Until the Geulah Comes: A Quick Review of Laws During the First 10 Days of Av

Oh, don't forget!!! Wash all of your clothes tonight and tomorrow during the day. Pick up all clothes from the dry cleaning during the day on Thursday. Tisha B'Av may fall on Shabbat, but the customs and laws of the 9 days are upon us anyway. Since there is no Shavua she'Chal bo this year, follow whatever custom you have followed in the past for Rosh Chodesh Av. Some Ashkenazim who normally don't swim during the 9 days, do swim on Rosh Chodesh Av when Tisha B'Av falls on Shabbat. Some even eat meat on Rosh Chodesh Av. During the 9 days (after Rosh Chodesh this year which falls Erev Shabbat) Ashkenazim avoid swimming, warm/hot showers, eating meat or poultry, drinking wine or grape juice, and doing any laundry and buying anything which would require a shehechiyanu bracha until the night after the fast. There are NO prohibitions this year after the conclusion of the fast on the 11th of Av (except the eating of meat at break fast). You can even say havdallah over wine or grape juice Motzei Fast of Av this year. Oh yes, this Motzei Shabbat, the 3rd of Av, say havdallah over beer or even Coca Cola with a shehakol.

Of course no live music (or for most even taped music) or haircuts or beard trims. But that was already from the 17th of Tamuz. So I did not mention that above. I believe you are allowed to cut nails this year during the 9 days except on the day of the Fast of Av itself which is a 24 1/2 hour fast with all the prohibitions of Yom Kippur, the 10th of Tishrei except that it is a Rabbinic fast. So it ends ten minutes earlier without waiting for halakhic Tzeit Kochavim. And if you must eat for purposes of pikuach nefesh, you can eat without measuring out the food and water every 15 minutes, which is done on Yom Kippur. So no leather shoes on the day of the fast. No anointing with oils on that day. No marital relations on the fast day, 10th of Av. (I cannot comment whether marital relations are forbidden on Shabbat Tisha B'Av. Ask a Rav about that. It might be permissible if it is mikveh night.) no greeting people in the regular way. A grunt might do, but no hello or goodbye or Shalom in any of its forms on the day of the fast itself. But this year you can skip the Seudat mafseket on either the 8th of Av or on Shabbat, the 9th of Av. Eat a regular Seudat Shlishit on Shabbat afternoon with the one proviso that you finish eating the third meal before sundown. One should also try to finish blessing after the third meal before sundown too since one should avoid Shir HaMa'alot after sundown Saturday afternoon. So many details that G-d willing we won't have to remember when Tisha B'Av falls out on Shabbat in 5776 too.

A few minor corrections to the above list

1. From the 17th of Tamuz we have already been avoiding shehechiyanu brachot. From Rosh Chodesh Av we avoid having to say HaTov UMaitiv or HaTov VeHaMeitiv in addition to not saying shehechiyanu. The exception to this may be if a new baby is born during the Three Weeks or the 9 Days when these brachot are recited. 

2. One can buy non-leather shoes for Tisha B'Av during the 9 days since no shehechiayanu bracha would be said.

3. On the day of the Fast of Av itself we basically cannot wash ourselves unless we need to wash our hands after #2. Then we should use soap and water on our hands only for the purpose of basic hygiene. Upon waking up in the morning if one does not need to relieve oneself, one should do neggel wasser (nail water) only up to the first knuckle. We should be rather strict about not washing ourselves on the Fast of Av and on Yom Kippur (unless we need to wash our hands for purposes of basic hygiene as mentioned) 

4. Sephardim seem to be more lenient about some of the prohibitions during the 9 days. If someone sephardi wants to post those leniencies, by all means, Post!  (I know that one of these leniencies is swimming during the entire 9 Days leading up to the fast itself except for on Shabbat of course, if Tisha B'Av falls out on Shabbat.  Of course halakhically no one swims on the Fast of Av itself.)  There is NO shavua sheChal Bo this year....or next year either....or G-d willing ever again. 

5. For whatever reason we also avoid meat on Motzei Fast of Av even if it is already the 11th of Av even though all other aspects of mourning are over when the fast ends this year. Perhaps it is just not a good idea to eat meat immediately after fasting for 24 hours.