| The 15th day of Av is both an ancient and modern holiday. Originally a post-biblical day of joy, it served as a matchmaking day for unmarried women in the Second Temple period (before the fall of Jerusalem in 70 C.E.). Tu B'Av was almost unnoticed in the Jewish calendar for many centuries but it has been rejuvenated in recent decades, especially in the modern state of Israel. In its modern incarnation it is gradually becoming a Jewish Day of Love, slightly resembling Valentine's Day in English-speaking countries. There is no way to know exactly how early Tu B'Av began. The first mention of this date is in the Mishnah (compiled and edited in the end of the second century), where Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel is quoted saying: There were no better (i.e. happier) days for the people of Israel than the Fifteenth of Av and Yom Kippur, since on these days the daughters of Israel/Jerusalem go out dressed in white and dance in the vineyards. What were they saying: Young man, consider whom you choose (to be your wife)? (Ta'anit, Chapter 4) Origins of the Date The Gemara (the later, interpretive layer of the Talmud) attempts to find the origin of this date as a special joyous day, and offers several explanations. One of them is that on this day the Biblical "tribes of Israel were permitted to mingle with each other," namely: to marry women from other tribes (Talmud, Ta'anit30b). This explanation is somewhat surprising, since nowhere in the Bible is there a prohibition on "intermarriage" among the 12 tribes of Israel. This Talmudic source probably is alluding to a story in the book of Judges (chapter 21): After a civil war between the tribe of Benjamin and other Israelite tribes, the tribes vowed not to intermarry with men of the tribe of Benjamin. It should be noted that Tu B'Av, like several Jewish holidays (Passover, Sukkot, Tu Bishvat) begins on the night between the 14th and 15th day of the Hebrew month, since this is the night of a full moon in our lunar calendar. Linking the night of a full moon with romance, love, and fertility is not uncommon in ancient cultures. Between the destruction of Jerusalem and the re-establishment of Jewish independence in the State of Israel in 1948 — the only commemoration of Tu B'Av was that the morning prayer service did not include the penitence prayer (Tahanun). In recent decades Israeli civil culture promotes festivals of singing and dancing on the night of Tu B'Av. The entertainment and beauty industries work overtime on this date. It has no formal legal status as a holiday — it is a regular workday — nor has the Israeli rabbinate initiated any addition to the liturgy or called for the introduction of any ancient religious practices. On Tu B'Av there is a full-moon and it is traditionally celebrated as a day of love and affection. What is the history behind Tu B'Av? - Tu B'Av marked the end of the "desert generation." After 40 years the desert generation died off and the new generation was finally ready to enter the Promised Land.
- Tu B'Av marked the time when the tribes of Israel were permitted to intermarry. This next generation of women was granted permission to marry whomever they desired (within Israel) since the land had been allocated among the various tribes.
- Tu B'Av marked the restoration of the tribe of Benjamin. Six hundred surviving males from the tribe of Benjamin were permitted to marry a daughter from Shiloh. This saved the tribe from extinction.
- Tu B'Av became a time of celebration in Jerusalem. It was celebrated as a time of reconciliation for the sin of the 10 spies who came bearing such negative reports that the entire nation was reduced to panic. Later it became known as a time of summer dancing and a courtyard celebration. Girls would exchange white clothing with one another so that their prospects would not know who could afford expensive dresses and who was borrowing them. In recent years this practice has been revived and Jewish girls from Shiloh (located about 40 minutes north of Jerusalem) dance in the same vineyards, while Chassidic musical artists provide entertainment.
- Tu B'Av marked the end of Jeroboam's blockade against Jerusalem. This was King Jeroboam, an evil ruler of the Northern Kingdom of Israel whose roadblocks were removed on the 15th of Av which allowed people to make the pilgrimage into Jerusalem again.
- Tu B'Av marked the time of "Breaking of the Hatchets." After this date it was forbidden to cut down trees or use them in the Temple offering fires.
- Tu B'Av marked the end of the year for planting. Trees and crops planted after this date are considered to take root after Rosh Hashanah and therefore belong to the following year for the purpose of the Sabbatical Year.
- Tu B'Av marks the final Jewish Holiday of the year. Since it falls on the fifteenth of the month, Tu B'Av is a night of the full moon; and since the ninth of Av (Tishah B'av) recalls the history of Jewish tragedy, the full moon of Av represents the transformation of darkness into light, sorrow into joy.
- Tu B'Av marks a time of romance and love in modern Israel. It is customary to send a bouquet of red roses to the one you love. Romantic songs are played on the radio and parties are held in the evening throughout the country. It is a popular day for Jews to hold weddings (and they are not required to fast before the wedding on this day).
Tu B'Av is a holiday mentioned in the Talmud. We read that Rabbi Simeon ben Gamliel said that there never were in Israel greater days of joy than on the 15th of Av and the Day of Atonement. On these days the daughters of Jerusalem danced in the vineyards exclaiming, "Young man, lift up your eyes and see what you choose for yourself. Do not set your eyes on beauty but set them on good family. Grace is deceitful and beauty is vain. But a woman that fears G-d, she will be praised." Do you think that there should be a special day for love? Is love a "gift" or something that needs to be cultivated and worked at each day? There are many kinds of love: romantic love, love of family, love of country, love of Israel and love of G-d to name a few. On Tu B'Av we have an opportunity to reflect on all of them.
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