עברית
Halachot and Customs
Swimming Pool During the Nine Days
Question
Hello and blessings to the Rabbi,
Is it permitted to enter a constructed home swimming pool during the Nine Days? The pool is built inside the house like an outdoor pool, but it is not deep.
Thank you
Answer
Greetings,
According to the custom of Sephardim, it is permitted to enter a pool during the Nine Days, even in the week that includes Tisha B'Av. According to the custom of Ashkenazim, it is permitted only until Rosh Chodesh Av. There is no difference in this between a regular pool and a home pool.
Sources: The custom of Sephardim allows bathing in cold water during the Nine Days, even in the week that includes Tisha B'Av, therefore they are permitted to enter a pool during these days, as explained in Yabia Omer Part 5 (Orach Chaim, end of siman 41) and in Yechaveh Da'at Part 1 (siman 38) and in the book Hazon Ovadia for the Four Fasts (page 214).
However, the custom of Ashkenazim is not to bathe even in cold water from Rosh Chodesh Av onwards, as written by the Rema in Orach Chaim (siman 561, section 16), and therefore they should not enter a pool during the Nine Days.
Best regards,
Hillel Meirs
