Question: Why didn't the Israelites bake bread (the Torah says that they did not have time for the dough to rise)? They knew 14 days ahead of time (on Rosh Chodesh Nisan) that they would be leaving, and they knew it would be middle of night (since God said that is when they would leave).
Answer: The Israelites did not do anything to prepare, except what God told them to do: the Passover offering and putting blood on their doorposts.
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You may not eat meat or drink wine.
Exceptions
- You may drink wine on Shabbat (but not on Rosh Chodesh Av or erev Shabbat.)
- You may drink wine for havdala (but ideally give the wine or grape juice to a child between ages 6 and 10).
- You may eat meat or drink wine at a brit, siyum, or pidyon ha'ben.
- You may not wear freshly laundered clothes, or wear or buy new clothes.
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You may not wash yourself for pleasure.
Note Showering or bathing to clean one's soiled body is permitted (except on Tish'a b'Av). So you may bathe or shower during the Nine Days if you are dirty, sweaty, or smelly.
- You may not do any activities that involve luxury.
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You may not say she'hecheyanu except on Shabbat.
Note Therefore you should not buy new fruits or new items that you will enjoy during the Nine Days. But if you DO eat a new fruit or buy something new, you must say she'hecheyanu anyway.
- Mashiv ha'ruach
- Ha'el ha'kadosh
- Tein bracha/Tein tal u'matar l'vracha
- Ya'ale v'yavo (except Rosh Chodesh night).
- Rosh Hashana, Yom Kippur, and Ten Days of Repentance changes (except ha'melech ha'kadosh)
- Al ha'nisim
- Aneinu
- Ya'ale v'yavo (if Rosh Chodesh night).
Note If you omitted part of the amida that would normally require you to repeat the amida, you do not need to repeat the amida if you intend (have kavana/concentrate from the beginning of the reader's repetition until the end of the repetition) to have your amida covered by the reader's repetition.
- Second night of Passover until Lag ba'Omer (33rd day of counting the omer).
- Rosh Chodesh Iyar until the third day before Shavuot (excludes Lag ba'Omer).
- Second day of Iyar until Shavuot.
- Shabbat
- Jewish Festivals
- Rosh Chodesh musaf.
Note A minimum of six men must be finished before the reader begins the repetition. If delaying the repetition at mincha will cause the repetition to be finished after sunset, consult a rabbi.
- Shabbat
- Jewish Festivals
- Rosh Chodesh musaf.
- At night,
- On Tish'a B'Av,
- In a house of mourning, and
- Yom Kippur.
- Shabbat,
- Jewish festivals,
- Rosh Hashana, and
- Rosh Chodesh.
- Isru chag (the day after each of the Jewish festivals),
- Entire month of Nisan.
- All of Chanuka, Purim, Shushan Purim, Tu B'Shvat, Rosh Chodesh, and from Rosh Chodesh Sivan until the day after Shavuot.
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Tishrei from shacharit before Yom Kippur until after Simchat Torah (Shmini Atzeret in Eretz Yisrael). Resume saying tachanun:
- Second day of Cheshvan, or
- Day after isru chag of Simchat Torah (this is the more prevalent custom among Ashkenazim). Each person should follow his or her family or community custom.
- Mohel,
- Sandak, or
- Father of a boy having his circumcision.
- Roll a Torah scroll during the minyan in order to get to the correct place for reading (it should have been done previously) unless necessary;
- Roll up his tefilin after taking them off for musaf on Rosh Chodesh, before hallel on chol ha'moed of Sukkot, or after hallel on chol ha'moed Passover. (Instead, he should take them off and leave them on the bima until the prayer service is finished, or roll them up during Torah reading).
The “Three Weeks”: The least severe stage starts three weeks preceding the Ninth of Av
The “Nine Days”: The next-most severe stage begins on Rosh Chodesh Av.
“Week” of Tish'a b'Av: The most severe mourning is during the “week” of Tish'a b'Av (beginning after Shabbat preceding Tish'a b'Av).
- Retzei on the first two meals of Shabbat.
- Ya'aleh v'yavo on the first two meals of any Jewish festival day (women only repeat if they forgot it at the Passover seder).
- Rosh Hashana (during the daytime) or
- Rosh Chodesh.
The dead person benefits if his/her son or sons lead public prayer services, whether during shloshim or the entire year (11 or 12 months). However, if the mourner is uncomfortable leading the minyan or is not a good reader or will be embarrassed, he should not feel obligated to do so.
A mourner does not lead a minyan on:
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Shabbat;
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Jewish Festivals (including chol ha'moed);
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Purim;
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Rosh Chodesh.
Opinions differ concerning Chanuka, so follow your local custom.
Most Severe Restrictions
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Mourner for parents (no shaving for the first 30 days and no haircut until three months after his or her previous haircut).
Note If mourning for other relatives, you may get a haircut after 30 days.
- From Saturday night before Tish'a B'Av until the evening after Tish'a B'Av.
- Chol ha'moed.
Shiv'asar B'Tamuz (17th of Tamuz) until the evening after the Shabbat preceding Tish'a B'Av.
Least-Severe Restrictions
During 33 of the 49 days of counting the omer (sefirat ha'omer); that is, either from the second day of Passover until Lag Ba'Omer (33rd day of the omer) OR from Rosh Chodesh Iyar until the day before Shavuot, according to your custom.
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You said the weekday version on Shabbat or Jewish festival--or the reverse.
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You began to say the version for a different Shabbat service (say, it is Shabbat mincha and you said the version for Shabbat shacharit).