Taanis 4:7-8

Taanis 4:7

During the week in which 9 Av falls, it is prohibited to shave or to wash clothes but these are permitted on Thursday in honor of Shabbos. On the day before 9 Av, one may not eat two different cooked dishes or meat, nor drink wine. Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel says that one merely changes from his usual routine. Rabbi Yehuda says that one must overturn his bed (i.e., sleep on the floor) but the Sages did not agree.

Taanis 4:8

Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel said that the most joyous occasions for the Jewish people were 15 Av and Yom Kippur because on these the unmarried girls of Jerusalem would go out wearing white dresses, all of which were borrowed so as not to embarrass those who didn’t own such clothes. These dresses were ritually immersed and the girls would go out and dance in the vineyards, saying, “Young men, look well and see whom to select! Don’t focus on beauty, consider the family, because ‘grace is false and beauty is meaningless but a woman who is in awe of Hashem is deserving of praise’ (Proverbs 31:3). It is also written (ibid., v. 31), ‘Give her the fruit of her hands and let her works praise her in the gates.’ Similarly, “Go out, daughters of Jerusalem, and look upon King Solomon, and the crown his mother has placed upon him on his wedding day and on the day of his heart’s gladness’ (Shir HaShirim 3:11). ‘His wedding day’ refers to when the Torah was given and ‘the day of his heart’s gladness’ refers to when the Temple was built - may it be rebuilt quickly in our days, amen!