Hi everyone,

Came across this on a Jewish forum, thought it was interesting (feel free to skip over if it doesn't interest you!)

The Talmudic (about 2000 years old) recommended duration for breastfeeding is 24 months, although some authorities, such as Rabbi Yehoshua, extend this period up to 4 to 5 years. If the infant is weaned before 2 years there is concern that this will lead to an undue risk to the infant’s health.

I managed to find it in the Rambam, Hilchos Ishus, Chapter 12; halacho 13:

(Even) If she made a vow not to nurse her son, she is forced to do so until he is 24 months old, whether male or female.

It does appear in the gemorra (2000 years old approx.) and the Shulcan Aruch (around 500 years old) too, but I can't find it. It appears with the connection of a woman's obligations to her husband. (While I was searching I also discovered the interesting fact that a woman with twins is only obligated to nurse one of them and her husband has to hire a wet-nurse for the other!)

Today many rabbi's hold that the situation is different because of the existence of formula etc. But I feel that we should certainly understand it as what the Torah thinks is the best, even if other options are allowed. We are doing the ultimate chessed ~ charity (well, i can't think of a good english translation for the word... charity isn't quite right, more a good thing you can do to help others) for our child every time we nurse, because it is chessed that no-one else can do for him.

You could actually look at it the other way around, that those who didn't nurse in the time of the Torah/ talmud - at least their child usually nursed from another woman with the corresponding benefits, whereas today they are weaned onto formula and lose so many of the health benefits.

Here are some more sources:

• The Mishna (Ketubot 59b) instructs us that breastfeeding her baby is a woman’s obligation toward her husband, *so much so that other household functions take lower priority during this time.

• According to the Shulchan Aruch (Yoreh Deah 81:7) a child may nurse, if healthy, until four years old; a sickly or weak child, until five years old.

• Most sources point towards 24 months as the accepted minimum length of the breastfeeding relationship. Even the most lenient of authorities points to the age when a baby has six to eight teeth. This is estimated to be between the ages of ten and sixteen months.

• The Talmud (Yerushalmi, Brochot 68a) states that a Jew should be involved in Torah every hour of the day just as a baby nurses every hour of the day. Also, a baby should be allowed to nurse as often as he desires. “Even if he nurses all day long it will not harm him” (Tosefta, Sotah 4:1).

Just thought it was interesting as the recommendations are similar to the WHO, and they were written around 2000 years ago!

Yael