The Three Weeks

Bein Hameitzarim, or The Three Weeks, is the name for the period between 17 Tammuz and 9 Av (Tisha B’Av), the two dates in which the Jewish people experienced tragic and traumatic events for the Jewish nation. On 17 Tammuz, Jerusalem’s city wall was breached and on the 9 Av, the Temple went up in flames.

Bein Hameitzarim comes from a verse in Lamentations (1:3) “All her pursuers overtook her in dire straits.”

The customs during Bein Hameitzarim:

Although there is no Halachic reasons to refrain from certain activities during this period of time (with the exception of the eve of Tisha B’Av), some Jewish communities are accustomed to refraining from things in which there is excessive joy:

1. Having weddings
2. Participating in sing-alongs, dances, parties with music, etc.
3. Getting a haircut
4. Making the Shehecheyanu blessing which we make when we eat a new fruit of the season or wear a new article of clothing, etc.

These customs are practiced only in communities where they have a tradition to do so.

In addition, the three weeks are a time etched in the minds of the people as one when we are vulnerable to danger and calamity, and for that reason are forbidden from being involved in situations that could prove dangerous or risky.  The Nine Days From the beginning of the month of Av, we decrease joy, as it is written in the Mishnah: “When Av begins, we decrease our joy.” (Ta’anit 4:6) From the beginning of the month of Av, we practice additional customs of mourning: We don’t do renovations on our homes, we don’t buy anything expensive that isn’t necessary (unless we otherwise would suffer a loss). In some Jewish communities, they don’t eat meat or drink wine, wear new clothes, do laundry or iron. Other communities practice these customs only during the week of Tisha B’Av and until the 10^th of Av in the afternoon. From the middle of the afternoon on the eve of Tisha B’Av, these things are forbidden according to Jewish law.