The Three Weeks

The Three Weeks or Bein ha-Metzarim (

Observances

The mourning observances during the Three Weeks are divided into four levels, increasing in intensity:^[1]

1. From the Seventeenth of Tammuz until the end of Tammuz
2. From Rosh Chodesh Av until the week in which Tisha B'Av falls
3. The week in which Tisha B'Av falls until the Eighth of Av
4. Tisha B'Av itself

Standard

Many Orthodox Jews refrain from eating meat during the Nine Days from the first of the month of Av until midday of the day after the fast of Ninth of Av, based on the tradition that the Temple burned until that time.

Time of danger

The Three Weeks are considered historically a time of misfortune, since many tragedies and calamities which befell the Jewish people are attributed to this period. These tragedies include: the breaking of the

As a result, some Jews are particularly careful to avoid all dangerous situations during the Three Weeks. These include: going to dangerous places, undergoing a major operation that could be postponed until after Tisha B'Av, going on an airplane flight that could be postponed until after Tisha B'Av, and engaging in a court case with a non-Jew if it can be postponed until after Tisha B'Av.[1]

History

The first source for a special status of the Three Weeks—which is also the oldest extant reference to these days as Bein ha-Metzarim—is found in Lamentations Rabbah 1:29 (4th century?). This midrash glosses Lamentations 1:3 ("All [Zion's] pursuers overtook her between the straits"), interpreting "straits" as "days of distress"—namely the Seventeenth of Tammuz and the Ninth of Av.

Rabbi

1. "Divre Yirmeyahu", Words of Jeremiah (Jeremiah 1.1-2.3),
2. "Shim`u Devar Hashem" Hear the word of the LORD (Jeremiah 2.4-28), and
3. "Hazon Yisha`yahu" Vision of Isaiah (Isaiah 1.1-27).

The great majority of congregations use the haftarot suggested by Pesiqta de-Rav Kahana, which are not mentioned in the Talmud. But Maimonides in his law code prescribes a slight variation of these three, and the Yemenite Jews read the haftarot that he lists. The nine haftarot of the eight weeks following Tisha B'Av likewise were selected for their content. These are the "Seven of Consolation" (shev di-nhemta) followed by the "Two of

According to the

References

External links

• The Three Weeks Guide (aish.com)
• The Three Weeks Guide (Chabad.org)
• The Three Weeks Halacha Database (Shulchanaruchharav.com)^{[permanent dead link]}
• Atzvus, Yeiush and the Three Weeks- Shiratmiriam.com