Customs Ezekiel's vision: "Can these bones live?" Because of the gravity of the events that overcame the Jewish people during the period of the Three Weeks, the rabbis ordained that various acts of grieving should take place. It is important to note that the intensity of these mourning customs increases as the Fast of the 9th Av (Tisha B'Av) approaches. Customs of the Three Weeks According to the the Code of Jewish Law, during the Three weeks: One does not buy or wear new clothes, listen to music or bathe for pleasure (except for immersion in a ritual bath or for health reasons); One does not eat new fruits over which the blessing Shehecheyanu must be said; One does not shave or cut one's hair; One does not celebrate weddings; One does not drink wine or eat meat except on Shabbat; One tries to avoid litigation or long journeys. In many communities these customs are restricted to the Nine Days preceding Tisha B'Av. In any event, people follow the custom of their community and consult a religious authority with questions. Special Readings During the Shabbat services preceding Tisha B'Av, it is customary to read the prophetic passages (haftarot) from Jeremiah (1:1-2:3; 2:4-3:4) and (Isaiah (1:1-27) in which the pending punishments of Israel were predicted: From Isaiah: Hear O heavens and give ear, O Earth, for the Lord has spoken: I have reared and brought up children, and they have rebelled against me. The ox knows its owner... but Israel does not know... From Jeremiah: Then the Lord said to me: Out of the north the evil shall break forth upon all the inhabitants of the land. For, lo, I shall call all the families of the kingdoms of the north, says the Lord. And they shall come, and each [nation] will set his throne at the gates of Jerusalem...