עברית
Halachot and Customs
Is It Permitted for a Woman to Remove Hair During the Three Weeks?
Question
Hello Rabbi, is it permitted for a married woman to remove body hair during the Three Weeks? Is there a distinction if the hair bothers her husband or her? And what about during the Nine Days? According to Ashkenazim. Thank you very much.
Answer
Dear Sir,
According to the custom of Ashkenazi women, it is prohibited to remove hair during the Three Weeks, but they may pluck the hair of the eyelashes and eyebrows. A married woman may remove any hair necessary so that she does not appear unattractive to her husband, and this is also true for the Nine Days.
Sources: The custom of Ashkenazi women not to get a haircut is stated in the Mishnah Berurah (Siman 558, Se'if Katan 578) in the name of the Pri Megadim.
However, Rabbi Shmuel Auerbach, zt"l, in his work Halichot Shlomo on the Festivals (Nissan-Av Chapter 14, Halacha 9) holds that women may pluck the hair of the eyelashes and eyebrows, as it is not considered a haircut.
The allowance for a married woman to shave so that she does not appear unattractive to her husband is noted in Kuntres Mibeit Levi (Ben Hametzarim, 5759, page 5, note 2) in the name of Rabbi Shmuel Wozner, zt"l. See there for his opinion regarding plucking eyebrows and eyelashes.
Best regards,
Hillel Meirs
