We call the period between the Fast of the Seventeenth of Tammuz and the Fast of the Ninth of Av “The Three Weeks.” We call the days between Rosh Chodesh Av and the Ninth of Av “The Nine Days.” The Three Weeks commemorate the destruction of the Holy Temples as well as other tragedies that occurred in this time period. The mourning intensifies after Rosh Chodesh Av, which is why the laws of mourning become stricter, culminating with the Fast of Tisha Be’Av (the Ninth of Av), the day on which both Temples were destroyed.
A Mournful Yet Auspicious Time
Despite the fact that The Three Weeks is a time of mourning, it is also an opportune time to connect to the Almighty. This is alluded to in the verse: כָּל -רֹדְפֶיהָּ הִשִיגוּהָּ בֵּין הַמְצָּרִים “All those who ran after her reached her bein hameitzarim (between the straits).”
This can also be interpreted to mean that all those who exert themselves will be able to connect to the Shechinah in the time of the Three Weeks, which is referred to as bein hameitzarim. This time is compared to when a king is traveling and it is therefore easier to approach him than when he is in his palace.
The reason for this is that when a person serves G-d at a difficult time it is all the more precious.
In this sense, the Three Weeks can be compared to the 21 days from Rosh Hashana to Hoshana Rabba.
