The Three Weeks: From Sorrow to Joy

During the Three Weeks—from the 17th of Tammuz until the 9th of Av—various customs of mourning are observed. This article explores the laws of mourning observed during this time, delves into the deeper significance of this period between the fasts, and considers: what will be the nature of these days in the time of redemption?

Rabbi Tzvi Schwartz / Emunat Itecha 124 5779, pp. 7-12

Introduction

The three-week period between the 17th of Tammuz and the 9th of Av is marked by various customs of mourning and sorrow. The Mishnah in Tractate Ta’anit does not mention this entire period explicitly. It states that the obligation to lessen joy begins only on Rosh Chodesh Av (the first of Av). Some restrictions apply only during the week in which the 9th of Av falls, or just on the eve of the fast itself—not earlier.

This article is divided into two parts:

In the first part, we will briefly outline the halachot (laws) of mourning that begin with Rosh Chodesh Av, with a focus on the customs observed during the period known as Bein HaMetzarim ("Between the Straits").

In the second part, we will explore the deeper meaning of this time between the two fasts and examine how these days will be regarded when the prophecy of Zechariah is fulfilled and the fasts are transformed into days of celebration.

A. Sources for Mourning Laws in Tammuz and Av

1. Laws of Mourning and Sorrow Before the 9th of Av

The Mishnah in Ta’anit[1] mentions three specific timeframes before the 9th of Av that involve limitations on joy and expressions of sorrow:

 Rosh Chodesh Av – "When the month of Av begins, we reduce our joy." A baraita in Tractate Yevamot[2] adds:

“From Rosh Chodesh until the fast, people reduce their involvement in business, refrain from building and planting (celebratory planting), and from engagement and marriage.”

This is codified as law in the Shulchan Aruch.[3]

The week in which the 9th of Av falls – The Mishnah in Ta’anit prohibits laundering and haircuts during this week, although these are permitted on Thursday in honor of Shabbat when the fast falls on a Friday.

Erev Tisha B’Av (the eve of the 9th of Av) – Eating meat and drinking wine are forbidden. According to Rambam and other early authorities, this prohibition applies only under two conditions: during the final pre-fast meal (Seudah Mafseket), and only after midday. The Mishnah does not mention bathing as prohibited, but the Gemara[4] records a dispute in a baraita about when the prohibition on bathing begins on the eve of the 9th of Av.

2. Customs of Mourning and Sorrow from the 17th of Tammuz until the 9th of Av

Despite the above, customs of mourning are traditionally observed from the 17th of Tammuz onward. The source for these customs is found in Eichah Rabbah (Lamentations Rabbah) on the verse: "All her pursuers overtook her between the straits":[5]

Another explanation: “All her pursuers overtook her Bein HaMetzarim (‘between the straits’)”—during the days of calamity from the 17th of Tammuz until the 9th of Av, when a destructive force known as Ketev Meriri reigns.[6]

Rashi, after explaining the simple meaning of the verse,[7] adds: “According to the Midrash Aggadah—this refers to the period from the 17th of Tammuz until the 9th of Av.”

Several elements are mentioned in the Midrash regarding this period:

A) A warning about a dangerous demon called Ketev Meriri

B) The reading of the three Haftarot of affliction (T’lata D’Pur’anuta)

C) A custom to refrain from eating meat and drinking wine

D) A custom not to recite the blessing Shehechiyanu during this period

A) Ketev Meriri – A destructive spirit or demon. The Shulchan Aruch[9] rules:

“One should be cautious during the days from the 17th of Tammuz until the 9th of Av not to walk alone between the fourth and ninth hours of the day [due to the danger of ketev meriri]. It is also advisable to avoid reciting the blessing Shehechiyanu on new fruits or clothing during this time.”

The origin of these customs appears in the Mahari”l[10]: the Shehechiyanu restriction is based on Sefer Chassidim[11], and the danger is cited from the Hagahot Maimoniyot[12].

B) The Three Haftarot of Affliction (T’lata D’Pur’anuta) – Tosafot in Tractate Megillah[13] state:

“It is customary, based on the Pesikta[14], to read the three Haftarot of affliction before Tisha B’Av.”

This is also ruled in the Shulchan Aruch.[15]

C) Avoiding Meat and Wine – In the Jerusalem Talmud[16], it says:

“Rabbi Zeira said: the women who refrain from drinking wine from the beginning of Av—this is a valid custom.”

The Machzor Vitri[17] presents a slightly different version:

“Our women refrain from drinking wine from the 17th of Tammuz until the 9th of Av—this is a customary practice.”

Based on this, the Mahari”l, in his laws of Tisha B’Av, writes:

Gloss: “Some pious individuals refrain from eating meat and drinking wine from the 17th of Tammuz until the 9th of Av, including on the night after Tisha B’Av.”

3. Customary Prohibitions During the Three Weeks and Their Rationale

The Tur (Orach Chaim 551) summarizes the customs mentioned earlier:

“Some pious individuals fast from the 17th of Tammuz onward, and some abstain specifically from meat and wine. The Jerusalem Talmud asks: What happened between the 17th of Tammuz and the 9th of Av? These are the 21 days from the breaching of the city’s walls until the destruction of the Temple. Others say it corresponds to the three weeks of mourning by Daniel.[18] The Ashkenazi custom is that individuals abstain from meat and wine from the 17th of Tammuz, and from Rosh Chodesh Av, the entire community does so.”

The Rema[19] adds that weddings are not held from the 17th of Tammuz until after the 9th of Av. Haircuts are also avoided from the 17th of Tammuz, while laundering is prohibited only from Rosh Chodesh.[20]

The Taz[21], citing the Tur, offers three reasons for the custom to abstain from meat and wine during the Three Weeks:

Because Daniel, while in Babylonian exile, fasted for this same duration.

Because the suffering from the breaching of Jerusalem’s walls until the destruction of the Temple is viewed as a single continuous sorrow (chada tza’ara).

Because the daily offering (Tamid) and the wine libations in the Temple ceased on the 17th of Tammuz.

From the Taz’s explanation—especially the idea that the Three Weeks constitute a continuous period of mourning—it follows that if the fasts themselves are ever nullified (in messianic times), the customs of mourning during the Three Weeks would also be annulled.

B. The Deeper Essence and Unique Nature of the Three Weeks

1. Days of Atonement

In the Talmud[23], the Sages of Athens posed riddles to Rabbi Yehoshua ben Chananiah. One such riddle: They brought him two eggs and asked him to identify which came from a white hen and which from a black hen. He responded by bringing two goat cheeses and challenged them to identify which came from a white goat and which from a black one.

The Maharsha[24] explains this exchange allegorically:

A hen’s incubation period is 21 days,[25] corresponding to the 21 days from the 17th of Tammuz to the 9th of Av—days of sorrow (the "black hen"). Conversely, there are 21 joyous days from the first day of Rosh Hashanah until Hoshanah Rabbah—days of divine forgiveness and atonement (the "white hen"). The Athenian sages sought to argue that joy and suffering are indistinguishable, implying a world without divine providence.

 Rabbi Yehoshua responded: On Yom Kippur we bring two goats—one for God (the white goat) and one for Azazel (the black goat). Yet both goats ultimately serve the purpose of atonement. Even the Se’ir La’Azazel turns white when the sins of Israel are forgiven, as symbolized by the red thread turning white. Thus, the white cheeses symbolize atonement, just like the eggs. The 21 days from Rosh Hashanah to Hoshanah Rabbah are days of purification—and so too, the 21 days of mourning from the 17th of Tammuz to the 9th of Av are days of potential atonement.

2. The Days of Sorrow Are Actually Missed Days of Joy

In a different vein, the Me’or VaShemesh (Parashat Pinchas) writes that the 21 days of the Three Weeks parallel the 21 days from Rosh Hashanah to Hoshanah Rabbah:

“The days of the Three Weeks are hidden. The days from Rosh Hashanah to Hoshanah Rabbah are revealed…”

The idea is that the essential holiness of the Three Weeks is present, but concealed. This dual structure—two sets of 21 days—suggests the Three Weeks are inherently meant to be joyous. How, then, are they days of sorrow?

The answer lies in their missed potential. According to the Shelah[27], quoting the Arizal, the 17th of Tammuz was originally intended to be a joyous day—the day Moses was to bring down the first Tablets. Aaron even said, “Tomorrow will be a festival for God,” referring to the 17th of Tammuz. Similarly, the 9th of Av was meant to be a day of joy, when the Israelites would receive the good news of entering the Land. Instead, because of the sin of the Golden Calf and the negative report of the spies (who returned on the eve of the 9th of Av), both dates became tragic.

The Midrash[28] states:

"You wept a baseless cry [on the night of Tisha B’Av]; I will establish this night as a day of weeping for generations.”[29]

Thus, the pain of these days stems not only from what happened—but from the greatness of what could have been.

Rabbi Pinchas of Koretz, in Imrei Pinchas[30], writes:

“The 23 days of spiritual ‘smallness’ from the 17th of Tammuz through the 9th of Av (including both) correspond to the 23 days of spiritual greatness from Rosh Hashanah through Simchat Torah.”

The Ohev Yisrael[31] asks: Why do we read Parashat Pinchas—which details the festival offerings—during the Three Weeks? Isn’t there a contradiction between days of mourning and verses about holidays?

He answers:

 “The 21 days from the 17th of Tammuz to the 9th of Av are the source and root of all the festivals of the year.”

He notes there are exactly 21 festive days annually: Shabbat, Rosh Chodesh, seven days of Passover, Shavuot, two days of Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, and eight days of Sukkot. These all emerge from the inner spiritual power of the Three Weeks.

 Just as the festivals represent revelation (gilui), the Three Weeks represent concealment (he'elem)—but the spiritual potential is the same. The Torah hints at this by assigning the festival offerings (read from Parashat Pinchas) during these very weeks.

The Three Weeks in the Future: A Time of Joy

The prophet Zechariah foretells a transformation of the fasts into days of joy:

“Thus says the Lord of Hosts: The fast of the fourth month, the fast of the fifth, the fast of the seventh, and the fast of the tenth will become times of joy and gladness and cheerful festivals for the house of Judah. Therefore, love truth and peace.”[33]

According to the second reason given by the Taz—that the Three Weeks are a single continuum of mourning—this prophecy implies not only the fast days will be transformed into holidays, but the entire Three Weeks will as well.[34]

Even according to the other explanations, these days will become like Chol HaMoed—intermediate days between the beginning and end of future festivals.[35] As noted earlier from the Shelah and Arizal, both the 17th of Tammuz and 9th of Av were originally meant to be joyous. Thus, in the future, they will fulfill that destiny.

The Zera Kodesh[37] draws a parallel between the Three Weeks and the three pilgrimage festivals (Pesach, Shavuot, and Sukkot). Each holiday spans seven days (Shavuot, too, has seven days of Tashlumin), totaling 21 days—mirroring the 21 days of the Three Weeks. In the perfected future, these days too will be a three-week-long holiday.

The Bnei Yissaschar[38], quoting Rabbi Pesach of Dinov, references the verse, “You shall be only joyful” (Ve’hayita ach sameach):

Rashi explains that this phrase is not a command but a promise—hinting that the sorrowful days of the Three Weeks will one day be days of rejoicing. The word “ach” (only) usually limits—but here it expands. The 21 days that now seem spiritually diminished will one day shine with joy.

This aligns with Zechariah’s prophecy: these days will become times of gladness, joy, and celebration.

Notes

1. Mishnah Ta’anit 4:6–7.
2. Yevamot 43b.
3. Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chaim §551:2.
4. Ta’anit 30a.
5. Lamentations 1:3.
6. Eicha Rabbah, Intro. §23: “In Jeremiah’s prophecy of destruction, 'I see a rod of an almond tree,' he alluded to these days. Rabbi Elazar explained: what is the nature of the almond? From the time it blossoms until it ripens – twenty-one days. Similarly, there are twenty-one days from the 17th of Tammuz to the 9th of Av.”
7. Rashi on Lamentations 1:3.
8. Deuteronomy 32:24. In Pesachim 111b, two destructive forces are mentioned: Ketev Meriri (morning) and Ketev Yashud Tzohorayim (afternoon).
9. Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chaim §551:17.
10. Maharil, Laws of Tisha B’Av. (Rabbi Yaakov ben Moshe Levi Moelin, also known as Maharil or Mahari Segal, is considered a foundational figure in the codification of Ashkenazi customs.)
11. Sefer Chassidim, §840.
12. Hagahot Maimoniyot on Rambam, Hilchot Ta’aniyot 5:12.
13. Megillah 31b, commentary on “Rosh Chodesh.”
14. Introduction to Radvaz on Pesikta Rabbati of Rav Kahana, p. 11 (esp. regarding sections 26–29).
15. Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chaim §528:7.
16. Jerusalem Talmud, Ta’anit 1:6; and Pesachim 4:1.
17. Machzor Vitri, §263, ed. Horowitz, Nuremberg 1923, p. 225.
18. Daniel 10:2–3: “In those days, I, Daniel, was mourning for three full weeks. I ate no desirable food, nor did meat or wine enter my mouth, nor did I anoint myself at all until the three weeks were over.”
19. Rema (Rabbi Moshe Isserles), gloss on Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chaim §551:2.
20. Ibid., §551:4 (in Rema’s gloss).
21. Taz on Shulchan Aruch, ibid., §551:17.
22. Isaiah 31:3.
23. Bechorot 8b.
24. Maharsha, Chiddushei Aggadot on Bechorot 8b.
25. Bechorot 8a – “The gestation period of a chicken is twenty-one days, just like the almond tree (shaked), which blossoms and ripens in twenty-one days.”
26. Mishnah Ta’anit 4:6.
27. Torah Shebichtav, Parashat Balak, p. 73.
28. Mishnah Ta’anit 4:6.
29. Ta’anit 29a: “The Holy One, blessed be He, said to them: 'You wept needlessly; I will establish for you a weeping for generations.’”
30. Imrei Pinchas HaShalem, Rabbi Pinchas Avraham Shapira of Koretz, Parashat Pinchas – “Bein HaMetzarim,” §358, p. 137.
31. Ohev Yisrael, Parashat Pinchas, p. 76.
32. Psalms 73:1.
33. Zechariah 8:19: “Thus says the Lord of Hosts: the fast of the fourth, fifth, seventh, and tenth months will be for the House of Judah – days of joy, gladness, and cheerful festivals. Therefore, love truth and peace.”
34. Bnei Yissaschar, Ma’amarei Tammuz–Av, Article 5, Consolation §2. He also alludes to future prophetic readings replacing the traditional “Three of Affliction” (shalosh depur’anuta) with the currently unused prophetic texts of Nachum, Tzefaniah, and Chaggai. The acrostic of these three is נצ"ח (netzach – eternity), symbolizing their relevance to the future redemption.
35. See Imrei Emet on Zechariah 8:19. Also in Imrei Pinchas, p. 139, note §217, citing the Holy Rabbi of Ruzhin: “Not so – rather, Tisha B’Av is the first day of the festival and the 17th of Tammuz the last day, and the entire rest of the year is like Chol HaMo’ed (intermediate festival days). As for the days of Bein HaMetzarim – their magnitude cannot be described or fathomed.”
36. Torah Shebichtav, Parashat Balak, p. 73.
37. Zera Kodesh, by Rabbi Naftali Tzvi Horowitz of Ropshitz, beginning of Parashat Devarim.
38. Chiddushei Bnei Yissaschar, by Rabbi Tzvi Elimelech of Dinov, p. 73.
39. Rashi on Deuteronomy 16:15 – “‘You shall be only joyful (אַךְ שָׂמֵחַ)’ – not a command, but a promise,” alluding to the future transformation of the sorrowful days into days of joy.