Cutting a Child's Hair and If Shloshim Ends During the Three Weeks

Q. May I give my child a haircut during the Three Weeks? May one take a haircut if their shloshim period of mourning for a relative ends during the Three Weeks?

A. Concerning giving a child a haircut during the Three Weeks, there is a difference of opinion among the poskim. Some prohibit this during the entire Three Weeks and some prohibit only during the week in which Tisha B’Av occurs (Mechaber OC 551:14 and MB 551.82). In cases of necessity, one’s rav should be consulted.

If the thirty-day mourning period ends during the Three Weeks, the person may take a haircut until Rosh Chodesh Av. After Rosh Chodesh Av he may trim his hair with a knife or razor, but not with scissors (Mechaber OC 551:15). In cases of necessity he may trim even with a pair of scissors but only until the week in which Tisha B’Av occurs (MB 551:87 and Shaar Hatzion 551:93).

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The Gerald & Karin Feldhamer OU Kosher Halacha Yomis is dedicated to the memory of Rav Yisroel Belsky, zt"l, who served as halachic consultant for OU Kosher for more than 28 years; many of the responses in Halacha Yomis are based on the rulings of Rabbi Belsky. Subscribe to the Halacha Yomis daily email here.