Do you shower during the 9 days?

SpottedBanana

Mon, Jul 16 2018, 9:18 am

To answer the OP, I take showers (if for no other reason than my commute involves 15 minutes of walking outside each way) but in lukewarm water. I also stand outside the water and just wet/rinse limbs as needed, and turn off the water when I lather up my hair.

keym

Mon, Jul 16 2018, 9:27 am

I shower in much cooler water soap and rinse. The whole thing is really quick.
And I will skip nights if I'm not very sweaty. Usually I shower every night but going every other night is not horrible.
My little kids who play in mud get baths every night still.
My older ones shower if they are dirty. And my kids (4-10) yr olds love taking baths so during the Nine Days its only functional showers.

Chayalle

Mon, Jul 16 2018, 9:29 am

I wash during the 9 days - one body part at a time, till I'm clean.

My girls shower - they make it cooler and do it to get clean, not for pleasure.

amother

Mauve

Mon, Jul 16 2018, 9:33 am

Even if as teenagers we showered every other day during the 9 days instead of every day, at this point it's a matter of working among others, being married... And we shower every day if needed as per das torah.
I even shower before tisha b'av as per das torah (not dh or the kids) because otherwise I can't manage the fast day.
I'm feeling it plenty without chicken and turkey. Sad

amother

Brown

Mon, Jul 16 2018, 9:35 am

I put a dishpan of coolish water in the tub, soap up, and rinse off with a wet washcloth. If I wash my hair, I rinse off by pouring cupfuls of water over my head. Working in the velt in a public-contact job, not bathing at all would be a bizayon. Considering the hot sweaty weather, it would also lead to skin problems.

amother

Burgundy

Mon, Jul 16 2018, 10:19 am

Per my rav:

Quote:

The custom is not to wash one's entire body during the Nine Days. One may wash one's hands and face in cold water during this time. Showering is permissible if one becomes dirty on too many parts of the body to spot-clean, or if one becomes very sweaty, [or] ... because of the additional principle that someone who suffers when not showering for some period (an istenis) should shower during the Nine Days. Any showering should be done in (not oppressively) cold water and to get clean, not to luxuriate.

I need to exercise vigorously at least 5x/week for health reasons, so I shower. Since I hate showering at the gym, its most assuredly not luxuriating. And since I sweat -- a lot -- its a true necessity.

Bnei Berak 10

Mon, Jul 16 2018, 1:40 pm

There are a lot of lenience of washing the body during 9 days, even by very very strict Rabbis. Especially in hot climate.

Metukah

Mon, Jul 16 2018, 7:34 pm

I shower every night. I try to wash my hair only 3 out of every 4 nights. I use water much cooler than I usually do and I wash one limb at a time. Kids shower every day. I use only very slightly cooler water because they know about the 9 days. There is an aveira to make people feel disgusted. People please shower and tell your husband's to. In this heat it is awful to go around stinking of hell.
DH showers every night but he uses cold water.

wifenmother

Tue, Jul 17 2018, 11:51 am

I shower, but not every day which is the norm for me. I also use warm/lukewarm water (I like it piping hot) and make it as quick as possible, rather than enjoying the luxury of a deliciously long shower which I usually take.

My little ones get daily baths, my 9-13 year old sons only wash their feet daily and shower less frequently. My big daughters do the same as me.

tichellady

Tue, Jul 17 2018, 11:51 am

I never heard of people not showering during the 9 days until imamother. We don’t take baths or long hot showers, but definitely shower

Cmon be nice

Tue, Jul 17 2018, 12:01 pm

I always learnt that the 9 days are similar to a mourner in shloshim (except the meat part). BH Ive never been in that situation but I cant imagine going 23 days with no shower

amother

Ginger

Tue, Jul 17 2018, 12:29 pm

Usually I try to shower with lukewarm water, less often than usual. This year, it is really hot and I am pregnant, so I shower as needed. I also shower to relax my aching limbs, but wont bathe.

amother

Cerise

Tue, Jul 17 2018, 12:43 pm

We were told by our (chasidishe) rav that one shouldn't shower unless you are dirty or distinctively smelly, but that only applies when niddah. When not niddah, we should take quick, cold showers as often as needed.

amother

Brown

Tue, Jul 17 2018, 2:21 pm

amother wrote:

Huh? I would think that good personal hygiene is even more important when niddah than the rest of the month.

amother

Brown

Tue, Jul 17 2018, 2:25 pm

Cmon be nice wrote:

I always learnt that the 9 days are similar to a mourner in shloshim (except the meat part). BH Ive never been in that situation but I cant imagine going 23 days with no shower

It’s not a perfect analogy. You are allowed to bathe during shloshim. I also learned that Tisha Bav is like shiva. I was shocked to learn that you are allowed to eat meat during shiva and not just on Shabbos.

salt

Wed, Jul 18 2018, 1:19 am

amother wrote:

Yes of course you can shower during the 30.
Not during the shiva.
You can eat meat during Shiva (however not as an Onen).

salt

Wed, Jul 18 2018, 1:23 am

LovesHashem wrote:

I shower, try to make it uncomfortable, the water colder, and do not just linger there for pleasure.
I think of the churban every single time...more so than if I didn't shower at all.

Sorry but that's a bit of a pathetic excuse.

It's kind of like saying I bake cakes on Shabbos. I think about yetziat mitzrayim and Beriyat Haolam the whole time while I'm baking, but I can't make it through Shabbat without baking a good cake. It adds to my Oneg Shabbos. Smile

Sorry I'm saying it a bit tongue in cheek, I know it's not exactly the same, but that's what it sounds like.

LovesHashem

Wed, Jul 18 2018, 1:27 am

salt wrote:

Sorry I'm saying it a bit tongue in cheek, I know it's not exactly the same, but that's what it sounds like.

It's a struggle I'll admit. My Rabbi holds you shouldn't shower at all or in cold water....

salt

Wed, Jul 18 2018, 1:55 am

LovesHashem wrote:

It's a struggle I'll admit. My Rabbi holds you shouldn't shower at all or in cold water....

I also take a cold-ish shower every other day. I'm not saying I don't.
I just wouldn't say I think of the churban more if I shower than if I don't.