Questions on the 9 days to think about and discuss:

1. We find in Halocho different levels of mourning during the 3 weeks. The 9 days is one of them. What is this new level?
2. Why is wine and meat singled out (for Ashkenasim) as being forbidden to consume during the 9 days?
3. Usually we find the idea of seven days being together. Why here do we group nine days together?
4. Usually we find that when a person mourns the dead, the severity starts on the day of burial and then slowly decreases. Yet, during the three weeks, we find with the nine days the severity of mourning increases?
5. How are the 9 days different to how we mourn for the churban throughout the year?
6. In what way are the 9 days different to Tisha BiAv? What is the opposite of these days?
7. The 3 weeks are considered either as 21 or 22 days. However, the 21 days are if the 17th of Tammuz and Tisha BiAv are not counted or 22 if the 17th of Tammuz is counted. However, we said that as the 3 weeks are preparing for Tisha BiAv this is why Tisha BiAv itself is not counted. However, when we say the 9 days we are including Tisha BiAv – from Rosh Chodesh Av until Tisha BiAv. What is the difference why in one counting of days (the 3 weeks) we do not count Tisha BiAv while with another counting (the 9 days) we do count Tisha BiAv?

Idea for answers on the 9 days:

1. The Gemora (Taanis 29a) brings that when the month of Av enters we go down in happiness. Additionally, if a Jew has a court case with a non-Jew, he should postpone it to a different month or at the very least until after these nine days. We see from here that it is because of the nature and mazal of the month of Av. There are auspicious times and bad times for each nation during the year. The bad time naturally for the Jews is in this month. However, we believe that despite this, our actions can change this. It is only when our actions are not good plus the time is not good then the result is the churban.
2. Wine and meat are especially associated with simcha, happiness (see Gemora Pesochim 109a) and are therefore meant to be had on Yom Tuv. The 9 days are when we decrease our happiness and therefore these things that bring on to happiness become forbidden. Another reason why meat is prohibited is since the korbonous were stopped and this meant no meat.
3. Seven days is a whole unit, e.g. a week. The number seven here is the significant number. However, here the number nine is not the main thing only that this happens to be the number of days into the month when the start of the burning of the Beis Hamikdosh happened. Alternatively, the Gemora (Taanis 29a) brings that on the 7th of Av the enemy entered the Heichel. This means that really the nine days are split into two groups – the first six days and then the last three days when they actually physically started the process of destruction…
4. Usually mourning decreases as seen by an ovel, mourner. However, since we are so far from feeling the churban, we must work on ourselves to internalise the loss and sorrow and therefore this is slowly increased over time until we reach Tisha BiAv itself.
5. Throughout the year there is set in place certain restrictions to remind us of the churban (see Shulchan Orach, O.C. 560). The Gemora (Shabbos 62b) brings that the decree set in place to remember the churban throughout the year is for things that give simcha as well as ta’anug, enjoyment. However, things that only have enjoyment without simcha are not forbidden. During the 9 days, these restrictions are stepped up a level that not only additional levels of simcha are forbidden but we actively are meant to minimise our normal levels of simcha.
6. We find that there are two major levels in mourning for the Beis Hamikdosh during the 9 days. There is the minimising simcha, luxuries that we are used to. This reflects the avoda of the 9 days. In contrast, Tisha BiAv is where we do not simply remove luxuries but we positively enter a negative state of the five inuyim, five types of affliction. The 9 days are our way of preparing physically for Tisha BiAv. However, since the actual churban took place on Tisha BiAv this is when we additionally enter a painful state, not merely a lack of rejoicing. Perhaps an opposite of these two levels is seen during the times of the Beis Hamikdosh when there was written in Megillas Taanis certain dates of miracles to celebrate. There were two levels – happy days when it was forbidden to fast on and even greater days when even hespedim, eulogies, were forbidden. If we parallel these – the 9 days is when we remove the happiness that forbids fasting. Tisha BiAv is where in addition we enter a phase of actual eulogy and mourning the churban.
7. Perhaps the idea here is that the 3 weeks is a preparation for Tisha BiAv and therefore does not include Tisha BiAv. However, the 9 days is not simply a preparation but is the actual start of real mourning since this shares the same nature of the month of Av when the destruction happened.