Chapter 2. The Laws of the Nine Days

The Time of the Prohibition

alef 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 clothing that will not be worn during the Nine Days is forbidden to launder. 1

For Sephardim

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

Dry Cleaning

gimel Cleaning a garment by dry cleaning is included in laundering.

Cleaning a Stain

dalet It is permitted to clean a localized stain on a garment.

Which Items

hei Included in the prohibition of laundering are clothing and towels, sheets, bedding, and tablecloths. 3

Shabbat Clothing

vav One should also launder Shabbat clothing 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

vav The law of ironing clothing is like that of laundering. 5

Wearing Laundered Clothing

zayin Just as it is forbidden to launder, so too it is forbidden during these days to wear clean laundered clothing. Likewise, it is forbidden to make the bed or to use towels and tablecloths that were laundered. 6

Initial Preparation

chet 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 several 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 removes it, it is evident that he is doing so as preparation for the weekdays, and it is forbidden].

Required Duration of Wearing

tet To prepare a garment so that it is not considered laundered, it is sufficient to wear it for a few minutes. 7

After the Fact

yud If he did not prepare the clothing by wearing it, he should give it to a child to wear; and in pressing circumstances one may be lenient and place it on the floor so that it becomes a bit dusty and soiled, and then it may be worn. 8

Garments Next to the Body

yud-alef Sweat garments—meaning garments worn next to the body: some are lenient that they may be worn laundered, but initially even these should be soiled by placing them on the floor. 9

In Honor of Shabbat

yud-bet In honor of Shabbat, one may wear all Shabbat clothing as usual [and should put them on after washing]. Sheets and bedding should not be changed for laundered ones even in honor of Shabbat [and one who needs to change them should do so and have a child lie on them for a few minutes]. 10

New Clothing on Shabbat

yud-gimel New clothing, even unimportant garments, may not be worn for the first time during the Nine Days, and this is forbidden even on Shabbat. 11

New Garments Next to the Body on Shabbat

yud-dalet New sweat garments may be worn for the first time on Shabbat during the Nine Days [but other new garments are forbidden even on Shabbat, as above].

Children’s Clothing

tet-vav The clothing of small children, as long as they soil their clothing, may be laundered as usual, and it may even be hung outside, since it is evident that they are children’s clothes. 12

Up to What Age

tet-zayin Some are lenient to launder children’s clothing until the age of mitzvot until the week in which Tisha B’Av falls. 13

Adding Adults’ Clothing

yud-zayin 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

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

To Launder or to Buy

yud-tet One who has no clean clothing to wear, and has two options before him—to launder or to buy new clothing—until the week in which Tisha B’Av falls it is preferable to launder, and during the week in which it falls it is preferable to buy. 14

[For Ashkenazim, from Rosh Chodesh Av; and among Sephardic communities there are differing customs in this matter—some follow the Ashkenazim, and some observe a prohibition of washing in hot water only during the week in which Tisha B’Av falls [and in cold water, it is permitted to wash the entire body even during the week in which Tisha B’Av falls]]. 15

The Prohibition

kaf 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

kaf-alef Washing not for the sake of pleasure is permitted. Therefore, a person who suffers from sweat and is very soiled by it may wash limb by limb with cold water. In places with excessive sweat that cannot be cleaned with cold water, it is permitted to clean with hot water and soap—only as needed; and the House of our God is worthy that we distress ourselves over its destruction, and “כל המתאבל על ירושלים - זוכה ורואה בשמחתה” (whoever mourns over Jerusalem merits and sees its joy). 17

For Medical Need

kaf-bet Washing for medical purposes is permitted; therefore, one who has wounds and needs to wash them may do so. Likewise, one who knows with certainty that refraining from washing will cause him wounds may rinse only as necessary; and if cold water suffices for him, hot water is forbidden. 18

Passing a Damp Towel Over the Body

kaf-gimel Washing by passing a wet towel over the body or wiping with wet wipes is permitted.

Minors

kaf-dalet For children until close to bar mitzvah age, one may be lenient and allow them to wash. 19

Tevilat Ezra

kaf-hei Tevilat Ezra is permitted. Some are lenient for one who is accustomed to immerse in a mikveh every day, permitting him to immerse also during the Nine Days. 20

Immersion on Erev Shabbat

kaf-vav Immersion in a mikveh on Erev Shabbat—if one is accustomed to immerse every Erev Shabbat, he may immerse even on Erev Shabbat during the Nine Days in a cold mikveh [and if there is no cold mikveh, one may be lenient even with a warm one]; regarding the time of immersion, see the end of the next paragraph. 21

Washing on Erev Shabbat

kaf-zayin Washing on Erev Shabbat: on an Erev Shabbat that falls on Rosh Chodesh, one who always washes on Erev Shabbat may wash his entire body with hot water and even with soap. On Erev Shabbat Chazon, one who is accustomed to bathe in hot water every Erev Shabbat and has never refrained except due to circumstances beyond his control may wash his head, face, hands, and feet with hot water and soap, but the rest of the body is forbidden even in cold water. [The law of one who suffers from sweat was explained in paragraph kaf-alef]. Initially, one should wash before midday; if he did not manage to do so, he may wash until Shabbat begins. 22 23

Before the Week in Which It Falls

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

On Rosh Chodesh

kaf-tet On Rosh Chodesh, even when it falls on Erev Shabbat, some follow the testament of Rabbi Yehudah HeChasid not to cut nails; those who have this custom may [in this case] cut them on Thursday. 25

The Custom

lamed The custom of Ashkenazim is not to eat meat and not to drink wine from Rosh Chodesh Av. Among Sephardic communities there are differing customs in this matter, and many Sephardim have the custom not to eat meat and not to drink wine from the night after Rosh Chodesh Av. 26

A Dish Cooked with Meat

lamed-alef It is also customary not to eat a dish that was cooked with meat during these days; therefore, potatoes cooked with meat should not be eaten [though many Sephardim are lenient in this]. 27

Alcoholic Beverages

lamed-bet It is permitted to drink alcoholic beverages that do not contain any mixture of wine, such as beer, liqueur, whiskey, and the like.

Minors

lamed-gimel Children until the age of three may be fed meat. From age three until the age at which they know how to mourn for Jerusalem, the decisors disagree whether it is permitted to give them meat, and the view 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 Woman

lamed-dalet 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 law applies to a nursing woman when, if she does not eat meat, the baby’s milk is not good; and the same applies to a pregnant woman who needs to eat meat, or to an ill person who needs meat. 29

Grape Juice

lamed-hei Even grape juice should not be drunk during these days. 30

Havdalah

lamed-vav At Havdalah on Motza’ei Shabbat during the Nine Days, some give the cup to a child who has reached the age of education but does not know how to mourn for Jerusalem. Since one must be careful to give it specifically to a child who has reached the age of education and also ensure that the child drinks a cheekful, and it is not clear what age defines a child who does not know how to mourn for Jerusalem, many therefore have the custom that the one reciting Havdalah drinks the cup of wine or grape juice himself. 31

Cakes with Wine

lamed-zayin Cakes that contain wine and whose taste is noticeable—some are stringent not to eat them during these days. 32

On Shabbat

lamed-chet On Shabbat it is permitted to eat meat and drink wine, but regarding other seudot mitzvah there are various cases explained in section 551, paragraph 10.

It is explained in the Gemara in Yevamot (43b): “מראש חודש ועד התענית העם ממעטין בעסקיהן מלישא ומליתן, מלבנות ולנטוע” etc. (“From Rosh Chodesh until the fast, the people reduce their activities: buying and selling, building and planting”). One must consider what “reduce” means regarding business activity: does it mean that one reduces it entirely, or that one does only what is necessary and not as on other days? Tosafot discuss this in Yevamot (there, on page 43a, s.v. melisa) and in Megillah (5b, s.v. mema’atin), and it is explained there in Tosafot that if “they reduce buying and selling” refers to business of joy, such as wedding needs, then necessarily the meaning of “reduce” is that one must reduce it entirely; but if “they reduce buying and selling” does not specifically refer to business of joy, then “reduce” means that one does what is necessary and not as on other days. So too in the Mishnah Berurah (section 551, se’if katan 11), there is a distinction between business of joy and other business. Below the laws that emerge from this will be explained. Another law is explained in the Tur (section 551, paragraph 7): new garments may not be prepared during the week in which Tisha B’Av falls. The source of the law is in the Jerusalem Talmud in the chapter Makom SheNahagu: “נשי דנהיגי דלא למשתי עמרא מגו דעייל אב מנהגא” (“women who have the custom not to spin wool from the onset of Av—that is a valid custom”), because the Foundation Stone was nullified; and since weaving 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 with respect to clothing there is an additional law not to buy it, aside from the law of reducing business activity; and based on this, with God’s help, the following laws will be explained.

Buying Jewelry

lamed-tet One should not buy jewelry during all of the Nine Days. 33

Buying Silver and Gold Utensils

mem One should not buy silver and gold utensils, and one should also be careful not to buy expensive items. 34

Buying Plates and Pots

mem-alef One should minimize buying 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

mem-bet One should not buy clothing during the Nine Days, even unimportant garments and even those over which one does not recite “שהחיינו” (Shehecheyanu). 35

A Potential Loss

mem-gimel 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

mem-dalet Buying a gift for one’s wife for the purpose of shalom bayit is permitted during the Nine Days, since it is considered a mitzvah need; everything depends on the circumstances. 37