue more interest or receive a paycheck, effectively valuing financial gain over the preciousness of life itself.
For forbidden sexual relations and murder, Rabbi explains that the Torah compares the act of violating an engaged maiden (na'ara me'orasa) to murder, stating, "For as when a man rises against his neighbor and murders him, so is this matter." This comparison teaches two things: just as one may kill an attacker to save an engaged maiden from violation, one may also kill a murderer to save a potential victim. Conversely, just as one must die rather than commit murder (yehareg ve'al ya'avor), one must also die rather than commit forbidden sexual relations with an engaged maiden. Rashi clarifies that this obligation to die rather than transgress applies to the man. However, for the woman, she is not obligated to sacrifice her life, as she is passive in the act, considered like "the earth" (karka olam). Esther HaMalkah's actions with Achashverosh serve as proof of this principle.
The source for the rule that one must die rather than commit murder (yehareg ve'al ya'avor) is derived from common sense (sevara hi). The Gemara recounts a story where a man was ordered by a governor to kill someone, or else he would be killed. Rabba instructed him, "Let them kill you, but do not kill." The reasoning was, "What makes you think your blood is redder than his? Perhaps his blood is redder." This means that if one's life can only be saved by taking another's life, one must sacrifice one's own life. The Torah's principle of "live by them" (vechai bahem) means that commandments are generally set aside to preserve life. However, in a situation where a life will be lost regardless, one cannot choose to save one's own life by transgressing a commandment and taking another's life, because one's life is not inherently more valuable than another's. Furthermore, as Rashi in Sanhedrin explains, by killing another, one incurs both the loss of a soul and the sin of murder, whereas by allowing oneself to be killed, only a soul is lost, but no sin is committed.
The Gemara concludes with two stories about pregnant women who craved food on Yom Kippur. In the first, a pregnant woman came before Rabbi. He instructed them to whisper in her ear that it was Yom Kippur. She accepted this and her craving subsided. This was seen as an indication of the child's righteousness, and that child grew up to be Rabbi Yochanan. In the second story, a pregnant woman came before Rabbi Chanina. They whispered to her that it was Yom Kippur, but she did not accept it; her craving persisted. This was seen as an indication of the child's wickedness, and that child grew up to be Shabsai, a fruit hoarder. The commentators explain that during these whisperings, the severity of the prohibition is also conveyed. This whispering technique is particularly effective for Yom Kippur cravings because the woman can be pacified with the promise of eating kosher food after the fast. However, if the craving is for non-kosher food, whispering might not be enough, as the food will not become permissible later, and immediate feeding might be necessary to prevent danger.