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Bathing During The Nine Days 

Rabbi Moshe Binyamin Friedman, Rosh Yeshiva

The custom of the Ashkenazim is to prohibit any form of bathing, even in cold water, throughout the Nine Days. To what extent is a person prohibited to wash himself? The Rema (תקנ“א-טו) writes: ונוהגין שלא לרחץ אפילו בצונן מראש חדש ואילך. This implies that there is no heter to shower at all during the Nine Days. In fact, the Chazon Ish would not permit anyone to shower, even those who suffered from sweat in the extreme heat of Bnei Brak.

The Igros Moshe (1), however, paskens that a person who is suffering from excessive sweat may shower when necessary. Rav Moshe wrote this in a brief letter which does not indicate the source for his psak or provide a clear-cut definition. In light of the Rema’s words, which imply that bathing is completely prohibited, how can we understand Rav Moshe’s psak?

It seems that any heter would have to be based on the Gemara in Brachos (:טז) which says that even a person who is in aveilus, which is even more stringent than the Nine Days, is allowed to bathe if he is an istanis (an extremely pampered and particular person). In fact, based on this Gemara the Poskim (2) permit an aveil to bathe for health purposes. Similarly, the Rema (ibid) rules that a woman who needs to clean herself for halachic reasons is permitted to bathe during the Nine Days because the bathing is for a mitzvah, not for pleasure (3). The Rema derives his ruling from the words of those Poskim in Brachos.

To understand the heter of the Igros Moshe, we must explore the underlying logic of these two heterim. We could understand that normal bathing, which is usually for pleasure, is prohibited, but when a person is ill or needs to bathe for a mitzvah, the chachamim defined this as bathing for medicinal (or mitzvah) purposes, which is permissible (4). According to this reasoning, the heter would be limited to the two cases mentioned by the poskim, in which there is an inherently different reason for the need to bathe. A person who is suffering from sweat, however, is considered to be engaging in normal bathing, and such bathing is prohibited (5).

On the other hand, the heter may simply be that Chazal forbade only bathing for pleasure and therefore any bathing for health reasons or due to extreme discomfort is permissible. If so, anyone who suffers from excessive sweat and is bathing only to alleviate the discomfort would be included in the heter of istanis (6).

This explanation would certainly support the psak of the Igros Moshe. This heter may vary according to the individual, and a halachic authority should be consulted for an individual psak. 

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(1) ע‘ אג“מ אבהע“ז ח“ד ס‘ פ“ד 

(2) ע‘ שם בתוס‘ והרא“ש  

(3) ע‘ בתקנ“א טז וז“ל ונראה דהוא הדין אשה הלובשת לבנים יכולה לרחץ מעט כדרכה בשאר שנה הואיל ואינה עושה לתענוג רק לצרך מצוה עכ“ל

(4) כן משמע קצת בהרא“ש בברכות וז“ל כיון שאינו עשוי להתענג... ע“ש  

(5) ושאני מהיתר דאיסתניס שהיתירו רק למי שהוא איסתנניס וכמו שהביא הטור בהל‘ אבילות שפ“א דרק למי שידוע הוא איסתניס ונראה דהיינו שיטת הרא“ש לטעמיה שהתירו חז“ל רק סוג של רחיצה והגדירו זה לפי המציאות של הרוחץ ולא כוונתו משום שרק שהיכא שמוכח מצד המצב עצמה שאין זה רחיצה של תענוג

(6) כן משמע בתוס‘ ’ שם 

Yearning for the Beis Hamikdash -

A Nice Slogan or a Genuine Feeling?

Rabbi Yoav Kappel, Maggid Shiur

During these days we mourn the loss of the בית המקדש, and yearn for its speedy rebuilding. However we must honestly ask ourselves, do we really? Perhaps is it something we know we’re supposed to do but don’t really know how to. Do we know what it means to mourn? Do we really miss the בית המקדש? 

A Rav who was involved in kiruv once shared the following story and message. He was once visiting The United States, and a father asked him if he would help him with his son. The father explained the situation: "My son slipped in his Yiddishkeit recently and took a turn for the worst. He left the house and was renting an apartment with friends. He cut off all ties with the family. The strange thing is that at some point I found out that he was starting to get back on the correct path, but each time I try to visit him, just to be able to see his face again, I get no response. I knock, but no answer! I can’t bear it! My son refuses to see me! Maybe you can help me and speak to him?"

The Rav went to speak to the boy. “Do you know how much צער you’re causing your father by not opening the door to him? He is dying to see you!” The boy explained: “One evening a while back, my parents weren’t home. I invited some friends over for a party. We got intoxicated and caused a lot of damage to the house. When my father came home and saw the wreckage, he told me very clearly, “I don't want to see your face again until you pay for all the damages!!!” The boy finished his explanation saying, “I don’t have the money to pay back for the damages. How could I see my father?” 

The Rav had to explain to him that his father does not care right now about the money. "He wants to see you! He wants you to open the door to him!"

The message is clear. Sometimes this is how we act with Hakadosh Baruch Hu. When Hashem knocks on our door, we run away. We think He is coming to collect payment. Really all Hashem wants is for us to let Him in! 

The בית המקדש is Hashem’s house. It is the place of "ושכנתי בתוכה", the place He connects to us, individually, "בתוך כל אחד ואחד". When the Yidden lost the connection, the בית המקדש became an empty house, void of meaning. So Hashem destroyed it. In order to be able to rebuild it properly, with its inner meaning, all Hashem wants from us is to open the door for Him, and let Him be a part of our life. 

So what are we missing without the בית המקדש? B”H we learn, daven and keep the mitzvos. What is so terrible? Granted, we do dedicate our lives to these endeavors, but how much is Hashem Himself a part of it? How much do we open the door for Him? Are we keeping the Torah because we have to, or rather as part of a relationship with Him? For that, we need a בית המקדש. That is the place where Hashem becomes part of our lives,"ושכנתי בתוך כל אחד ואחד". 

If we don’t realize something is missing in our Avodas Hashem, that itself is חורבן בית המקדש. When we begin to realize that there’s a lack and that we want more of a relationship with Him, that's בנין בית המקדש.

We may often feel that yearning for the בית המקדש is for Tzadikkim who cry for the חורבן in the middle of the night. In truth, it must be at the very essence of each Yid's connection to keeping the Torah. It's the very basics of what living life as a Jew is all about. We want to keep the Torah out of love, not because we need to. For that we need the בית המקדש. 

As soon as we want the בית המקדש, we start building our personal בית המקדש. Like the teaching of the holy Baal Shem Tov: “קרבה אל נפשי”- Please come close to my soul, “גאלה”- That is my גאולה! My redemption is being close to You. That is my בית המקדש. 

This year, Nesivos Ahron was זוכה to learn מסכת יומא which speaks about the avodah of the Kohen Gadol on Yom Kipour in the בית המקדש. On the holiest of days, the Kohen Gadol went to the holiest place in the universe, the Kodesh HaKedoshim. It is here that Hashem’s love for Klal Yisrael was revealed. 

May we be זוכה, as we were privileged to learn the מסכתא, to be able to take with us the teachings and lessons of the בית המקדש and the Kodesh HaKedoshim. To know that Hashem is knocking because he wants to be close to us again. May we merit speedily in our days to witness the rebuilding on the בית המקדש, and all the nations will see "ישראל אשר בך אתפאר".