* Translated by Janine Muller Sherr
Tu B’Av begins tonight
Here are five points about this special day:
1) What happened on the Jewish festival of Love? Many things.
First of all, as a punishment for the Sin of the Golden Calf, it was decreed that Bnei Yisrael would wander in the desert for forty years and die there. On Tu B’Av, this stopped. This day marked the end of their punishment and the beginning of their entry into the Land of Israel. Thus, it is also a festival celebrating our love of Israel.
2) Once Bnei Yisrael were settled in the land, members of different tribes started marrying one another. In this way, they began to repair the feelings of disconnection and tension that had previously existed among the tribes.
3) In later years, following the division of the land into two kingdoms, King Yeravam ben Nevat did not allow the residents of the kingdom of Israel to travel to the Temple in Jerusalem for the festivals. But on Tu B’Av this decree was abolished. From that time forward, the Jewish people could once again celebrate the holidays together, as one nation, in Jerusalem.
4) On this day, the daughters of Jerusalem would go out in white clothes and dance in the vineyards to find their mates. Reflecting on this beautiful custom, our sages declared: “There were no days of greater joy in Israel than the fifteen of Av and Yom Kippur.”
5) According to Kabbalah, Tu B’Av ushers in the period of Teshuva (Repentance), which formally begins in Elul. There are those who have the custom of greeting one another, starting today, with the words: “Ktiva Va’Chatima Tova—May you be inscribed and sealed in the Book of Life.” This year, we need this blessing more than ever.
6) What is the common theme of Tu B’Av? For thousands of years, this has been a day of connection, reconciliation, and love. If only we could all feel this way today. Happy Tu B’Av!
