Is there a Halachah that forbids eating while learning? One of my friends told me it was forbidden.
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What about every Melava Malka where Gedolim speak?– Hacham GabrielCommented Jun 24, 2012 at 5:02
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4It depends if you consider it eating while learning or learning while eating. :)– jakeCommented Jun 24, 2012 at 17:38
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@jake if it's considered saying shema while greasing a wagon wheel, then kal vachomer.... :D– HodofHodCommented Jun 25, 2012 at 14:29
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The details are a little vague, but I remember something from Yeshiva. In Chabad, there is a custom to learn the weekly Likutei Torah/Torah Ohr every Shabbat morning. Someone (I forget who) was upset that people would drink coffee while learning. His reasoning was that our sages tell us that when one learns someone's Torah, the author of that Torah is present, and reads the words together with the person learning. If so, that means when you're learning Likkutei Torah/Torah Ohr the Alter Rebbe is standing there and learning with you. How could you have the chutzpah to drink in his presence.– MenachemCommented Jul 16, 2012 at 20:05
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it might be an exaggeration of אֵין דִּבְרֵי הַתּוֹרָה מִתְקַיְּמִים ... בְּלוֹמְדִים מִתּוֹךְ עִדּוּן וּמִתּוֹךְ אֲכִילָה וּשְׁתִיָּה sefaria.org/Shulchan_Arukh,_Yoreh_De'ah.246.21 and in the rambam "The words of Torah will not be permanently acquired by a person who applies himself feebly [to obtain] them, and not by those who study amid pleasure and [an abundance] of food and drink halacha 12 here chabad.org/910975– hazorizCommented Jun 23, 2017 at 22:46
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2 Answers
Mishna B'rura 170:1 bans saying words of Torah while eating a meal, lest food go down the windpipe instead of the esophagus. I see no reason eating anything else would be different from eating a meal but, of course, contact your rabbi for practical guidance rather than relying on what you read on this site. (And in this case, if your rabbi permits it, you may wish to contact your doctor also to see if he forbids it.)
I know of no reason one couldn't eat while thinking (not speaking) words of Torah. (Of course, eating while in the process of studying Torah, especially with a study partner, even while not speaking words of Torah, will limit your ability to speak Torah words aloud if any happen to come to you while you're eating, per the preceding paragraph, and thus prevent good studying. Moreover, eating can distract you from properly thinking about what you're studying. It may therefore be inadvisable; again, ask your rabbi.)
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A tip of the hat to jake, whose comment about "learning while eating" reminded me of the g'mara on which this Mishna B'rura appears to be based (even though I suspect jake was referring to something else).– msh210 ♦Commented Jun 25, 2012 at 6:35
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Would this not apply to any speech at all, and not just words of Torah?– HodofHodCommented Jun 25, 2012 at 14:32
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@HodofHod, my first paragraph would, but not my second, AFAICT. But the question was about studying Torah.– msh210 ♦Commented Jun 25, 2012 at 21:05
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2This confuses me a little because R. Shimon, in Pirkei Avot 3, seems to feel strongly that people should say Torah at the table. Is the idea that there should be a precisely specified time for the words of Torah, and at that time people should stop eating? Commented Nov 26, 2013 at 7:10
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1@ShivaramLingamneni, I haven't looked recently, but seem to recall someone who asks as you have and answers that Torah at the table is not while eating.– msh210 ♦Commented Nov 26, 2013 at 7:31
My Rebbi, who is well learned in Halacha, taught me that the halacha that the Mishna Berurah states about eating while speaking in Torah applied more strictly a long time ago, when people choked more commonly (because they had slightly less advanced bodies that we do nowadays), and that nowadays one may learn without worrying about this restriction, if necessary.
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2People don't choke on their food today?– user9643Commented Jun 23, 2017 at 2:59