עברית
Halachot and Customs
Purchasing Furniture and the Three Weeks
Question
Hello,
I would appreciate a response regarding this period from the 17th of Tammuz to the 1st of Av for Sephardim:
1. Is it permissible to travel outside the city for shopping—for example, I live in Jerusalem and I want to go to IKEA and browse the mall in Rishon Lezion. Is this allowed? Should one avoid it?
2. Is it permissible to buy new clothes and not wear them?
3. Is it permissible to buy furniture for the home?
Thank you very much.
Answer
Hello,
1. It is possible to buy new clothes until the beginning of the month of Av. From the beginning of the month of Av, it is not allowed to buy even if you intend to wear them after Tisha B'Av (Rema, Orach Chaim 551:7, and Mishnah Berurah 551:49. Similarly, the author of Orach Leitzion, part 3, chapter 26, section 2).
It is good to be stringent from the 17th of Tammuz not to wear new clothes for which one would make the blessing of shehechiyanu (see Shulchan Aruch there, section 17).
2. If you are not wearing the new clothes, one may even initially buy clothes for which one would typically make the blessing of shehechiyanu until the beginning of the month of Av (since the blessing of shehechiyanu is typically recited only upon wearing them, and thus you will not recite the shehechiyanu during the period of mourning).
3. Until the beginning of the month of Av, it is allowed. From the beginning of the month of Av, one should not buy furniture unless it is necessary (Chazon Ovadia, Four Fasts, page 159).
Best regards,
Hillel Meirs
