The Halachos of the Nine Days

Table of contents

Laundry and ironing ● showers ● cutting nails ● meat and wine ● commerce

Laundry and ironing

1. The basic law according to the Gemara is, that one is prohibited from doing laundry on the week leading up to Tisha B'av.

The custom of Bnei Ashkenaz is not to wash clothing from Rosh Chodesh Av, and with regard to this custom, one should not be lenient.

This custom is applicable even to clothing that will not be worn during the nine days.

2. Some Bnei Sephard have the custom not to do laundry only on the week of Tisha B'av.

3. Dry cleaning is also considered washing, and may not be done, even by a non-Jewish cleaner. Although one may give it in before Rosh Chodesh Av.

4. Although laundering is prohibited, cleaning a specific stain is permitted.

5. The prohibition of laundering includes towels, sheets, linen and tablecloths.

6. Ironing clothes is considered a part of laundering, and is therefore not allowed.

7. As it is prohibited to do laundry, so too one is not allowed to wear freshly laundered clothing. Fresh linen, towels and tablecloths that were freshly washed, are also not allowed to be used.

8. In order to enable one to wear freshly laundered clothing, Lechatchila, one needs to prepare them by wearing or using them for a short period of time before the Nine Days. One who did not prepare them in advance, can prepare them on Shabbos by wearing an item of clothing for a few hours, and then change it to a different freshly washed attire (the clothing needs to be worn for a few hours in order to be considered that it is worn in honor of Shabbos, because if one wears it only for a few minutes, it would then be considered as preparing the clothing on Shabbos for the weekday, which is prohibited).

9. Before Rosh Chodesh, it is sufficient to wear the clothing for a few minutes in order to prepare it so it won't be considered freshly laundered.

10. If one did not prepare the clothes by wearing them, he should have a little child wear them, and if needed one can be lenient to lay them on the floor so that they will become dusty and mildly soiled, and then it is permitted to wear them.

11. Regarding undergarments, some are lenient and allow them to be worn even if they are freshly laundred. Lechatchila one should first lay them on the floor, so it should lose its freshness.

12. Lichvod Shabbos it is permitted to wear all Shabbos clothes regularly (they should be worn after showering). Freshly laundered Sheets and linens should not be used even Lichvod Shabbos. (In a case of necessity and the bed sheets need to be changed, one should have a little child lie on them for a few minutes).

13. New clothes (even unimportant ones) are not allowed to be worn during the Nine Days, and this is prohibited on Shabbos as well.

14. New undergarments are allowed to be worn initially on Shabbos during the Nine Days (other new clothes are prohibited on Shabbos as well, as mentioned above).

15. Clothing of children that are of the age that they soil their clothes, are permitted to be laundered as usual, and it is also permitted to hang them outside to dry since it is clearly evident that they are small children's clothes.

16. Some are lenient to wash children clothes up till the age of Bar Mitzvah, but only prior to the week of Tisha B'av.

17. When one washes little children's clothes, it's prohibited to add other clothes together with the children's clothes.

18. Someone who does not have any fresh clothes to wear, and the used clothes are dirty and exude a bad smell- it is permitted to wash them if one does not have what to wear. Every case should be judged individually.

19. Someone who doesn't have clean clothes to wear, and has two options - either to wash clothes or to buy new clothes- until the week of Tisha B'av it is preferable to wash the clothes, and during the week of Tisha B'av- it is preferable to buy new clothes.

The laws of washing one's body with hot or cold water

(the term "cold water" means that it's not comfortably warm)

[for Bnei Ashkenaz from Rosh Chodesh Av, and for Bnei Eidot Hamizrach there are different customs- some have the custom like B'nei Ashkenaz and some Sephardim have the custom that the prohibition of having a hot shower is only during the week that Tisha B'av falls on (even this custom allows washing the body with cold water even on the week of Tisha B'av)].

20. It is prohibited to wash the body during the Nine Days even with cold water, except for one's face, hands and feet which are allowed to be washed with cold water.

21. Having a shower that is not for enjoyment is permitted. Therefore, a person who suffers from excessive sweat is permitted to wash each limb separately with cold water. Areas that are with a lot of sweat which cannot be cleaned with cold water alone, it is permitted to clean them with hot water and soap - but only what is needed. One must remember that the destruction of the Beis Hamikdash is ample reason to make oneself uncomfortable in remembrance of its destruction, and one should bear in mind that only the one who mourns for Yerushalayim will merit to see it in the time of happiness.

22. Washing for medical reasons is permitted, therefore a person who has slashes or wounds or something similar and needs to wash himself, is allowed to do so. Someone who is certain that if he will avoid having a shower, it will cause him to have sores, is permitted to wash as much as needed, and where cold water is sufficient then hot water is not permitted.

23. Washing by passing a wet towel or wet wipes is permitted.

24. Children until close to Bar Mitzvah age can be lenient to have a shower.

25. 'T'vilas Ezra' is permitted. And some are lenient to allow one who immerses in the Mikvah every day, to do so during the Nine Days as well.

26. T'vila on Erev Shabbos - one who goes to the mikvah every Erev Shabbos, is permitted to go to a cold Mikvah on Erev Shabbos in the Nine Days as well (if there is no cold Mikvah then one may be lenient to use a hot one), regarding the time of the T'vila see below.

27. Showering on Erev Shabbos Chazon : one who is meticulous to have a shower every Erev Shabbos and never skipped it, if possible, is permitted to wash his head, face, hands and legs with hot water and soap, the rest of the body is prohibited to wash even with cold water. (The Din of someone who suffers from sweat was brought above in paragraph 21). Lechatchila one should wash before midday (ט"ז סי' תקנ"א ס"ק ט"ז) and if one didn't manage - he can wash until Shabbos.

Cutting nails

28. Until the Shabbos before Tisha B'av - it is permitted.
The week of Tisha B'av - There is a disagreement in the Achronim regarding the Din of cutting nails in the week of Tisha B'av. One who is lenient has on whom to rely. (In the honor of Shabbos, it's permitted according to all opinions).

Meat and wine

29. The custom of Bnei Ashknaz is not to eat meat or drink wine from Rosh Chodesh Av and on. Bnei Eidot Hamizrach have different customs, many from Bnei Eidot Hamizrach have the custom not to eat meat and drink wine from Motzei Rosh Chodesh Av and on.

30. Food that was cooked with meat- it is customary not to eat during these days, therefore potatoes that were cooked with meat should not be eaten even separately (and many from Bnei Eidot Hamizrach are lenient regarding this).

31. It is permitted to drink alcoholic beverages that do not contain any wine, such as beer, liquor, whisky, etc.

32. Children until the age of three can be fed meat, and from the age of three until the age that they understand the meaning of mourning for Yerushalayim there is a disagreement in the Poskim if it is permitted to give them meat. The Mishna Brura's opinion is to be Machmir. A dish that was cooked with meat can be given to little children.

33. A Yoledes within thirty days of giving birth is permitted to eat meat until the 7th day of Av, after the 7th day of Av it is customary not to eat meat. The Halacha is the same regarding a nursing woman that needs to eat meat in order to raise the yield of milk for the child, and the same is regarding a pregnant woman that needs to eat meat or a person that is sick.

34. Grape juice is considered wine and may not be consumed during the Nine Days as well.

35. Regarding Havdala on Motz'ei Shabbos in the Nine Days: some give the wine to a small child that is above the age of Chinuch but is not yet of age that understands the meaning of mourning for Yerushalayim. Being that this age is unclear and that the child must drink the amount of a 'M'lo Lugmav' as well, therefore many have the custom that the one who makes the Havdala drinks the cup of wine or the grape juice.

36. Cakes or pastries that contain wine where the taste of the wine is clearly palpable- there are some who are Machmir not to eat them in the Nine Days.

37. On Shabbos it is permitted to eat meat and drink wine, but regarding other Se'udos Mitzvah there are various levels that are mentioned in .סי' תקנ"א סעיף י'

Commerce

38. One should not buy jewelry during the Nine Days.

39. One should refrain from buying gold and silver articles as well as refraining from buying other valuable items.

40. One should refrain as much as possible from buying dishes such as pots, pans, cutlery or plates etc. as well as other items which are unnecessary for the Nine Days, buy if they are needed for the Nine Days then it is permitted to buy them.

41. One should not buy clothing during the Nine Days, even clothes that are simple clothing regardless whether a 'Shehecheyanu' is recited upon their acquisition or not.

42. During the Nine Days it is permitted to buy items on sale with special discounts which won't be available after the Nine Days.

43. Buying a present for one's wife for the purpose of Shalom Bayis is permitted during the Nine Days being that this is considered a Tzorech Mitzvah, and each case should be judged individually.