What are the health benefits attributed to eating morning bread (pat shachairit), and does this constitute a religious duty?

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Synopsis

The Talmud enumerates numerous health benefits of morning bread. The Mishnah Berurah and Aruch HaShulchan both record these, with the Mishnah Berurah explicitly framing the maintenance of bodily health as a religious obligation.

Late Acharonim
Lenient
Strict
Lesser cited
Major authority

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