The gemara[1] mentions the importance of eating on Erev Yom Kippur, stating that if one eats on this day, it is considered as though he fasted for two days. The gemara does not explicitly state whether this is mandated by the Torah or is a Rabbinic enactment with a Scriptural allusion in the Torah.[2]
Some poskim[3] write that one ramification of this mitzva is that one should learn less Torah than usual on Erev Yom Kippur in order to leave time for eating. But how much should one eat? Regarding this issue, we must distinguish between the minimum and the preferred. Even if one eats only at the seuda hamafseket,[4] he has minimally fulfilled the mitzva, and this is indeed what is suggested for one who wants to fast on this day due to a very ominous dream.[5] However, the Shulchan Aruch[6] and many other authorities mention that one should eat more than usual, and it is generally accepted that one should eat much more on Erev Yom Kippur than simply a seuda hamafseket.
Examining the main reasons suggested for this halacha will help us find the most appropriate practical approach. The Rosh[7] and the Tur[8] explain that we are supposed to eat on Erev Yom Kippur in order to make it possible to fast on Yom Kippur without undue difficulties. Rabbeinu Yona[9] and the Ritva[10] mention a different reason: It is appropriate to eat on Erev Yom Kippur because its proximity to Yom Kippur, the wonderful Day of Atonement, gives Erev Yom Kippur a semi-Yom Tov status. Other sources provide additional reasons,[11] including kabbalistic ones. There are a number of cases in which the question of whether one should eat might depend on the reason for this mitzva.
If the purpose of the mitzva to eat on Erev Yom Kippur is to facilitate an easier fast the next day, then the mitzva should not apply the night before, which is too removed from the fast to make a significant difference. However, if the reason for eating is that Erev Yom Kippur has a Yom Tov status, the mitzva might apply at night as well. The more accepted opinion is that there is no obligation to eat the night before, but it may be preferable to do so.[12]
At first glance, women should be exempt from the mitzva of eating on Erev Yom Kippur, since it is a time-based positive mitzva. However, there is logic to apply the mitzva to women, either because eating on Erev Yom Kippur is compared to fasting on Yom Kippur, in which women are clearly obligated, or because it is just as important that women have an easy fast on Yom Kippur as it is that men do. The standard assumption is that women are indeed obligated to eat on Erev Yom Kippur.[13]
Another possible consequence of the reasoning for the mitzva relates to whether one should eat food that one has a reason to believe will cause him to fast well, or whether he should eat food that is festive or otherwise appropriate for a Yom Tov (such as meat and bread). The Minchat Chinuch[14] assumes that there is no need for any specific type of food; one fulfills the mitzva by eating any food. However, there are strong indications that the minhag on Erev Yom Kippur was, and still is, to eat meat[15] and have a formal meal – one in which there is a feeling of Yom Tov or the imminent approach of Yom Tov. In current practice, there seems to be an emphasis on the quality of the food, coupled with an emphasis on food that is helpful for people who are about to fast (although it is difficult to know if the latter stems from religious or merely practical grounds).[16]
In most of our circles, the only eating performed on Erev Yom Kippur as religious ritual is the seuda hamafseket. Throughout the rest of the day, it is positive to eat more than usual, but in whatever format is convenient. There are significant numbers of people and communities who also have either a morning or early afternoon meal, similar in scope to the seuda hamafseket.[17] It is difficult to argue that this is an obligation or something that one should necessarily impose upon the mother of the house or others, if they will find this difficult. The impetus for this practice seems to be kabbalistic[18] and is not obligatory, unless one is part of a community (or a family) in which there is a clear minhag to have such a meal.