עברית
Halachot and Customs
Is It Permissible for Anyone to Eat Meat During the Nine Days?
Question
Hello, I understand that there is a prohibition against eating meat during the Nine Days. I would like to know how significant this prohibition is, whether it applies to everyone, and whether it is permissible to eat poultry during this time. Please provide the answer according to the rulings of Rabbi Ovadia Yosef zt"l.
Thank you in advance.
Answer
Hello,
Indeed the custom is not to eat meat during the Nine Days. According to Ashkenazi custom, it is forbidden to eat meat from Rosh Chodesh Av, and Rosh Chodesh itself is included in the prohibition (Mishnah Berurah, Siman 558, S"K 58). According to the custom of Sephardim in Israel, it is permissible to eat meat on Rosh Chodesh Av itself, and the prohibition begins immediately after Rosh Chodesh (Chazon Ovadia, Arba Ta’aniyot, p. 201).
Additionally, poultry is also forbidden during the Nine Days, as it is included in the prohibition of eating meat (see Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chaim 558:10; Chazon Ovadia, ibid., p. 180 §5, and p. 181 s.v. “and it has been decided”).
According to Rabbi Ovadia Yosef zt"l, it is permitted for children to eat meat during the Nine Days. Only once a child reaches the age of twelve years and one day—a significant age close to adulthood—is it preferable to be stringent with him in this matter (Responsa Yabia Omer, part 9, Orach Chaim, Siman 56).
Best regards,
Hillel Meirs
