Can one water plants on Tisha baav

Watering plants on Tisha B'Av is generally permitted, as it does not fall under any of the five prohibited activities of the fast day. However, there are nuances depending on whether one derives personal pleasure or benefit from the activity, and some authorities recommend minimizing pleasurable activities in the spirit of mourning.

Key Takeaways

• The five prohibitions of Tisha B'Av are: eating/drinking, washing, anointing, wearing leather shoes, and marital relations — watering plants is not among them.
• Watering plants is generally permitted since it involves no personal physical pleasure.
• One should avoid activities that conflict with the spirit of mourning and grief (avelut) on Tisha B'Av.
• If watering would involve significant personal enjoyment or leisure, some authorities suggest minimizing or postponing it.
• Tisha B'Av is treated with the severity of a full Torah-level fast in practice, even though it is Rabbinic in origin.

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The Five Prohibitions of Tisha B'Av

The Mishnah in Ta'anit describes the day of the Ninth of Av as a day of intense national mourning:

"מִשֶּׁנִּכְנַס אָב, מְמַעֲטִין בְּשִׂמְחָה" — "When Av enters, we diminish joy." [Mishnah Ta'anit 4:6]

The full list of five inuyim (afflictions/prohibitions) on Tisha B'Av, derived from the same categories as Yom Kippur, is:

1. Eating and drinking (achilah v'shetiyah)
2. Bathing/washing (rechitzah)
3. Anointing with oil (sichah)
4. Wearing leather shoes (neilat hasandal)
5. Marital relations (tashmish hamita)

These are codified in Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chaim 554–555 [Shulchan Aruch, OC 554].

Watering plants does not appear in any of these categories.

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Why Watering Plants Is Permitted

Watering plants involves no personal bodily pleasure — one is not eating, washing oneself, or deriving sensory enjoyment. The prohibitions of Tisha B'Av are focused on personal physical indulgence that conflicts with the mood of mourning.

The Mishnah Berurah [Mishnah Berurah 554] clarifies that the prohibitions are specifically those enumerated — activities not on the list remain technically permitted.

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Reasons for Caution

While permitted, several considerations apply:

• Spirit of mourning: The general principle that "one who diminishes joy when Av enters" [Mishnah Ta'anit 4:6] suggests that even permitted activities should be tempered if they appear festive or joyful.
• Gardening as leisure: If watering plants is part of a pleasurable hobby or gardening project, some poskim (halachic decisors) would advise postponing purely recreational activities to maintain the solemnity of the day.
• Unnecessary labor: While melacha (forbidden labor) is not Biblically prohibited on Tisha B'Av the way it is on Shabbat, the Rama [Rama, OC 554:22] rules that one should refrain from unnecessary work, particularly in the morning hours.

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Practical Ruling

The consensus among contemporary poskim, including Rav Moshe Feinstein and the Mishnah Berurah, is that:

• Watering plants for their survival (so they don't die) is clearly permitted.
• Watering plants as a pleasurable gardening activity should be minimized or done quickly without indulging in the enjoyment of the task.

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For personal guidance, consult your local rabbi or posek.