Chapter 2. The Laws of the Nine Days

Laundering and ironing

Time of the prohibition
1. According to the law of the Gemara, it is forbidden to launder clothing during the week in which Tisha B’Av falls. The custom of Ashkenazim is not to launder clothing from Rosh Chodesh Av, and one should not be lenient in this. Even garments that will not be worn during the Nine Days may not be laundered. [1]

For Sephardim
2. Among Sephardim, some have the custom not to launder only during the week in which Tisha B’Av falls (see below regarding such a week when Tisha B’Av falls on Shabbat). [2]

Dry cleaning
3. Cleaning a garment by dry cleaning is included in laundering.

Cleaning a stain
4. It is permitted to clean a localized stain on a garment.

Which items
5. The prohibition of laundering includes clothing and towels, sheets, bedding, and tablecloths. [3]

Shabbat clothing
6. Shabbat clothing should also be laundered before the Nine Days; however, after the fact, if the Shabbat clothing is dirty, it may be laundered during the Nine Days in honor of Shabbat. [4]

Ironing
6. Ironing clothing has the same law as laundering. [5]

Wearing laundered clothing
7. Just as it is forbidden to launder, so too it is forbidden during these days to wear clean, laundered clothing. It is also forbidden to make the bed with, or use, laundered towels and tablecloths. [6]

Initial preparation
8. In order for it to be permitted initially to wear laundered clothing, one should prepare it by wearing and using it a little before the Nine Days. One who did not prepare may do so on Shabbat by wearing a garment and changing every few hours into another laundered garment [because only when he wears it for a few hours is there no concern of preparing from Shabbat for a weekday, since it is considered that he is wearing it for Shabbat itself; but if he puts it on and immediately takes it off, it is evident
that he is doing so as preparation for the weekdays, and it is forbidden].

Amount of time to wear
9. To prepare a garment so that it is no longer considered freshly laundered, it is sufficient to wear it for a few minutes. [7]

After the fact
10. If one did not prepare the garments by wearing them, he should give them to a minor to wear; in pressing circumstances one may be lenient and place them on the floor so that they become slightly dusty and soiled, and then they may be worn. [8]

Garments worn next to the body
11. Sweat garments—i.e., garments worn next to the body: some are lenient and permit wearing them laundered, but initially even these should be soiled by placing them on the floor. [9]

In honor of Shabbat
12. In honor of Shabbat it is permitted to wear all Shabbat clothing as usual [after washing]. Sheets and bedding should not be changed to laundered ones even in honor of Shabbat [and one who needs to change them should do so and have a minor lie on them for a few minutes]. [10]

New clothing
13. New clothing, even garments that are not significant, may not be worn for the first time during the Nine Days, and even on Shabbat it is forbidden. [11]

Garments worn next to the body
14. New sweat garments may be worn for the first time on Shabbat during the Nine Days [whereas other new garments are forbidden even on Shabbat, as above].

Children’s clothing
15. Clothing of small children, as long as they soil their clothing, may be laundered as usual; it may even be hung outside, because it is recognizable that they are children’s clothes. [12]

Until what age
16. Some are lenient to launder children’s clothing until bar- or bat-mitzvah age until the week in which Tisha B’Av falls. [13]

Adding adults’ clothing
17. When laundering children’s clothing, it is forbidden to add adults’ clothing to the wash together with the children’s clothing.

He has nothing to wear
18. One who has no clean clothing left, and the used clothing is so dirty that it gives off a bad odor, may launder it if he has nothing to wear; everything depends on the circumstances.

To launder or to buy
1 9. One who has no clean clothing to wear and has two options—laundering or buying new clothing—until the week in which Tisha B’Av falls it is preferable to launder; during that week it is preferable to buy. [14]

The prohibition of washing in hot and cold water

[For Ashkenazim, from Rosh Chodesh Av; among the communities of the East there are different customs—some have the custom of Ashkenazim, and some prohibit washing in hot water only during the week in which Tisha B’Av falls [and with cold water, it is permitted to wash the entire body even during the week in which Tisha B’Av falls]]. [15]

The prohibition
20. It is forbidden to wash the body during the Nine Days even in cold water, except for one’s face, hands, and feet, which may be washed in cold water. [16]

Not for pleasure
21. Washing not for pleasure is permitted. Therefore, a person who suffers from perspiration and is very dirty from it may wash limb by limb in cold water. In places with much perspiration that cannot be cleaned with cold water, it is permitted to clean with hot water and soap—only as needed. The House of our G-d is worthy that we distress ourselves over its destruction, and “whoever mourns over Jerusalem merits and sees its joy.” [17]

For medical purposes
22. Washing for medical purposes is permitted; therefore one who has wounds and needs to wash them may do so. Likewise, one who knows clearly that if he refrains from washing it will cause wounds may rinse only as needed; if cold water suffices, hot water is forbidden. [18]

Passing a damp towel
23. Washing by passing a wet towel over the body or wiping with moist wipes is permitted.

Minors
24. Children until close to bar-mitzvah age may be treated leniently and allowed to wash. [19]

Tevilat Ezra
25. Tevilat Ezra is permitted. Some are lenient regarding one who is accustomed to immerse in a mikveh every day, permitting him to immerse even during the Nine Days. [20]

Immersion on Friday
93. Immersion in a mikveh on Friday: if one is accustomed to immerse every Friday, he may immerse even on Friday during the Nine Days in a cold mikveh [and if there is no cold one, one may be lenient even in a hot one]. Regarding the time of immersion, see the end of the following paragraph. [21]

Washing on Friday
27. Washing on Friday: on a Friday that falls on Rosh Chodesh, one who always washes on Friday may wash his entire body in hot water and even with soap. On Erev Shabbat Chazon, one who regularly washes in hot water every Friday and has never omitted this except due to compulsion may wash his head, face, hands, and feet in hot water and soap, but the rest of the body is forbidden even in cold water. [The law of one who suffers from perspiration was explained in paragraph 21.] Initially
one should wash before midday; if he did not manage, he may wash until Shabbat begins. [22] [23]

Cutting nails

Before the week in which Tisha B’Av falls
28. Before the week in which Tisha B’Av falls it is permitted. The later authorities dispute the law of cutting nails during that week, and one who is lenient has authorities upon whom to rely [and in honor of Shabbat it is permitted]. [24]

On Rosh Chodesh
29. On Rosh Chodesh, even when it falls on Friday, some follow the testament of Rabbi Yehudah HaChasid not to cut nails; those who follow this custom may [in this case] cut them on Thursday. [25]

Meat and wine

The custom
30. The custom of Ashkenazim is not to eat meat and not to drink wine from Rosh Chodesh Av. Among the communities of the East there are different customs, and many have the custom not to eat meat or drink wine from the night after Rosh Chodesh Av. [26]

A dish cooked with meat
31. It is also customary not to eat a dish cooked together with meat during these days; therefore potatoes cooked with meat should not be eaten [many from the communities of the East are lenient in this]. [27]

Alcoholic drinks
32. It is permitted to drink alcoholic beverages that contain no admixture of wine, such as beer, liqueur, whiskey, and the like.

Minors
33. Children up to age three may be fed meat. From age three until the age when they know to mourn for Jerusalem, the halachic authorities dispute whether one may give them meat; the opinion of the Mishnah Berurah is to be stringent. A dish cooked with meat may be given to minors leniently. [28]

A woman after childbirth and a nursing mother
34. A woman within thirty days after childbirth may eat meat until the seventh of Av; from the seventh of Av onward the custom is to refrain. The same applies to a nursing mother when, if she does not eat meat, the baby’s milk is not good; likewise to a pregnant woman who needs to eat meat, or to a sick person who needs meat. [29]

Grape juice
35. Grape juice also should not be drunk during these days. [30]

Havdalah
36. At Havdalah on Saturday night during the Nine Days, some give the cup to a minor who has reached the age of education but does not yet know to mourn for Jerusalem. Since care must be taken to give it specifically to a minor who has reached the age of education, and also to ensure that the minor drinks a cheekful, and it is not clear what age defines a minor who does not know to mourn for Jerusalem, many have the custom that the one reciting Havdalah drinks the cup of wine or grape juice himself. [31]

Cakes with wine
37. Cakes that contain wine and whose taste is noticeable—some are stringent not to eat them during these days. [32]

On Shabbat
38. On Shabbat it is permitted to eat meat and drink wine; regarding other meals associated with a mitzvah, there are various cases explained in siman 551, paragraph 10.

Business dealings

It is explained in the Gemara in Yevamot (43b): “From Rosh Chodesh until the fast, the people reduce their business dealings, building, and planting,” etc. One must examine the meaning of “reduce” in business dealings: does it mean reducing them entirely, or doing only what is necessary and not as on other days? Tosafot discuss this in Yevamot (there, 43a, s.v. Milisa) and in Megillah (5b, s.v. Mema’atin). It is explained there in Tosafot that if “reducing buying and selling” refers to joyous business dealings such as wedding needs, the meaning must be to reduce entirely; but if “reducing buying and selling” is not specifically joyous business, then “reduce” means doing what is necessary and not as on other days. So too the Mishnah Berurah (siman 551,
s.k. 11) distinguishes between joyous business dealings and other business dealings. Below the laws that follow from this will be explained. Another law is explained in the Tur (siman 551, paragraph 7): it is forbidden to prepare new clothing during the week in which Tisha B’Av falls. The source is in the Jerusalem Talmud, chapter “Makom SheNahagu”: “Women who have the custom not to set the warp once Av enters—this is a custom,” because the Even HaShetiyah was annulled; and since setting the warp is forbidden, all the more so preparing new clothing. It is proper to be stringent in this from Rosh Chodesh, for this too is included in reducing joy—these are the words of the Tur. The Rema added that the same applies to not buying clothing, meaning that buying clothing is also like preparing clothing. It is clear from this that regarding clothing there is an additional law not to buy it, besides the general law of reducing business dealings; based on this, with G-d’s help, the following laws will be explained.

Buying jewelry
39. One should not buy jewelry throughout the Nine Days. [33]

Buying silver and gold utensils
40. One should not buy silver and gold utensils, and one should also be careful not to buy expensive items. [34]

Buying plates and pots
41. One should reduce the purchase of plates, pots, cutlery, and other items not needed for the Nine Days; but if they are needed for these days, they may be bought.

Buying clothing
42. One should not buy clothing during the Nine Days, even insignificant garments and even those over which one does not recite Shehecheyanu. [35]

Davar ha’aved
43. A sale with special discounts that will not be available after the Nine Days may be used to buy even during the Nine Days. [36]

A gift
44. Buying a gift for one’s wife for the sake of shalom bayit is permitted during the Nine Days, as it is considered a mitzvah need; everything depends on the circumstances. [37]

[1] Shulchan Aruch (siman 551, paragraph 3).
[2] Ibid.
[3] Ibid.
[4] Mishnah Berurah (siman 551, s.k. 32).
[5] Ibid.
[6] Ibid.
[7] Shulchan Aruch (Yoreh De’ah, siman 389, paragraph 1).
[8] Ibid.
[9] Pitchei Teshuvah (ibid.).
[10] Shulchan Aruch (siman 551, paragraph 3).
[11] Shulchan Aruch (siman 551, paragraph 6); Mishnah Berurah (s.k. 45).
[12] Shulchan Aruch (siman 551, paragraph 14).
[13] Mishnah Berurah (siman 551, s.k. 82).
[14] Shulchan Aruch (siman 551, paragraphs 3, 6, 7).
[15] Shulchan Aruch (siman 551, paragraph 16).
[16] Ibid.
[17] Shulchan Aruch (ibid. and siman 613, paragraph 1).
[18] Shulchan Aruch (siman 613, paragraph 1).
[19] Shulchan Aruch (siman 551, paragraph 14).
[20] Shulchan Aruch (siman 551, paragraph 16).
[21] Mishnah Berurah (siman 551, s.k. 95).
[22] Shulchan Aruch (siman 551, paragraph 16); Mishnah Berurah (s.k. 89, 97).
[23] Biur Halachah (ibid., paragraph 16).
[24] Mishnah Berurah (siman 551, s.k. 20).
[25] Mishnah Berurah (siman 260, s.k. 7, and siman 551, s.k. 20).
[26] Shulchan Aruch (siman 551, paragraph 9); Mishnah Berurah (s.k. 58).
[27] Shulchan Aruch (ibid., paragraph 10); Mishnah Berurah (s.k. 63).
[28] Ibid. and Mishnah Berurah (s.k. 70).
[29] Mishnah Berurah (ibid., s.k. 61), and Magen Avraham (siman 554, s.k. 9).
[30] Shulchan Aruch (ibid.); Mishnah Berurah (s.k. 66).
[31] Shulchan Aruch (siman 551, paragraph 10); Mishnah Berurah (s.k. 68, 70), and Shulchan Aruch, siman 296, paragraph 1.
[32] Mishnah Berurah (siman 551, s.k. 63); Sha’ar HaTziyun (s.k. 68), Taz (s.k. 9), and Be’er Heitev (s.k. 29).
[33] Shulchan Aruch (siman 551, paragraph 2).
[34] Shulchan Aruch (ibid.); Mishnah Berurah (s.k. 11).
[35] Shulchan Aruch (siman 551, paragraph 7).
[36] Shulchan Aruch (ibid., paragraph 2); Mishnah Berurah (s.k. 11).
[37] Rema (siman 551, paragraph 2).