Showering with Soap during the Thirty Days of Mourning
This question and answer were automatically translated using our trained AI and have not yet been reviewed by a qualified rabbi. Please treat this translation with caution.
go to original →
Question
Is it permissible to shower with soap during the thirty days of mourning?
Answer
In places where it is permitted to wash the body with cold water, there is no prohibition at all on using soap, as the prohibition is only on washing, not on anointing.
Source
Aruch HaShulchan, Yoreh De'ah, Siman 381, Se'if 4: "And so I instruct and act, but I warn that they should only wash with cold water and avoid washing with hot water and anointing with soap called 'zeif', and it seems that this too is permitted, as only washing is mentioned as forbidden within 30 days, not anointing."
The reason for his words is that, as we find in the Maharshal, the reason for the prohibition is because after washing, it is customary to get a haircut, and there is a concern that one might get a haircut after washing, which is forbidden for 30 days for other relatives, and in mourning until friends rebuke him. And this reason does not apply to anointing, even though anointing is included in washing.