Q & A - WITH RABBI RISKIN
Question: I work in a profession that requires the confidence of clients – who, for the most part, are not religious. If I stop shaving during the “three weeks,” I fear losing the confidence of my clients. Would it be permissible for me to shave?
Answer: There is a difference between the mourning that we observe
during the “three weeks” (between the 17th of Tammuz and the 9th of Av) and
the level of mourning that we observe between Pesach and Lag B’Omer. During
the “three weeks” we are mourning over the destruction of the Temple, and
this period focuses on the need for repentance so that there will be no more
need for exile. During the counting of the Omer I am usually lenient with
regard to shaving on Fridays, in honor of Shabbat, but it is difficult to
find halachic justification for shaving during the three weeks. In
addressing this issue we must draw a distinction between two different
levels of mourning within this period
a. Sefardi communities generally observe
the prohibition on shaving and cutting hair, as well as
participating in joyous gatherings, starting only from Rosh
Hodesh Av (based on the opinion of the Shulhan Arukh.)
b. For Ashkenazim, according to my rabbi and teacher, Rav
Soloveitchik ztz”l (based on the Vilna Gaon), the customs of
mourning that are observed from the 17th of Tammuz until Rosh
Hodesh Av parallel the customs of mourning observed during the
12 months following the death of a parent. According to this
approach, where necessary, it may be permissible to shave during
this period.
The nine days from Rosh Hodesh Av until
Tish’a b’Av parallel the period of “sheloshim” - during
which it is certainly forbidden to shave.
Tish’a b’Av itself, especially before the
afternoon, is equivalent in its level of mourning to the period
of “shiva.”
Notwithstanding the above, where there is a
danger of losing one’s livelihood, it would seem to me that one
would be permitted to shave up until the week during which
Tish’a b’Av falls. It is during those final days, according to
the Mishna, that the essence of the mourning is observed
