Discover what others are learning
Curated Torah sources across every topic, from classical texts to contemporary responsa.
Weekday Clothing on Shabbat Chazon
The halakhic treatment of wearing weekday garments on Shabbat Chazon (the Shabbat before Tisha B'Av) addresses the tension between Shabbat requirements for special dress and Nine Days mourning practices. Sources discuss which garments may be exchanged and under what circumstances, as well as varying customs among different communities.
בגדי שבת אין משנים כי אם הכתונת משום עונג שבת
Shaving for a Brit During the Nine Days
Sources address whether grooming restrictions during the Nine Days and the week of Tisha B'Av apply to those observing a brit milah, and under what circumstances leniency or stringency applies to the brit subject and participants.
מִילָה דּוֹחָה אֶת הַצָּרַעַת
Halakhic Rulings on Nine Days Restrictions
Sources addressing the customary prohibitions and stringencies observed during the Nine Days before Tisha B'Av, including restrictions on meat, wine, and other practices, along with contemporary poskim's applications and variations between Ashkenazi and Sephardic traditions.
ממעטין בשמחה ובשנייה
Fresh Clothing During the Nine Days
Sources discuss the halakhic status of wearing freshly laundered garments during the Nine Days period of mourning for the Temple's destruction. The discussion centers on which types of clothing are permitted to be changed and under what circumstances, drawing on classical and later authorities' interpretations of the relevant restrictions.
כתונת אינו אלא מפני הזיעה
Fresh Shirts During the Nine Days
Sources address whether a shirt (kuttonet) worn for perspiration purposes may be changed to a fresh one during the Nine Days of Av, examining the distinction between garments worn for necessity versus luxury and the practical application of mourning restrictions on newly laundered clothing.
כתונת אינו אלא מפני הזיעה
Celebrating the Completion of a Tractate
Sources establish the custom and obligation to mark the completion of a Talmudic tractate with a festive meal and communal gathering. These sources span from biblical commands to assemble for Torah learning through rabbinic and medieval codes that formalize the seudat mitzvah of siyum masechta.
כשמסיים מסכתא מצוה לשמוח ולעשות סעודה
The Five Calamities of the Seventeenth of Tammuz
The Mishnah in Taanit enumerates five tragedies that befell the Jewish people on the seventeenth of Tammuz, including the breaking of the tablets, the cessation of the daily offering, the breach of Jerusalem's wall, the burning of the Torah, and the placement of an idol in the Temple. These sources draw together biblical accounts from Exodus, Jeremiah, and Kings alongside Talmudic sources that contextualize and explain each calamity.
חֲמִשָּׁה דְּבָרִים אֵירְעוּ אֶת אֲבוֹתֵינוּ בְּשִׁבְעָה עָשָׂר בְּתַמּוּז
Shabbat Chazon and the Three Weeks
Sources explore the customs, biblical foundations, and spiritual significance of Shabbat Chazon, the Shabbat before Tish'ah B'Av, which marks the climax of the Three Weeks of mourning for the destruction of the Temple. The sources address halakhic practices, the mood of national lamentation, and the connection between destruction and consolation.
משנכנס אב ממעטין בשמחה
Shaving During the Nine Days of Av
Halakhic sources address whether grooming restrictions during the Nine Days before Tishah B'Av may be relaxed for purposes of domestic peace (shalom bayis). The classical codes and their commentaries establish the general prohibitions on haircuts and shaving as mourning observances, while later authorities discuss limited exceptions and the reasoning behind them.
אָסוּר לְסַפֵּר וּלְכַבֵּס וְלִלְבּשׁ כְּלִי מְגֹהָץ
Shaving During the Three Weeks for Shalom Bayis
Sources address the halakhic restrictions on shaving and haircuts during the Three Weeks of mourning preceding Tisha B'Av, and discuss how communal custom and cases of need—such as marital harmony—may inform leniencies within these observances.
כל שמעכב את האכילה מותר
Women and Siyum Meals During the Nine Days
These sources address whether a woman may arrange a siyum (completion of Torah study) to permit eating meat during the Nine Days of mourning for the Temple's destruction. They explore the halakhic status of siyum meals as exceptions to the customary prohibition on meat during this period.
ניתן לערוך סעודת מצווה לכבוד סיום לימוד מסכת על ידי אישה
Nachem: Why Only at Minchah on Tisha B'Av
Sources discuss the custom of reciting the Nachem prayer exclusively during the Minchah service on Tisha B'Av rather than throughout the day's prayers. The sources address both the halakhic precedent for this practice and the theological reasoning behind its restriction.
במנחה קורין ויחל כמו בשאר תעניות ומפטירין דרשו