These Halachos are based on the rulings of the Mishna Berura, reflecting Ashkenazi practice
Not Consuming Meat and Wine in the Nine Days
- The custom is not to eat meat or drink wine during the entire Nine Days, including on Rosh Chodesh, except in the situations outlined below.
- However, one eat have and wine on Shabbos in the Nine Days and indeed may not be strict to refrain from doing so, even if Shabbos falls on the 9th of Av (SA 551:9, MB 58 – 59, SHT 57, Shoneh Halachos 14).
- Grape Juice, Beer: The restriction on drinking wine includes grape juice but not, for example, beer.
Wine or Grape Juice at Havdala
- At Havdala during the Nine Days, where there is a child present who has reached the age of chinuch but not the age where they have the maturity to mourn for Yerushalayim, the child should drink the grape juice or wine from Havdala, ensuring to drink the majority of the cup.
- This would correspond to a child from aged 6 or 7 until age 9, or perhaps even 12 (ie under Bar Mitzva).
- When such a child is not present, the adult may drink the wine (SA 551:10, R 551:11, MB70, SHT 91, Dirshu 84, 86, 550:13).
- It would seem that this only applies if there is a boy present, given the practice for women not to drink the Havdala wine, though I haven’t seen this mentioned explicitly (MB 296:6 records the practice for women not to drink from the Havdala wine).
Children
- Aside from Havdala as discussed above, children who have reached the age of chinuch (generally about 6 years old) are also forbidden to consume meat and wine in the Nine Days if they are healthy (MB 551:70).
Ill People Eating Meat in the Nine Days
- One who is somewhat ill, even if they are not considered a ‘choleh she’ein bo sakana’ (bedbound, or feel their whole body is weakened), may eat meat where necessary in the Nine Days, as may a nursing mother if it’s deemed necessary to improve the quality of her milk (MB 551:61, 64).
- One who is unable to eat milky foods is permitted to eat poultry (MB 551:64).
Meat and Wine at a Seudas Mitzva
- During the Nine Days, meat and wine may be consumed at a seudas mitzvah held on a weekday, such as one held for a Bris Mila (in the daytime of the Bris, but not the night before) Pidyon Haben or siyum on a masechta (tractate) of Gemara (R 551:10, MB 62).
- Before the week of Tisha B’Av: If a seudas mitzva takes place in the Nine Days but before the week before Tisha B’Av (even if Tisha B’av technically falls on Shabbos and is delayed until the following week), there is no specific limit on the number of attendees who can eat meat and wine.
- However, only those who would have attended such a seudah even if it were not in the Nine Days, due to their friendship or family relationship with the individual making the seudah, may consume meat and wine; others who join just to be have to eat meat and wine so are considered to be doing an aveira.
- If one is merely sent food from the siyum without attending, one may not eat meat or wine (R 551:10, MB73-75, Dirshu 95).
- On the week of Tisha B’av: If such a seudah takes place in the week of Tisha B’av itself (and even on Erev Tisha b’av, so long as it is not done before Chatzos, and not as the seudah hamafsekes), those making the seudah (eg at a Bris this includes that Sandek and the Kvaters), close relatives (defined as those who are invalid to give testimony about them due to their family relationship; it is beyond our scope here to define these relationships) and a further ten attendees may eat meat and drink wine; the rest of the attendees may not (R 551:10, MB 77-78).
Further Details About Holding a Siyum
- In relation to a siyum, the attendees may have meat and wine even if they weren’t personally involved in the learning.
- Manufacturing a siyum: One should not actively delay or rush completing a masechta to enable one to have a Seudah and eat meat or drink wine in the Nine Days – rather, this applies to one who finishes a Masechet based on one studying at their regular pace. Similarly, one may only be permitted to make a siyum with meat and wine if this is what one would normally eat when making a siyum were it not in the Nine Days. (MB 551:73).
