When is it Permissible to Get a Haircut During the Omer Count?
Question
Hello Rabbi,
1. When is it permissible to get a haircut?
2. I heard a halacha that it is permitted to listen to music during the Omer count because generally, the days of the Omer count are days of joy. Is this correct?
Thank you very much
Answer
Hello,
1. According to the custom of Sephardim, it is permissible to get a haircut starting from the morning of the 34th day of the Omer (Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chaim 493:2), which is this coming Friday morning. According to Ashkenazi custom, it is permissible to get a haircut starting from the morning of the 33rd day of the Omer (Rema, ibid.), which is this coming Thursday morning.
2. The custom is not to listen to music accompanied by instruments during the Omer count because 24,000 students of Rabbi Akiva died during this period (see Yechave Da'at, part 3, section 30, and part 6, section 34).
Best regards,
Hillel Meirson
