- Q. A second question pertains to the obligation to eat during the night of the ninth?
A. See question above. The Ran (Nedarim 63b) suggests that the mitzva applies both by night and by day, whereas it seems that Conceivably, this question stems from the nature of the mitzva. Assuming the mitzva is geared toward preparing us for the fast, we might not apply it at night, since food eaten at that point would not necessarily help one fast.
If, however, we acknowledge the status of the ninth as a separate Yom Tov, the mitzva of eating might indeed begin the night before, akin to all other Yamim Tovim. In fact, many poskim suggested not saying Tachanun during Mincha of the eighth, since we never say Tachanun during Mincha preceding a Yom Tov beginning that night.
Important Numbers
