Is Sefira “aveilus”? Are we allowed to wear new clothing? Build a binyan shel simcha?
Sefira is “miktzas aveilus” a small part of aveilus. Haircuts and shaving are not done, and live music is not listened to. I was told by my son The Tzaddik (just kidding, he IS a tzaddik, but we don’t call him that), that he learned in Yeshivah both here and in E”Y, that contrary to popular belief, one may wear new clothing, especially if it is necessary new clothing. It is not the same form of aveilus that we observe during the Three Weeks and Nine Days. We always held not to even buy new stuff during sefira much less use it, but that, I have come to learn over the past few years, is not an halachic opinion held by many.