Rebbetzin ZZZ needs some tips

top mom ↓

Tue, Jul 21 2020, 4:22 am

So, as we're approaching the 9 days, I'm feeling the slightest dread.
Just remembering the SMELL of 27 unshowered people under one roof Can't Believe It

Rabbi ZZZ actually gave me a heter to sponge bathe our 7 month old quintuplets every other day, after last year's......um... unpleasant experience
But the toddler triplets, and all the rest will have to wait till Friday for their cold, quick shower
How else will they feel the Churben?
My boys, especially Zalmele, tend to get shvitzy... It's really challenging.
I won't dare kvetch to Rabbi ZZZ, he wears the same set of clothes until after 9 b'av!
I wonder if he notices that I end up sleeping on the couch towards the end🤫
He generously agreed to let me change the babies and toddlers clothes!
How do I handle it?
Any helpful tips, that do not violate halachos or Chumras in any way, will be appreciated!

amother

Powderblue

Tue, Jul 21 2020, 4:34 am

What beautiful dedication to the chumras of the Nine Days!

Some suggestions:

- Make a churban of your roof. The rain leaking in will not cause you to be nichshal ch"v in showering, but if you sleep in the attic, some of the shvitz might be memeila washed away.

- Make a churban of a water pipe. I'm pretty sure then the "bathing" that takes place is an oness and you will not be held liable. But make sure it is a clean water pipe and not a pipe leading to the sewer, because that would make it asur to daven in your home until it is repaired (after Tisha B'Av obviously).

- Move to Antarctica until after Tisha B'Av. This allows you to both avoid the shvitz and also to avoid other people which could cause you to be nichshal ch"v in having Ahavas Yisroel since they might not act on the same exalted levels. But only if you can finish traveling before the Nine Days begin of course!

Another option is to borrow my neighbor, because he can produce such a powerful scent that will certainly drive away the smell of all of your family members kah put together. Bringing a cow into the house may achieve the same purpose, with the added advantage of convenient milk available for your non-fleishig meals, now that the free lunch program isn't generating such an excess.

WitchKitty ↓

Tue, Jul 21 2020, 5:15 am

I can't find the first ZZZ thread, but someone there posted her chumra about not cleaning the house between Pesach and Shavous so she can grow flowers in the dirt.
Maybe find that thread and ask her what she does.

Also, read this article:
You might find some ideas.
For example, “Coal burning was seen as an antidote to all the bad smells that accumulated in urban centers”. Try it!

↑ top mom ↓

Tue, Jul 21 2020, 5:20 am

WitchKitty wrote:

That was the second thread, actually. First was about pre-pesach PTSD
Zanvel Zevulun wasn't even a Rabbi yet, there!
It's amazing how it all evolved LOL

↑ WitchKitty

Tue, Jul 21 2020, 6:12 am

top mom wrote:

There was a recent ZZZ AMA thread, and gamzeyavor generously provided all the links for previous ZZZ threads
Will try to find it

Thanks. Found it.
https://www.imamother.com/foru.....rt=60
It was Flapsmom and SuperWify. Wait until they come on.

SuperWify

Tue, Jul 21 2020, 9:13 am

We actually don’t bathe the entire month of Tammuz and Av so I really don’t understand why the chashuvah rebbitzin is complaining What

It’s just 9 days please.

And once we’re saving on the water bill my ba’al shuts off the AC so we save even more money. A mechaya! (Excuse me while I faint. It’s a bit hot in here...)

↑ top mom ↓

Tue, Jul 21 2020, 9:31 am

SuperWify wrote:

We actually don’t bathe the entire month of Tammuz and Av so I really don’t understand why the chashuvah rebbitzin is complaining What

It’s just 9 days please.

And once we’re saving on the water bill my ba’al shuts off the AC so we save even more money. A mechaya! (Excuse me while I faint. It’s a bit hot in here...)

Thanks for the advance notice, I might skip visiting you in the near future, after all!
Zanvelish actually does the same, but with me carrying quads, I squeezed a heter out of him (come to think of it, I haven't ever NOT been pregnant 🤔)

Success10 ↓

Tue, Jul 21 2020, 9:37 am

It really pains me to have to write this, but Rebbetzin, I'm surprised in you! The 9 days are not supposed to be easy! We're in mourning! Do you think the Yidden who witnessed the churban were thinking about showers or smells? Raboisai! You're looking for a way out? A way to escape the tzaar? Is that the spirit of the 9 days?
I can't even believe I have to write this on a frum site. The gefarlech state of frumkeit these days! We truly do have so much to mourn.

Elfrida ↓

Tue, Jul 21 2020, 10:04 am

Everyone can have their own little bag of besamim to carry, and sniff whenever external smells get too overwhelming. As a extra benefit, this was a common practice in the Middle Ages, and known to ward off the plague, so it may have beneficial properties for corona.

And it will give all the children a chance to reveiw their brachos for diffferent smells. These children are far too holy to fight about each others bags having different smells.

It might be advisable to have smelling salts on hand as well, in case anyone is truely overwhelmed by greif, and not just the competing odours.

While not wanting to interfere with holy chumras, perhaps you should ask about the permissability of washing hands. After all, these are not normal times, and there may be a heter to prevent the spread of disease.

Sunny Days ↓

Wed, Jul 22 2020, 12:27 pm

I’m so happy someone mentioned this thread in the immediate reaction thread. Ch’v Can't Believe It

had I not found out about all these holy kinderlach mourning the churban with their sweat (this is me the last while- log into ima every now and then when I have a chance & scroll though the new topics then head back to life... so I would’ve totally missed this had I not been following the immediate reactions...)

anyway, back to the important sad topic on hand- I wonder if getting a heter for a tomato sauce bath would be kedai? This way you’re:
A) exchanging smells
B) exchanging shmutz
C) looking like you’re on fire to remember to mourn the sreifas Bais hamikdash
D) no need for a skunk to spray you up first

I had some more reasons- but I’m so overcome with emotion thinking about the amazing sight of this that it totally flew out of my mind (if you can’t afford the tomato juice, some lovely imas can spare you tomatoes from the food packagess- kids can have an activity first. alternatively you can try getting a heter for milk baths- those are in very high supply as the cows apparently had a baby booming activity with the onset of Covid [can they shecht the cows & distribute the meat Question

])

keym

Wed, Jul 22 2020, 12:46 pm

gamzehyaavor wrote:

I’m so happy someone mentioned this thread in the immediate reaction thread. Ch’v Can't Believe It

])

Milk baths are 100000% assur according to every shita. I can't believe I even have to say something. I'm beyond horrified.
Though if the milk has already curdled, or it's "pre processed" (aka spit up) a heater may be obtained for immediately after the sextuplets are born, just to wash off the amniotic fluid.

chocolatecake ↓

Wed, Jul 22 2020, 12:56 pm

Rebbetzin I have a question a little unrelated to the topic.

You call your choshuv talmud chacham husband ba'al. I have never before heard someone refer to their husband like that. Did you on your own decide to call him that out of respect or is that a common thing done in certain circles of past or present.

One of my teachers in seminary told us that when her brother in law and husband speak and they want to send regard from wife to wife, chas veshalom they should say send regards from chanie to rivky. Instead they say send regards from bayis to bayis. She then went on to describe what a huge compliment it is to be called a house. After all what is a woman besides her house. I thought that was so beautiful it has made a tremendous "roshum" on me. Then the term bayis gets two meanings because after ten plus years of marriage and ten plus kids your body literally looks like a house

zaq

Wed, Jul 22 2020, 1:52 pm

chocolatecake wrote:

Rebbetzin I have a question a little unrelated to the topic.

what a huge compliment it is to be called a house.

Laughed so hard my coffee went up my nose! Since laughing is assur this time of year, I'll have to ask my rav to assign a penance, like saying five Hail Mar---er, five kapitlach tehillim.

↑ top mom ↓

Wed, Jul 22 2020, 3:09 pm

Ladies, please Time out

This is not supposed to be funny at all!
Have you forgotten what tekufa we're in the midst of?
I'm still wondering why every discussion involving my holy mishpachta becomes a moshav leitzim Scratching Head

And I can't believe that NO ONE thought of this simple and amazing solution to the...odor...matzav
😷😷😷
Those %@#& masks which we have to wear in the pleasant summer humidity, are the PERFECTIONISM solution!!!
Please excuse me while I wipe my shvitzy EVERYTHING (only 8.5 more days to go!)🥵

↑ Success10

Wed, Jul 22 2020, 3:22 pm

top mom wrote:

Ladies, please Time out

I don't understand. You didn't always wear a face covering? You only started with Corona?