why mourn? | Imamother

greenfire

Sun, Jul 26 2009, 11:55 am

so the beis hamikdash is gone - why mourn only during the 9 days - we should mourn everyday for that matter ... so why should we refrain from washing our clothes and bathing specifically during the 9 days ... we live in a time where those things are not luxuries - we have indoor plumbing and more than one outfit to wear ... I've seen chillul jews made because of people smelling during the 9 days - isn't cleanliness close to godliness ...

acccdac

Sun, Jul 26 2009, 12:07 pm

to answer your first comment....that is why most people say "al naharos bavel" on days that tachanun is said. that is why tachanun is said. and we are suppose to "mourn" everyday. I understand you are asking why we dont take everyday to the extreems of the 9 days....that could be becuase then the 9 days wouldnt be the 9 days, also mourning doesnt mean always being like you are during the 9 days.

if you take shiva, shloshim, the year after death for an example, we are told to not spend our lives, everyday "mourning" becuase life goes on, etc. That could be the same reason.

on the second comment of cleanliness......ask your LOR but growing up in camp I took 2 showers maybe 3 showers a week, and now that I'm married and based on what our rav says...I now take one every other day, maybe once a day if I spent a lot of time outside in the heat. My husband takes one everyday and shaves for work. So I think its a matter of who your Rav is and how they paskin.

With all of this, I also tend to ask the question of how frum are you really......you say you will only take 1 shower erev shabbos during the 9 days but you have no issue double parking (which to me is totally rude and illegal and wrong) or not paying membership to a shul you use often, or coming late to things (that was another topic) or talking loshan hara, etc. What makes it okay for you to "frum" in one sense and 'not frum" in another. I know that different people are better at different things and work at different things at different speeds and times, but are we so perfect in our daily actions that we are at the point of being so frum and medakdaik during the 9 days?