Weekday Clothing for Shabbos Chazon?

Ask the Rov: When did the minhag begin to wear Shabbos clothing on Shabbos in the Nine Days?

By Rabbi Chaim Hillel Raskin – Rov of Anash in Petach Tikvah

During the Nine Days, we exhibit signs of mourning. But what about Shabbos? Some Rishonim indeed mention a custom to wear only one Shabbos garment and the rest should be weekday clothing.¹

However, other Rishonim disagree, noting that it is improper to show signs of mourning on Shabbos. This is true even during shiva for a parent, how much more so for the churban which is an old event and has some leniencies compared to aveilus for relatives.² (The Maharil responds that it’s not an issue of displaying aveilus since onlookers will think that he didn’t have any Shabbos clothing available.³)

The Alter Rebbe explicitly wore Shabbos clothing on Shabbos Chazon, even when it coincided with the ninth of Av (with the fast postponed to the next day), and this is the minhag of chassidim.⁴ In recent times, this custom has spread to most communities.⁵

The Rebbe related how a great rov — R’ Yosef Shaul Natonzohn, known as the Shoel Umeishiv — would wear his weekday spodek on Shabbos Chazon. One year, a man observed the rov walking with his weekday hat, and assuming that it was a weekday, the man brought his tefillin to shul. When the rov heard about this, he was deeply shaken.⁶

Rabbi Yaakov Emdin writes that on Shabbos we may not show signs of mourning, and we may eat even a meal fit for a king. The Rebbe often noted that we should be joyous and wear Shabbos clothes on this Shabbos and increase in permitted joy. The Rebbe warned against being less animated, lest it appear like one is observing aveilus on Shabbos.⁷

On Shabbos Chazon, it is certainly permitted to wear freshly laundered clothing. If one didn’t have a chance to prepare “worn” clothes for the nine days, they can be worn sporadically throughout Shabbos to consider them “worn” as long as they’re appropriate clothes for Shabbos.

See Sources (open PDF)

From The Weekly Farbrengen by Merkaz Anash