– Q. Rabbi I need help urgent. Never in my life (B”H), I had to take any medicine on a day of fasting. Now I need to take antibiotics. Which is the best Halacha way to swallow them on Tisha Beav? (need urgent answer!).

A. Firstly consult with your doctor, since you may be able to space the intake of the antibiotics in a way that you could avoid most of them during Tisha Beav. The pills that you must take, can if possible just be wrapped slightly with some minute paper tissue. Many Poskim maintain that just swallowing them with a minimum of necessary water if need be, is an accepted procedure.

Rabbi A. Bartfeld as revised by Horav Yaakov Hirschman, Horav Dovid Pam, Horav Aharon Miller, Horav Chanoch Ehrentreu and Horav Kalman Ochs Shlit’a.