Three Weeks

The period beginning with the 17th day of Tammuz, on which the walls of Jerusalem were breached by the Babylonian army under Nebuchadnezzar, and the ninth of Av (Tishah Be-Av), the day associated with the destruction of the Temple. This period is generally known in Hebrew as the period bén ha-metsarim ("between the straits") on the basis of the verse in Lamentations (1:3), "All her persecutors overtook her between the straits." Traditionally, this is the saddest time in the Jewish calendar. Various customs serve to bring home the loss for the Jewish people, with differences between Ashkenazi and Sephardi practices. Generally, as the days grow closer to the ninth of Av, the severity of the signs of mourning increases. Throughout the three weeks, one may not get married nor, according to Ashkenazi custom, may one shave or cut one's hair. In Sephardi practice, these restrictions only apply from the first day of Av. Throughout that time, it is also forbidden to take any action which would require the recitation of the She-Heḥeyanu blessing, such as eating fruit of a kind not yet eaten during that season or wearing new clothes. Beginning with the first day of Av, the Ashkenazi custom is not to eat meat or drink wine until after the ninth of Av, while Sephardim refrain from meat and wine from the Sunday preceding the ninth of Av. This prohibition does not apply on the Sabbath, for no mourning is permitted on that day. On the ninth of Av itself it is not permitted to eat or drink, wear leather shoes, anoint with oil, wash (except where required), or engage in marital relations. As the Temple continued to burn all through the ninth of the month and up to midday of the tenth, certain actions are forbidden until the latter time, including shaving or cutting one's hair and eating meat or drinking wine. On each of the three Sabbaths during the Three Weeks, a special prophetic passage (Haftarah) is read, the three haftarot being referred to collectively as Telata de-Poranuta---"the three (haftarot) of calamity" (Jer. 1 and 2; Isa. 1).

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