The Three Weeks (Bein HaMetzarim)

Bein HaMetzarim: The Three Weeks of Mourning for Jerusalem

Next: Thursday, July 22, 202717 Tammuz 5787In 252 days

The Three Weeks, from the Seventeenth of Tammuz to Tisha B'Av, begin this year on Thursday, July 22, 2027. They are called Bein HaMetzarim, "between the straits", after the verse "all her pursuers overtook her between the straits" (Lamentations 1:3).

In these days we mourn the destruction of the Temple, and the mourning deepens from Rosh Chodesh Av: "When Av enters, we diminish in joy" (Mishnah Taanit 4:6).

During the Three Weeks weddings are not held, music and dancing are avoided, and Shehecheyanu is not said on a new fruit or garment. From Rosh Chodesh Av begin the Nine Days, when the customs become stricter: meat and wine are avoided except on Shabbat and at a seudat mitzvah, and swimming for pleasure, laundry and new clothes are restricted. Ashkenazi and Sephardi customs differ on haircuts, laundry and when some restrictions begin, as the guides below explain.

These weeks are also a time to repair the cause of the destruction, baseless hatred, with acts of love for every Jew.

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Laws & Customs

The Three Weeks in Jewish Tradition: A Complete Guide to Customs and Halacha

Understanding the mourning practices between the 17th of Tammuz and Tisha B’Av — traditions, blessings, and spiritual significance

Laws & Customs

Tisha B’Av & Three Weeks Halacha Guide: Practical Laws for Daily Life

From fasting rules and taking medication to music, swimming, and daily activities

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The Nine Days: Key Halachot and a Powerful Life Lesson

What should we avoid during the Nine Days, and what can Parashat Masei teach us about life's unexpected twists and turns? A practical and inspiring guide.

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Can You Buy New Clothes During the Nine Days — and Can a Single Kind Word Change a Life?

Discover the halachot of the Nine Days, along with an inspiring parable that reminds us how words of encouragement can restore hope, strengthen others, and help them rise above life's deepest challenges

Frequently Asked Questions

The Three Weeks begin on Thursday, July 22, 2027 (17 Tammuz 5787), the 17th of Tammuz, and end with Tisha B'Av on 9 Av. The Nine Days begin with Rosh Chodesh Av. The dates for the next three years, with the Hebrew dates, are in the table on this page.

The custom is to avoid listening to music during the Three Weeks. Questions about a cappella, music for young children or music needed for work should be asked of a rabbi.

From Rosh Chodesh Av, meat and wine are avoided except on Shabbat and at a seudat mitzvah such as a siyum. Laundry, new clothes and swimming for pleasure are restricted. Sephardim keep some of these customs only in the week in which Tisha B'Av falls, so check the custom of your community.

Shehecheyanu thanks Hashem for bringing us to this time, which is not fitting for days of mourning. On Shabbat it may be said, so many save a new fruit for Shabbat.