A Celebration of Love and the Coming of the Messiah - Tu B'Av [1]

Grapes on the vine

"I am the vine; you are the branches.  If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from you can do nothing."  (John 15:5)  “When the young women of Shiloh come out to join in the dancing, rush from the vineyards and each of you seize one of them to be your wife.  Then return to the land of Benjamin.”  (Judges 21:21)

Just less than a week after the mourning and fasting of Tisha B’Av (Av 9) comes what is considered the most mysterious day on the Jewish calendar—Tu B'Av (Av 15). The Talmud (Jewish Biblical discussions and rulings) calls Av 15, which begins, the greatest day in the Jewish calendar and second in importance only to Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement when observant Jews fill the synagogues to fast and pray, asking God for forgiveness and that their names be written in the Book of Life for another year.

On the Eve of Yom Kippur.

  

There are several thoughts about this in rabbinic literature. For instance, just as Yom Kippur symbolizes God’s forgiveness for the sin of the Golden Calf, the Talmud links Tu B’Av to forgiveness for a great sin, as well. Tu B’Av is thought to be connected with the sin of the 10 scouts who spied out the Promised Land and came back with a very discouraging report that influenced the Israelites to not trust God. Because of this sin, which happened on the 9th of Av, God decreed that no person 20 and over would enter the Promised Land.  The entire nation remained 40 years in the wilderness until that generation perished. According to tradition, during each of those 40 years, those who had reached 60 years of age died on the 9th of Av. On the last year in the wilderness, however, the last 15,000 of that generation did not die on Tisha B’Av.  When no one died, they waited another day, and then another for the impending judgment.  When the full moon appeared on the 15th of Av, they realized that God had forgiven the sin of the spies.So while this extra-Biblical holiday and celebration is rooted in Jewish experience, it is also rooted in gratitude for forgiveness and restoration.  Moreover, it is rooted in the hope of redemption and the coming of the Messiah. In terms of religious observance of Tu B’Av, the Shulchan Aruch (the Jewish Code of Laws) indicates no customs are attached to this date other than increasing study of Torah and omitting the Tachanun (תחנון Supplication) from the daily prayers.

The Twelve Spies.

 Tu B’Av: A Celebration of Love

“I am my beloved's and my beloved is mine.”  (Song of Solomon 6:3)

In Israel, the 15th of Av has become an Israeli version of Valentine’s Day called Chag HaAhava (חג האהבה‎, Holiday of Love). While this modern celebration may be a kosher alternative to Valentine’s Day, love and unity have long been themes for this special day. Today in Israel, it is a popular day for weddings. In ancient times, soon-to-be brides would dance in Shilo, the first capital of Israel. The Talmud states that on the 15th of Av, the daughters of Jerusalem would go out dancing in the vineyards and that “whoever did not have a wife would go there” and would find himself a bride.  (Chabad)  A passage in the Mishnah (Oral Law), written by Simeon ben Gamliel (10 BC–AD 60) states: “No days were as good for Israel as the 15th of Av and the Day of Atonement, on which the sons of Jerusalem would go out in borrowed white clothes ... and the girls of Jerusalem would go out and dance in the vineyards.”  (Talmud, Taanit 26b)

 Girls wearing white dance on Tu B'Av in the
Holy Land (1920s).

In modern Israel, the event is celebrated as a harvest holiday in which women on collective farms or kibbutzim can be seen dancing in the vineyard dressed in white. With the rise of Zionism in the 19th century, some Zionist leaders felt the need for a rebirth of ancient Jewish traditions that would be fitting for a reborn Jewish homeland. Because of its celebratory nature with regard to youth, romance, and dancing, the holiday of Tu B'Av seemed a good candidate for revival. Those settling in the Land in the early 20th century occasionally celebrated the holiday.  In 1925, on Tu B'Av, an annual celebration by the youth living in the kibbutzim of Jezreel Valley was established.  It did not last, however. During the 20s and 30s parties took place in Tel Aviv on this day, with the participants wearing white.  Parties were sporadic and rare during the first four decades of statehood. The holiday became popular in the 1990s, and party promoters, restaurateurs, flower shops, and chocolatiers soon recognized the possibilities of making this day a kind of "Jewish Valentine’s Day." Although Valentine’s Day is still more popular, Tu B'Av as the Holiday of Love is gaining traction.

A Jewish couple has an outdoor wedding ceremony in Israel.