Leviticus 23:32 It [Yom Kippur] is a complete day of rest for you, and you shall afflict yourselves. On the ninth of the month in the evening, from evening to evening, you shall observe your rest day

Gemora Berachot 8b:  – Do we fast on the 9^th day of the month? No, we fast on the 10^th day of the month. If that is the case, then why does the verse state on the 9^th? To teach you that anyone who eats and drinks on the 9^th of the month – it is counted for him as though he fasted on the 9^th and the 10^th.

Torah Temimah Colloquial Translation on later part of Note #97:

It is not clear what the reason is for the commandment to eat and drink on the 9^th of Tishrei [the day before Yom Kippur.] It is possible that the reason relates to that which is written in the Gemora Taanis 27a: The “men of the guard” in the Temple would not fast on Sundays. The Gemora there gives several reasons for this, but one reason is that they would not fast on Sundays so as to not have an abrupt transition from the rest and joy of Shabbat to the pain and trouble of fasting. The commentaries explain that a fast that comes immediately after a period of much eating and drinking is proportionately more difficult than an average fast. Therefore, since Shabbat is a period of more than average eating and drinking, this would make fasting on Sundays more difficult than fasting on any other day. This is the reason for the saying that everyone who eats more on the 9^th of Tishrei, it is counted for him as though he fasted on both the 9^th and the 10^th of Tishrei. By eating and drinking more on the 9^th, a person causes the fasting on the 10^th to be more difficult.

This greatly clarifies Rashi’s comment in the Gemora Rosh HaShanah 9a. There Rashi explains the phrase in the Gemora “anyone who eats and drinks on the 9^th” as meaning “anyone who eats and drinks more than average on the 9^th”. This is also stated in Chulin 83a: and and Chulin 110a:   It is not apparent why Rashi makes this comment [or what his source is.] But according to what we have just written above, all becomes clear. Since to the extent that one eats more on the day before a fast, to that extent is the difficulty of the fast the next day. If so, it is logical to state that the more one eats on the 9^th, the more praiseworthy it is; since the faster is just making the fast more difficult for himself.

This also clarifies the comment of Rav Achai Gaon in Section 167, where he states that the commandment of eating on the 9^th only applies if one fasts on the 10^th. My teacher, my uncle, also explains this in his comments on this issue. On the face of it, it is not immediately apparent what the connection is between the commandment to eat and drink on the 9^th and the commandment to fast on the 10^th. But now that we have explained the connection, we see that anyone who is not commanded to fast on the 10^th, such as a sick person, is also not commanded to eat and drink extra on the 9^th.

Our rabbi, Rabbi Akiva Eiger in his Halachic Responsum in Section 16, questions whether women are obligated in the commandment to eat and drink extra on the 9^th of Tishrei. Rabbi Eiger wonders if, after all, eating on the 9^th could be considered a “positive, time-bound commandments”. Since women are exempt from positive, time-bound commandments, perhaps they are exempt from the commandment of eating on the 9^th. Rabbi Eiger concludes that he is unsure how to rule in this instance.

According what we have explained above, however, regarding the connection of eating on the 9^th to the commandment of fasting on the 10^th, it is clear that women are obligated in the commandment of eating on the 9^th since they are obligated to fast on the 10^th [and the two commandments are intrinsically connected to each other.]

One can also bring a proof to what we’ve written from a Gemora Betzah 30a regarding the topic of adding on to the time period of Yom Kippur. There, the Gemora states “Those women who eat and drink on the day before Yom Kippur [on the 9^th] right up until sunset, we don’t correct them at all. It is better that they err unintentionally than err intentionally.” Apparently, on the face of it, this Gemora is astonishing. It is well known that women, in general, are more careful in mitzvot than men even regarding light mitzvot and even regarding mitzvot that they are not intrinsically obligated to perform. How much more so are women careful and exacting regarding the commandments relating to Yom Kippur! This being the case, how is it possible that they would eat on the 9^th so close to the actual time of Yom Kippur? Additionally, how could one possibly say that they wouldn’t listen if one were to try and correct their actions? This is an astounding thing to say.

However, according what we have said above, that women are obligated equally in the commandment to eat and drink extra on the 9^th even though they are exempt from most “positive, time-bound commandments” – and this instance is a special exception; that is the reason why this commandment is especially endeared to women and why one would suspect that they would not listen if one was to try and restrict their observance of it.

This discussion enables us to shed some light on comments of the Rosh and the Ran on this section of the Gemora Betzah and comments by the Rema on Orach Haim Section 608. They deduce from this section of the Gemora that there is a general principle regarding women that if one sees the women doing something wrong, it is better to not correct them. It is preferable that they err unintentionally than err intentionally. According to what we have written above, however, there is no proof at all from this Gemora to cause us to make a general principle. Behold, regarding this commandment of eating on the 9^th, they [might] be transgressing due to this particular commandment being so endeared to them. However, regarding other commandments how could one think that women wouldn’t listen if corrected and thus be prevented from a transgression?

Editor’s Note: The Torah Temimah goes on further in this note to show that the law of eating and drinking extra on the 9^th is not a Rabbinical ordinance but rather is from the written Torah, itself. This note is another example, of many, where the Torah Temimah uses the opportunity of his commentary on the Bible to defend and promote the role, observance and reputation of women against some negative comments that have been made by some rabbis down through the ages.