Greeting in Chat on Tisha B'Av
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Question
It is known that greeting is forbidden on Tisha B'Av. Is this prohibition only face-to-face or also on the phone, and especially in chat such as email, where the voice is not heard, only typed?
Answer
It is forbidden to greet on Tisha B'Av even in writing, not just verbally.
This law stems from the mourning observed on Tisha B'Av, and in mourning, greeting is forbidden even in writing.
Source
The Rema (Yoreh De'ah, Siman 380) wrote: "Just as it is permitted to write on Chol Hamoed, so it is permitted to write during one's mourning days, but not on other matters."
In Orach Chaim (Siman 545), the Mishnah Berurah (subparagraph 35) ruled leniently regarding greeting letters since it is not considered professional work.
The Aruch HaShulchan (Yoreh De'ah, Siman 380, paragraph 10) wrote: "But certainly, there are details that are not the same, and writing greeting letters is certainly forbidden in mourning."