Tu B’Av[2] (Tu B’Av) is surely the festival which formed the basis for the Gentile celebration of Valentine’s Day. Never the less, the two dates are rooted very differently. Tu B’Av is focused on the love between Husband and wife, between Israel and HaShem.[3] Valentine’s Day is focused on pagan ideas and values which are foreign to Torah.

Tu B’Av - טו באב is a date. The Hebrew letters are used to form a date: Tet - ט = 9, Vav - ו = 6; 9+6=15. Thus, the date for Tu B’Av is the 15^th day of the Hebrew month of Av. The fifteenth of the month of Av (the fifth month), has the character of a minor festival. Brides and grooms who marry on this day do not fast. Tu B’Av is also called Chamishah-Asar B’Av, which is how we pronounce the number 15, in the month of Av.

Coming seven days after Tisha B’Av, Tu B'Av also symbolically serves as the end of the shivah--the seven days of mourning for the dead. Rav Tzadok HaKohen explains that after the arrival of Mashiach[4] a new Yom Tov will be established. It will last seven days, begin on Tisha B’Av, and have its climax on the final day, Tu B’Av.[5]

The Shabbat between Tisha B'Av and Tu B'Av is called Shabbat Nachamu... when we read, “Nachamu, nachamu ami” — “Comfort, comfort My people”.[6] The repetition is Divine intimacy. HaShem is not commanding us to be comforted. He is comforting us Himself. This begins a seven-week process of solace and comforting-the necessary steps toward renewal after a significant loss. In 2025, something extraordinary happens: Tu B’Av and Shabbat Nachamu fall on the same day — Shabbat, August 9. This rare alignment creates a unique gateway: the rekindling of love meets the voice of comfort in a single moment.

Chazal state that Tisha B’Av is the day of the birth of Mashiach. Just as there was a festival in which the Jewish people were born, celebrated on the day when they left Egypt (i.e. Pesach], so is there a festival which celebrates the day of the birth of Mashiach [the festival of the future redemption]. This will be the future festival of Tisha B’Av.

Tu B’Av, a mere, but not coincidental, seven days later, begins the process of rebuilding those relationships. If Tisha B’Av is the day of sinnat chinam, Tu B’Av is the day of ahavat chinam, the day when all could marry one another. We were no longer 12 tribes, but one people.

So, when is Tu B’Av? Here are the dates for Tu B’Av in the near term:

Av 15, 5785 begins the evening of August 8 and end the evening of August 9, 2020

Tu B’Av occurs on a full moon, as the Hebrew calendar is both lunar in its months and solar in its years. Ancient cultures which link the full moon with love, fertility, and romance are derived from HaShem’s meaning for this day.

Tu B’Av is one of the more obscure and yet deeply profound holidays in the Jewish calendar. To emphasize this, our Sages point out that virtually every major holiday will pale away after the Mashiach arrives and Tu B’Av will come to the forefront.

This festive day comes six days after Tisha B’Av, the 9^th of Ab, which culminates a three-week period of sadness and repentance. It also comes only two weeks before Elul which begins a forty-day period of repentance. As such, Tu B’Av is a festive time sandwiched between two periods of great repentance. This positioning gives us a clue as to the real nature of this minor festival.

When we look at the structure of Pesach, we see that the first and last days are Yamim Tovim, with a bridge of Chol Hamoed. In the future, Tisha B’Av will become a moed, an appointed time. The seventh day after Tishah B’Ab will be the culmination of that festival of redemption — Tu B’Av. Just as the seventh day marks the height of Pesach, so, too, Tu B’Av will be the peak of the festival of redemption.

On a conceptual level, the 15^thof Ab is the end, or correction, of the 9^th of Ab.

We spiral forward in time. Each place on the spiral has its own holiness and its own events. We look for events of freedom on Passover because that is the season for freedom. In the same way we look for tragedies on the seventeenth of Tammuz[7] and the three weeks culminating in the ninth of Ab[8], because that is the time now appointed for tragedy. As we spiral towards Tu B’Av, we should expect to see the spiritual energy of this day bring out events that have the character of events that occurred in the past, on this date.

The theme of Tu B’Av is love and the unity that love brings. This day is even known in modern, secular Israel as the Festival of Love!

It is worth noting that only the Biblical calendar has this effect. We will not see this in the Gregorian or any other calendar system. It is for this reason that we need to learn HaShem’s calendar and pay close attention to it.

Let’s begin to understand this special day by examining a major aspect of this day as noted in the Talmud:

Taanit 26b r. Simeon b. Gamaliel said: there never were in Israel greater days of joy than the fifteenth of ab and the day of atonement. On these days the daughters of Jerusalem used to walk out in white garments which they borrowed in order not to put to shame anyone who had none. All these garments required ritual dipping. The daughters of Jerusalem came out and danced in the vineyards exclaiming at the same time, young man, lift up thine eyes and see what thou choosest for thyself. Do not set thine eyes on beauty but set thine eyes on [good] family. Grace is deceitful, and beauty is vain; but a woman that feareth the lord, she shall be praised. And it further says, give her of the fruit of her hands; and let her works praise her in the gates.

In the wake of this famous Mishna at the end of Tractate Taanit, there are many who call Tu B’Av, the “Love Festival.” Yet, it would be more appropriate to call it the “Matchmaking Festival,” or perhaps “Choose-Day,” because the girls approach the young men so that they pick the wife of their choice. Obviously, love lurks somewhere in the background; not promiscuous, unrestrained “free-love”, but a pure love that develops between a young man and his single and unique heart’s choice. So, let’s go out on a journey of choice.

Although the Mishnah does not make a clear distinction between Tu B’Av and Yom Kippur, nonetheless, it goes without saying that these two days are significantly different, and allude to two different types of match or “choice”. In familiar terms, matches made on Yom Kippur are more inclined to the traditional “Charedi” standards, a match that is founded primarily on a similarity between the families and their social status, made mainly by the parents, while the young (sometimes very young) couple just has to confirm it at the final stages. Such matches are usually announced on the wedding invitation with the phrase, “the marriage of so-and-so with the girl of his age, so-and-so.” “A girl of his age” refers to his soulmate, who is suited to him and destined to him from Heaven, “Grapes of a vine with grapes of a vine.”

By contrast, the matches of Tu B’Av are a “modern match” (or even “secular”), the young couple find one another, with mutual attraction being a primary incentive for their relationship. This is an attraction that often results from the dissimilarity and difference between the two; “opposites attract”, as the saying goes. On the invitation of a couple such as this, the custom is to write, “So-and-so with his heart’s choice, so-and-so”.[9]

This difference is reflected in the Talmudic interpretation of the above mentioned Mishna.[10] The Talmud begins by explaining that with reference to Yom Kippurim, the festivities are clear, “Because it has forgiveness and excusing and it is the day on which the second set of Tablets was given”, this is the epitome of the relationship between the Almighty and the Jewish People, all our sins are excused and instead of the first set of Tablets, which were broken, we were presented with a second set. The emphasis in this case is not on our choice, so it is evident that matches made on this day are under the impression of “everything is in the hands of Heaven”[11] and “From God is a woman to a man”.[12]

By contrast, the Talmud asks, “But what about Tu B’Av”? What is the reason here for the festivities? And it offers a number of good reasons why. Of these, we will mention just the first two, which are directly connected to matches and marriage.

The first reason is, “The day on which the tribes were permitted to intermarry”, since during the first generation after the Land of Israel had been conquered, every girl who had no brothers inherited an estate but could only marry someone from her own tribe. However, in the following generation tribal intermarriage was permitted with no limitations. Until then, marriage had been “dictated”, but from now onwards, anyone could marry whoever they chose.

The second reason is, “The day that the Tribe of Benjamin was permitted to reenter the congregation”. After the war against the Tribe of Benjamin (following the episode of the “Concubine in Giv’ah”) the Jewish People all swore that, “No man should give his daughter to [the tribe of] Benjamin as a wife”.[13] Indeed, the custom described in the Mishna is an extension to what is described by the Prophet in this regard, where it states that the solution to the oath would be that the young men of the Tribe of Benjamin would “snatch” themselves wives from the girls of Shilo when the latter went out to dance in the vineyards on the festival of G-d (and it’s reasonable to suggest that this festival was Tu B’Av).[14] This means that although the parents were prevented from making matches between their daughters and men from the Tribe of Benjamin, these same men could jump in and choose a wife for themselves.

Now, lets note the reference to the ultimate in Human love, the love between husband and wife.

Taanit 30b r. Simeon b. Gamaliel said: there never were in Israel greater days of joy than the fifteenth of ab and the day of atonement.

I can understand the Day of Atonement, because it is a day of forgiveness and pardon and on it the second Tables of the Law were given, but what happened on the fifteenth of Ab? — Rab Judah said in the name of Samuel: It is the day on which permission was granted to the tribes to inter-marry. Whence may this be adduced? — Scripture says, This is the thing which the Lord hath commanded concerning the daughters of Zelophehad etc., [meaning] ‘this thing’ shall hold good for this generation only. R. Joseph said in the name of R. Nahman: It is the day on which the tribe of Benjamin was permitted to re-enter the congregation [of Israel], as it is said, Now the men of Israel had sworn in Mizpah, saying: There shall not any of us give his daughter unto Benjamin to wife. From what was their exposition? — Rab said: From the phrase ‘any of us’ which was interpreted to mean, ‘but not from any of our children’.

The Talmud, above, notes:

“… It is the day in which the tribes were permitted to marry one another.”

Note, again, the reference to the ultimate in Human love – The love between husband and wife.

The commentary of Tosafot adds: “‘the day in which the tribes were permitted to marry one another’, this constitutes a Yom Tov (holiday)”. This seems very strange. Tu B’Av is not one of our major holidays, certainly not of the likes of Yom HaKippurim!

Reb Yaakov Yitzchak of Preshischa, called the Yehudi HaKodesh, the Holy Jew, explained: Tosafot was troubled. What is the comparison between Tu B’Av and Yom HaKippurim? Yom HaKippurim is a holiday because of the forgiving of transgression; Tu B’Av is for another reason -- the day in which the tribes were permitted to marry one another. Rather, it must be that the meaning behind the two days is the same, and this is the intention of Tosafot in its statement, “this constitutes a Yom Tov (holiday).” Tu B’Av is also a Yom Tov just like Yom HaKippurim, because “one who marries is forgiven all his transgressions”. Therefore, the day in which the tribes were permitted to marry one another was considered comparable to Yom HaKippurim.[15] We shall explore the relationship of marriage and atonement a little later.

Tu B’Av is mentioned in the Tanach[16], in Shoftim. Nowhere does the Torah introduce this feast. Without an understanding of the Oral Torah, one would be hard pressed to explain the origins of this feast. Let’s examine the pasuk which speaks of this feast:

Shoftim (Judges) 21:19 Then they said, Behold, [there is] a feast (Chag) of HaShem in Shiloh yearly [in a place] which [is] on the north side of Beth-el, on the east side of the highway that goeth up from Beth-el to Shechem, and on the south of Lebonah.

Six reasons for this feast day

In order to understand the significance of the feast of the 15th of Ab, we will consult the Gemara, in Taanit 30b-31a, where we will find the explanations of exactly why this feast day is a day of happiness.

The Gemara[17] quotes six reasons why Tu B’Av was made a holiday:

1. Marriage between different tribes of Israel was permitted that day. In the desert, a ban on inter-tribal marriage insured that land would not pass out of the hands of the tribe it originally belonged to.[18] The most intense expression of unity is in the ability to weave lives together via marriage, which enhances and expands the fabric of each family and, ultimately, of the nation. In order to preserve tribal identity, it was necessary to restrict this intermarriage in some cases until the people were settled in the Land – but as soon as that restriction could be lifted and the potential for national unity restored, it was. Unity between the tribes through marriage.[19]

2. Intermarriage with the tribe of Benjamin was once again permitted after the Pilegesh B’giva civil war.[20] [21] Sometimes it becomes necessary to distance a member of the nation – or even an entire family or tribe – due to the harmful influences they exert on the national enterprise of holiness. This is, again, a necessary – and temporary – evil which disrupts the national ideal. Once it has been determined that the family – or, in this case, the tribe – can be reinstated within the national body politic, that step is taken. Just as the generation of Benjaminite’s that refused to hand over the villains of Giv’ah demonstrated a defiance towards the national interest and (those that remained) were thus distanced by the other tribes, once a new generation was born, the restriction was relaxed and the tribe was reintegrated. Unity between the tribes through marriage.[22]

3. The generation that left Egypt ceased to die in the wilderness. Consequently, Moses returned to his previous high level of prophecy. The relationship between the people and their Land had been ruptured by the reaction on the part of the generation of the Exodus to the report of the scouts. Once the new generation, born (or raised) outside of Egypt took their place, that relationship could be restored. Once the annual plague on Tisha B’Av ceased, the new generation understood that they would soon be entering the Land. Unity and love between HaShem and His bride.[23]

4. King Hosea permitted residents of the Northern Kingdom to make the pilgrimage to Jerusalem, once again. As soon as a king, allowed the possibility for everyone to ascend to that one cherished mountain, this unity was, at least in potential, restored. Unity and love between HaShem and His bride.[24]

5. The dead of the great fallen city of Betar were granted burial by the Roman government. When they were finally allowed to be brought to rest, they were restored to their people. Even restoration in death is a form of unity and return. Love between Israel and those who could never repay.[25]

6. Rabbah and R. Yoseph both said: It is the day on which [every year] they discontinued to fell trees for the altar. It has been taught: R. Eliezer the elder says: From the fifteenth of Av onwards the strength of the sun grows less and they no longer felled trees for the altar, because they would not dry sufficiently. As the Gemara comments in regards the “breaking of the axe”,[26] from this point on, the measure of one’s Torah study is the measure of his life. As opposed to the interpersonal focus expressed in the first five items, this one is intrapersonal – each member of Am Israel returns to the appropriate balance in life – the heat (or work, as per R. Gershom) distract less and allow for more study, which is the source of our life. Torah unifies Israel with HaShem.[27]

These are the six (6) reasons for Tu B’Av’s joy according to the Mishna.

The reason for the exile, and the destruction of the Temple was: Baseless hatred between HaShem’s people. It is becoming clear that the holiday of Tu B’Av is the tikkun, the rectification of this great tragedy. The descent of Tisha B’Av and its tragedies has as its tikkun the ascent of Tu B’Av.

The Temple was a manifestation of the unity of the sons of Israel. The primary tribes were Judah (the son of Leah who would be king), and the tribe of Joseph (the favorite son, the first son of Rachel). It may be argued that had the sons of Jacob all been united, the Temple would have stood in the portion of Joseph (Jerusalem) and kingship would have been the realm of Judah. With the sons of Rachel and Leah united, this Temple would never have fallen.

Unfortunately, the brothers were never able to resolve their differences with Joseph. The son of Rachel who became the unifying symbol of the people was Benjamin, and the Temple stood in his portion. This explains the tears of Joseph and Benjamin at the moment when Joseph reveals himself to his brothers:

Bereshit (Genesis) 45:14 And he fell upon his brother Benjamin’s neck, and wept; and Benjamin wept upon his neck.

Megillah 16b; Rashi - Genesis 45:14 Rabbi Eleazar said: “[Joseph] wept for the two Temples which were destined to be in the territory of Benjamin and to be destroyed... [Benjamin] wept for the Tabernacle of Shiloh which was destined to be in the territory of Joseph and to be destroyed.

On Tisha B’Av, the 9th of Ab, in the days of Moshe, the tribes of Joseph and Judah were united: When the spies returned only Joshua and Caleb, from the tribes of Joseph and Judah respectively, remained steadfast in their desire to enter Israel. They serve as the prototypes for the Messiah from Joseph, and the Messiah from David (Judah), who usher in the Messianic Era.[28] Watch this theme of the interplay between the sons of Leah and the sons of Rachel as we study.

Let’s look at each of these six reasons, given by Chazal, in greater detail:

Intertribal marriage permitted

Though the pasuk never mentions Tzelafchad in Bamidbar 15:32, Rabbi Akiva says that Tzelafchad was the Mikoshes Aitzim, gatherer of trees. His reasoning is that the pasuk says that Tzelafchad died because of his own sin in the Midbar, and this is the only individual sin in the Torah while Bnei Yisrael were in the Midbar.

Taanit 30b r. Simeon b. Gamaliel said: there never were in israel greater days of joy than the fifteenth of ab and the day of atonement. I can understand the Day of Atonement, because it is a day of forgiveness and pardon and on it the second Tables of the Law were given, but what happened on the fifteenth of Ab? — Rab Judah said in the name of Samuel: It is the day on which permission was granted to the tribes to inter-marry. Whence may this be adduced? — Scripture says, This is the thing which the Lord hath commanded concerning the daughters of Zelophehad etc., [meaning] ‘this thing’ shall hold good for this generation only.

The Torah tells us in Bamidbar:

Bamidbar (Numbers) 36:8-9 “any unmarried woman who inherits property... shall marry one from a family of the tribe of her father’s, so that...an inheritance will not pass from one tribe to another.”

The theme of division and reunion may be the key to the reasons offered by the Talmud. Significantly, the prohibition of inter-tribal marriage began with the daughters of Tzelafchad, who were from the tribe of Joseph (Manasseh). Surely this law, which maintained each tribe as insulated and separate, also had a negative impact on interpersonal relationships between Jews.

This restriction prevented the transfer of the inheritance a woman received from her father to her husband’s tribe permanently upon her death. On the 15th of Ab, the Sages arrived at the conclusion, based on an understanding of a verse, that this restriction only applied to the generation that entered the land of Israel with Joshua. The lifting of this restriction was a cause of great joy, especially among women. Previously, if a woman was an heiress, she could only marry someone from within her tribe. Now, all women were free to marry any man from any tribe. Because of the joy that was experienced in that time, this date, the anniversary of that lifting of the restriction, is also a day of great joy.

Tu B’Av marks reunifications with the sons of Rachel who had become estranged from the community.

In earlier times Tu B’Av was a festival dedicated to young Jewish men and women finding their mates. Even today, the wall posters of Jerusalem announce special Tu B’Av prayers for finding a match.

Benjamin re-enters the nation

Taanit 30b R. Joseph said in the name of R. Nahman: It is the day on which the tribe of Benjamin was permitted to re-enter the congregation [of Israel], as it is said, Now the men of Israel had sworn in Mizpah, saying: There shall not any of us give his daughter unto Benjamin to wife. From what was their exposition? — Rab said: From the phrase ‘any of us’ which was interpreted to mean, ‘but not from any of our children’.

The next reason the Gemara offers is that of Rav Yosef in the name of Rav Nachman. In Shoftim (Judges), chapters 19-20, we find the incident of the Pilegesh B’giva. A man was traveling with his concubine, Pilegesh, and servant back to his home. As evening approached, the group of travelers arrived in the city of Givah, in the territory of the tribe of Benjamin, hoping to find a place to stay. Only one old man offered to put the group up.

He brought them to his home, and offered them and their donkeys food and drink. As the guests were refreshing themselves, wicked people from the city began banging on the door of the house, demanding that the old man send out the male guests from his house. The old man went out to the crowd, and tried to appease them by offering his own daughter and the man’s concubine. He pleaded with them not to do anything disgraceful. The crowd took away the concubine. When she returned the next morning, after being assaulted, she collapsed and died on the old man’s doorstep. In the morning, the man discovered his concubine was dead. He took her body with him back home. He then cut her body into twelve pieces, sending each tribe of Israel a piece, to inform them of the abomination that occurred.

The whole nation was in an uproar and disgusted by what had happened. Over 400,000 warriors from all tribes gathered to eradicate this evil. The group demanded from the tribe of Benjamin that the evil men of Giv’ah be turned over, but the tribe refused and joined with the inhabitants of Giv’ah to battle against the rest of the nation. On the first two days of the battle, the unified tribes suffered severe casualties. The tribes then offered sacrifices, prayed, cried, and fasted, asking HaShem for His assistance. They asked the Kohen Gadol, the High Priest, what should be done. He responded that on the next day, the tribe of Benjamin would be delivered into the hands of the rest of the nation. That is what happened.

After this incident, the tribes swore that they would not let any man from the tribe of Benjamin marry their daughters. The people who made the oath felt much remorse over having to take such an action, as they were in essence cutting off a tribe from Israel. On the 15th of Ab, it was established that the oath-takers had only intended for the oath to apply to themselves, and not to their children. Hence, on the 15th of Ab, the tribe of Benjamin was permitted to “re-enter” the nation of Israel, and to have their sons marry the daughters of any tribe. This was a cause for great happiness:

Shoftim (Judges) 21:19-21 Then they said, Behold, [there is] a feast (Chag) of HaShem in Shiloh yearly [in a place] which [is] on the north side of Beth-el, on the east side of the highway that goeth up from Beth-el to Shechem, and on the south of Lebonah. Therefore they commanded the children of Benjamin, saying, Go and lie in wait in the vineyards; And see, and, behold, if the daughters of Shiloh come out to dance in dances, then come ye out of the vineyards, and catch you every man his wife of the daughters of Shiloh, and go to the land of Benjamin.

The isolation of the members of the tribe of Benjamin (second son of Rachel) can be seen in a different light. Their role in the episode of the concubine of Givah was certainly an outrage, but the isolation of an entire tribe was even more significant in light of the ongoing division between the sons of Rachel and the sons of Leah.

Tu B’Av marks reunifications with the sons of Rachel who had become estranged from the community.

Death decree ended

The death decree was given in Bamidbar (Numbers) 13:1-15:31. The stick gatherer begins in 15:32-36. Thus the crying over the giants and the stick gatherer are back-to-back in the Torah.

Taanit 30b Rabbah b. Bar Hanah said in the name of R. Johanan: It is the day on which the generation of the wilderness ceased to die out. For a Master said: So long as the generation of the wilderness continued to die out there was no divine communication to Moses, as it is said, So it came to pass, when all the men of war were consumed and dead . . . that the Lord spake unto me. [Only then] came the divine communication ‘unto me’.

The third reason the Gemara gives is that of Rabbi bar Chana in the name of Rabbi Yochanan, said that the adult Jews who departed from Egypt had a decree placed on them that they were to die before their children entered the land of Israel. The nation knew that the deaths related to this decree occurred annually on the 9th of Ab.

On the 9th of Ab, when the Children of Israel sent spies to search the land, the tribes of Joseph and Judah were united: When the spies returned only Joshua and Caleb, from the tribes of Joseph and Judah respectively, remained steadfast in their desire to enter Israel. They serve as the prototypes for the Mashiach ben Yosef, and the Mashiach ben David (Judah), who usher in the Messianic Era.[29]

Each year, every man in the age group destined to die would dig a grave for himself and lie down in it on the eve on the 9th of Ab. 15,000 men were destined to die each year on Tisha B’Av. All those who remained alive come the close of the 9th of Ab would get up, and repeat the same actions the next year. In the fortieth year, everyone arose. Seeing that no one had died, they thought that they might have erred in their calculation of the date, so they returned to their graves every night until the night of the 15th. On the 15th, they saw the full moon which indicated that their calculations were correct, and still no one had died. The decree was over, and there was cause for celebration. This meant that HaShem had spared the last 15,000 men. This was truly a day for rejoicing!

Furthermore, the Gemara tells us that as long as those destined to die were still alive, the Divine Communication between HaShem and Moshe was on a lower and less personal level, to the extent that the Gemara considers it “no Divine Communication”. Once the 15th of Ab passed and it was confirmed that the decree was no longer, HaShem resumed speaking to Moshe as he had before the enactment of the decree. As this communication was for the benefit of Israel, the day it returned was a day of rejoicing and celebration.

Barriers removed

Taanit 30b ‘Ulla said: It is the day on which Hosea the son of Elah removed the guards which Jeroboam the son of Nebat had placed on the roads to prevent Israel from going [up to Jerusalem] on pilgrimage, and he proclaimed, Let them go up to whichever shrine they desire.

The fourth reason the Gemara mentions is that of Ulla. He said that the wicked king Jeroboam ben Nevat[30] had placed sentries on the road leading to the Temple, to prevent the Jews from going to the Temple on the holidays. This was an attempt to get the Jews to worship idols. On the 15th of Ab, king Hoshea ben Elah,[31] removed these sentries, allowing the Jews to once again have access to the Temple and to serve HaShem, hence, a cause for celebration.

Hoshea did not lead people toward Jerusalem, toward the service of HaShem; rather he displayed remarkably liberal thinking and was not particular whether his constituents served HaShem in the Temple or foreign deities! Why would this be a cause for celebration? Because Hoshea’s decree reversed the nefarious deeds of his predecessor on the throne, Jeroboam.

Yet even this reversal seems insufficient cause for celebration: Hoshea merely removed the guards charged with preventing pilgrimage to Jerusalem. Furthermore, during Hoshea’s reign the Ten Tribes were carried into captivity. In order to understand the significance of Hoshea’s decree, we must first understand the implications of Jeroboam’s actions.

Due to the spiritual failings of King Solomon, HaShem wrested part of the monarchy from the Davidic family.

1 Melachim (Kings) 11:29-32 And it came to pass at that time when Jeroboam went from Jerusalem, that the prophet Ahiya the Shilonite found him in the way; and he had clad himself with a new garment; and the two were alone in the field. And Ahiya caught the new garment that was on him, and tore it in twelve pieces. And he said to Jeroboam, “Take your ten pieces; for thus said the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘Behold, I will tear the kingdom from the hand of Solomon, and will give ten tribes to you. But he shall have one tribe for my servant David’s sake, and for Jerusalem’s sake, the city which I have chosen from all the tribes of Israel.’”

Jeroboam ignored HaShem’s plan and built an alternative place of worship in an attempt to deter the people from Jerusalem, and, perhaps, allegiance to the House of David. Motivated by jealousy, totally misdirected and self-centered, Jeroboam did the unthinkable: he built places of worship replete with golden calves:

1 Melachim (Kings) 12:25-27 Then Jeroboam built Shechem in Mount Ephraim, and lived there; and went out from there, and built Penuel. And Jeroboam said in his heart, ‘Now shall the kingdom return to the house of David; If this people go up to do sacrifice in the House of the Lord at Jerusalem, then shall the heart of this people turn back to their Lord, to Rehoboam King of Yehuda, and they shall kill me, and go back to Rehoboam King of Yehuda.

1 Melachim (Kings) 12:28-29 And the king took counsel, and made two calves of gold, and said to them, “It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem; behold your gods, O Israel, which brought you out of the land of Egypt.” And he set one in Beit-El, and the other he placed in Dan.

Now we gain some insight into the actions of Hoshea. Unlike Jeroboam, Hoshea was not afraid or jealous of Jerusalem or David’s family. He may have been an idolater, but he was not filled with spiritually self-destructive venom and hatred. Thus, his removal of the guards stationed by Jeroboam, indicated healing from the hatred and jealousy and a possibility for reconciliation.

Burial at Betar

Taanit 31a R. Mattenah said: It is the day when permission was granted for those killed at Betar to be buried. R. Mattenah further said: On the day when permission was granted for those killed at Betar to be buried [the Rabbis] at Yabneh instituted [the recitation of] the benediction, ‘Who art kind and dealest kindly etc.’; ‘Who art kind’: Because their dead bodies did not become putrid; ‘And dealest kindly’: Because permission was granted for their burial.

The fifth reason is that offered by Rav Masnah. On the 9th of Ab, the inhabitants of the city of Betar were killed, during the Bar Kochba revolution. Throughout the entire reign of Hadrian, the burial of these people was forbidden. The corpses, although they all lay exposed, miraculously did not decompose. Finally, years later on the 15th of Ab, the bodies were buried, and given the proper respect due to them.

The mitzvah of burying the dead is called a chessed shel emet, a kindness of truth. It’s the only mitzvah where the person benefitting can’t repay the person doing the mitzvah, so it is considered as selfless as you can possibly get.

Firewood brought

Taanit 31a Rabbah and R. Joseph both said: It is the day on which [every year] they discontinued to fell trees for the altar. It has been taught: R. Eliezer the elder says: From the fifteenth of Ab onwards the strength of the sun grows less and they no longer felled trees for the altar, because they would not dry [sufficiently]. R. Menashya said: And they called it the Day of the Breaking of the Axe. From this day onwards, he who increases [his knowledge through study] will have his life prolonged, but he who does not increase [his knowledge] will have his life taken away. What is meant by ‘taken away’? — R. Joseph learnt: Him his mother will bury.

The final reason mentioned is that of Rabba and Rav Yosef. In the time of the Temple, wood was collected throughout the year for use on the altar. The wood used had to be free of worms. One way of ensuring that the wood was “worm-free” was to let the wood dry out, and worms only inhabit moist wood. The wood that was collected for the altar was sun dried, to assure that it would be fit for use. On the 15th of Ab each year, they stopped gathering wood. This is because as of this date, the heat of the sun is inadequate to sufficiently dry out freshly cut wood, and therefore it would be difficult to assure that the wood would be fit for use on the altar. As the 15th of Ab marked the completion of the performance of this mitzva, it was proclaimed a festive occasion.

Why was this a festive occasion? Rabbenu Gershom explains that once the wood harvest was over, there was more time for learning Torah. Adds Rav Chaim Pinchas Scheinberg shlita: Look how the sages valued Torah study! Consider how little time and how few people were involved in this wood chopping, yet for the small amount of additional Torah which could be studied after this day, Chazal, our Sages, ordained a holiday. Chazal say, “One who studies more Torah after the 15th of Ab, and especially at night, will have reward added. One who does not will be buried”. Why such a stringent punishment? Rav Scheinberg explains (based upon the writings of the Vilna Gaon) that man’s mission on earth is not only to study Torah and to do mitzvot, but to do so in a way which overcomes his natural urges and tendencies. As the summer winds down and darkness comes earlier, one would tend to go sleep earlier, especially before the advent of electric lights. Thus, man’s responsibility, his mission, is to make an extra effort to stay awake at night and to study Torah.[32]

Other Tu B’Av Events

1. Moshe goes up on Sinai, a second time, to plead for mercy after the golden calf - day 26. Shemot (Exodus) 32:30-35, Gemara 28b.

2. Israelites camp at Divon Gad (sorrowing overcomers), 2488 AM. This is camp 38. Study on Bamidbar (Numbers) 33 Taanith 30b.

3. The appointed time for the family of Zattu (tribe of Judah) and with them were the priests and Levites and all those who were not certain of their tribes and the bene Gonbe’ali and the bene Koze Kezi’oth to bring firewood for the Temple. Nehemiah 10:34, Taanit 26a

4. The last of the exodus generation died. Bava Batra 121a

5. Inter-tribal marriage permitted, after the parcelization of the land.

6. Reconciliation between of Benyamin and the other tribes. Judges 21:14

7. Hoshea ben Elah, King of Israel, removed the blockades set by Yavrovam ben Nevat had constructed to prevent the people from ascending to Jerusalem for the pilgrimage festivals. The Book of Our Heritage, Eliyahu Kitov

A Day of Love

For thousands of years, this has been a day of connection, reconciliation, and love.

Rabbi Kook writes that if the Temple was destroyed because of baseless hatred, the way to rebuild it is through baseless love (ahavat chinam).

Tu B’Av is the day of love between man and wife. When HaShem created Adam he was very different from us:

Bereshit (Genesis) 1:27 So God created Adam in his [own] image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.

When HaShem created Adam, he was male and female together. The Sages teach that at this time Adam did not have a backside because the female side was there instead. This was true oneness. This was true harmony.

Tu B’Av is the opposite of Tisha B’Av. The baseless hatred that drove our destruction is completely transformed into the ideal love. A love that transcends all petty things and gives freely. That is why all of the events that Chazal speak about with reference to this day, all concern ahavat Israel, love for the people of Israel.

Because of the meaning of this day, many Jews marry on this day, whilst Yom HaKippurim is the “Wedding day of Israel“. Thus, we can understand why Chazal[33] taught that there were no more joyous days than Yom HaKippurim and Tu B’Av:

Taanit 26b R. Simeon B. Gamaliel said: There never were in Israel greater days of joy than the fifteenth of Ab and the Day of Atonement.

Why on Tu B’Av?

The Talmud states: Forty days before the formation of the embryo the heavens declare that this soul will be wed to this soul:

Mo’ed Katan 18b Surely Rab Judah, as citing Samuel, said: [‘Forty days before the embryo is formed an echo issues forth [on high] announcing, “The daughter of So-and-so is [to be a wife] to So-and-so”.’

Forty days before the 25th of Elul (the day of creation according to Rebbe Eliezer) is Tu B’Av. That is, since the 1st of Tishri is the day of the creation of Adam, by counting backward we find that 25th of Elul is the day of creation of the universe.

Thus, it was on the Tu B’Av before creation that Israel became a thought in the divine Mind and Israel was first destined to receive the Torah, the Second Tablets, on Yom HaKippurim. This is the reason that the day was designated for marital union.

1 Yochanan (John) 3:14-19 “We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brethren. He that loves not abides in death. Whosoever hates his brother is a murderer: and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him. Hereby know we love, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. But, whosoever has this world’s goods, and beholds his brother having, need, and shuts up his tender affections from him, how, is, the love of G-d, abiding in him? Dear children! Let us not be loving in word, nor yet with the tongue, but in deed and truth. An by this, shall we get to know, that, of the truth (Torah), we are, and, before Him, shall persuade our heart”

Tu B’Av is the Transformation

Tu B’Av is the seventh day from the 9th of Ab, corresponding to the completion of the shiva days of mourning. It marks the transformation from the days of mourning to the days of joy. In the future, when the 9th of Ab will become a holiday, Tu B’Av will be the culmination of festivities, the complete rejoicing of the bride and groom. It is not appreciated as such a great holiday as yet, because its real impact will be in the future.

The Ari HaKadosh (Isaac Luria) explained that the reason for the greatness of Tu B’Av is that it falls on the fifteenth day of the Hebrew month. The Hebrew calendar is a lunar calendar, and the fifteenth of the month is the night of the full moon. The moon represents the Jewish people, and the rise of the moon represents the rise of the Jewish people. Although every month has a full moon, the rise of the moon in Ab has a special significance. Since the ninth of Ab (Tisha B’Av) is the most tragic day of the year, the full moon of Ab represents the transformation of tragedy into joy.

Ascent and Descent

Although Torah Study is forbidden on the 9th of Ab, we are told to increase Torah learning from Tu B’Av and on.

As a seed must undergo decay and destruction in order to reproduce and bear many more seeds, so too must our soul descend in order to ascend. The darkness of the tragedies of Tisha B’Av was the descent that led to the ascent of Tu B’Av. “All Descent is for the purpose of ascent”. It is after the serious descent of Tisha B’Av that we can ascend the heights of Tu B’Av, heights that would otherwise be unachievable.

We sing on Friday nights, in Lecha Dodi, the phrase “the last event was the original intent.” In Jewish teachings, this concept is linked with the idea that the thing which goes wrong first is the source of everything that needs fixing:

The Tu B’Av dance

Taanit 26b r. Simeon b. Gamaliel said: there never were in Israel greater days of joy than the fifteenth of ab and the day of atonement. On these days the daughters of Jerusalem used to walk out in white garments which they borrowed in order not to put to shame any one who had none. All these garments required ritual dipping. The daughters of Jerusalem came out and danced in the vineyards exclaiming at the same time, young man, lift up thine eyes and see what thou choosest for thyself. Do not set thine eyes on beauty but set thine eyes on [good] family. Grace is deceitful, and beauty is vain; but a woman that feareth the lord, she shall be praised. And it further says, give her of the fruit of her hands; and let her works praise her in the gates.

Taanit 31a ON THESE DAYS THE DAUGHTERS OF JERUSALEM etc. Our Rabbis have taught: The daughter of the king borrows [the garments] from the daughter of the High Priest, the daughter of the High Priest from the daughter of the deputy High Priest, and the daughter of the deputy High Priest from the daughter of the Anointed for Battle, and the daughter of the Anointed for Battle from the daughter of an ordinary priest, and all Israel borrow from one another, so as not to put to shame any one who may not possess [white garments].

ALL THE GARMENTS REQUIRE RITUAL DIPPING: R. Eleazar said: Even though they lay folded in a box.

THE DAUGHTERS OF ISRAEL CAME OUT AND DANCED IN THE VINEYARDS. A Tanna taught: Whoever was unmarried repaired thither.

THOSE OF THEM WHO CAME OF NOBLE FAMILIES EXCLAIMED, ‘YOUNG MAN etc.’ Our Rabbis have taught: The beautiful amongst them called out, Set your eyes on beauty for the quality most to be prized in woman is beauty; those of them who came of noble families called out, Look for [a good] family for woman has been created to bring up a family; the ugly ones amongst them called out, Carry off your purchase in the name of Heaven, only on one condition that you adorn us with jewels of gold.

These days were also regarded as days of festivity during which the daughters of the city would go out to dance in the vineyards without any fear of their breaching the fences of modesty. The day was known also as the “Festival of the Lord,” a day on which all was done solely for the sake of Heaven.

Customs

Since the character of Tu B’Av is the character of a minor festival, we follow the customs set for all minor festivals.

1. The custom is not to recite tachanun on that day as well as at mincha on the preceding day.

2. Brides and grooms who marry on this day do not fast.

3. It is customary to add periods of Torah study to the nights as well as the days, through the end of winter.

4. It is written in our ethical literature that the fifteenth of Ab is a preface and a beginning to Elul, the month of preparation for judgment, and it is therefore proper for a person to begin to review his actions during the year.[47]

In previous generations, Tu B’Av was celebrated as a complete festival.

The 15th of Ab is considered as a precursor of the upcoming month of Elul, the month of preparation for judgment. Some people, therefore, when writing letters to friends, add the phrase:

ketivah vechatimah tova

‘May you be inscribed

and sealed for a

good year’

from Tu B’Av, even though the custom is to do so from the beginning of Elul.

In The Midrash

Tu B’Av marks the change from summer to the hot season:

Midrash Rabbah - Genesis XXXIV:11 R. Simeon b. Gamaliel said in R. Meir’s name, and R. Dosa too said thus: [The latter] half of Tishri, Marheshwan and the first half of Kislew is seedtime; the second half of Kislew, Tebeth and half of Shebat are the winter months; the second half of Shebat, Adar and the first half of Nisan are the cold season; the second half of Nisan, Iyar and the first half of Siwan is harvest time; the second half of Siwan, Tammuz and the first half of Ab is summer; the second half of Ab, Elul and the first half of Tishri are the hot season.

The Midrash also lends its wisdom to this holiday:

Midrash Rabbah - Lamentations Prologue XXXIII R. Zera opened his discourse with the text, Therefore is my harp turned to mourning, and my pipe into the voice of them that weep (Job XXX, 31). Elsewhere we have learnt: R. Simeon b. Gamaliel said: The Israelites had no greater holidays than the fifteenth of Ab and the Day of Atonement, on which occasions the maidens of Israel used to go out in white garments, borrowed for the event in order not to put to shame them who possessed none of their own. All these garments required to be dipped; and in them the maidens of Israel used to go out to dance in the vineyards. It was taught: The unmarried man would repair there, and what used the maidens to say? ‘Young man, lift up your eves and see whom you will select. Pay no regard to beauty but to family descent.’ Similarly it states, Go forth, O ye daughters of Zion, and gaze upon king Solomon, even upon the crown wherewith his mother hath crowned him in the day of his espousals, and in the day of the gladness of his heart (S.S. III, 11). ‘In the day of his espousals‘ alludes to the giving of the Torah; ‘and in the day of the gladness of his heart’ alludes to the building of the Temple, may it be rebuilt speedily in our days! (here we have a clear link between the restoration of the Bet HaMikdash, the Temple, and the birth of Mashiach which was to occur on Tisha B’Av).

It is quite right that the Day of Atonement [should be an occasion for dancing] since it was a day of forgiveness and atonement for Israel, and the day upon which the second Tables were given. But what is the reason of the fifteenth of Ab? R. Jacob b. Aha said in the name of R. Assi: On that day begins the favourable season for cutting down trees [for the fuel required in the Temple], because all timber cut down then does not become grub-eaten, while it has been taught1: Any wood in which a worm or grub is found is unfit for use upon the altar. R. Abba b. Kahana and R. Assi said in the name of ‘Ulla who derived it from Rabbi [Judah the Prince]: On that day Hosea the son of Elah abolished the guards whom Jeroboam the son of Nebat had set upon the roads.

R. Kahana asked Rab: Is it possible that [Hosea] can have accomplished so much good, and yet it is reported of him, Against him came up Shalmaneser king of Assyria, etc. (II Kings XVII, 3)? But this happened to him because he removed the chain from off his own neck and set it round the necks of the masses, and he did not say, ‘Let all the people go up and pray,’ but ‘ Let whoever wants to go up do so’.

R. Samuel b. Nahmani (others state this in the name of R. Samuel b. Isaac): It was the day on which the tribes were permitted to intermarry, for it is said, And every daughter, that possesseth an inheritance in the tribes of the children of Israel, etc. (Num. XXXVI, 8), and it is written, So shall no inheritance remove from one tribe to another tribe, etc. (ib. 9). Is it then possible for a daughter to inherit land belonging to two tribes? Deduce from this statement that her father was of one tribe and her mother of another.

The Rabbis say: It was the day when the tribe of Benjamin was allowed to re-enter the Community; for it is written, Cursed be he that giveth a wife to Benjamin (Judg. XXI, 18). R. Johanan said: They cited a text in virtue of which they brought the tribe near, and they cited a text in virtue of which they repelled it. They cited a text in virtue of which they brought it near, viz. A nation and a company of nations shall be of thee (Gen. XXXV, II) and they cited a text in virtue of which they repelled it, viz. Ephraim and Manasseh, even as Reuben and Simeon, shall be mine (ib. XLVIII, 5), showing that the Benjamites were not to be reckoned with their brethren. R. Judah said in the name of Samuel: It was the day when permission was given to the tribes to intermarry. R. Mathna said: It was the day when they allowed the slain of Betar to be buried.

R. Eliezer the Great said: It is quite right [to cut the wood for the altar] on the fifteenth of Ab; but from then onward the power of the sun declines and they do not cut wood for the altar. R. Menasia remarked: The day was called ‘the day of breaking the axe’. From the day onward, whoever increases [his years], and whoever does not increase study decreases [the duration of his life].

R. Abin and R. Johanan said: It was the day when the grave-digging ceased for those who died in the wilderness. R. Levi said: On every eve of the ninth of Ab Moses used to send a herald throughout the camp and announce, ‘Go out to dig graves’; and they used to go out and dig graves in which they slept. On the morrow he sent out a herald to announce, ‘Arise and separate the dead from the living.’ They would then stand up and find themselves in round figures 15,000 short of 600,000. In the last of the forty years, they acted similarly and found themselves in undiminished numerical strength. They said, ‘It appears that we erred in our calculation’; so they acted similarly on the nights of the 10th, 11th, 12th, 13th, and 14th. When the moon was full they said, ‘It seems that the Holy One, blessed be He, has annulled that decree from us all’; so they proceeded to make [the fifteenth] a holiday. Their sins subsequently caused it to become a day of mourning in this world, in the twofold destruction of the Temple. That is what is written, ‘Therefore is my harp turned to mourning, and my pipe into the voice of them that weep.’ Hence and the people wept that night (Num. XIV, 1). Since they sinned they were exiled; and since they were exiled, Jeremiah began to lament over them, ‘How sitteth solitary.’

Comfort

Yirmiyahu (Jeremiah) 31:13 Then shall the virgin rejoice in the dance, both young men and old together: for I will turn their mourning into joy, and will comfort them, and make them rejoice from their sorrow.

The key to understanding Tu B’Av lies in its proximity to Tisha B’Av. If a Shiva, the seven days of mourning for a dead relative, were to begin on Tisha B’Av, it would end on Tu B’Av. This informs the Talmud’s approach. Much like the end of a Shiva, these minor events mark the moment when one can move beyond the mourning and start anew. And that is exactly what Tu B’Av is about. It is the counter-Tisha B’Av, a National Day of Consolation.

Tu B’Av before creation

Tu B’Av was established at creation. It is a very ancient festival as we shall see.

Forty is a special value throughout Torah but here it has an additional significance. The Talmud teaches that forty days before physical conception takes place it is “announced in heaven” the basic characteristics of the soul that is about to come into the world. What the gender of the soul will be is also determined forty days before:

Sotah 2a Rab Judah has said in the name of Rab: Forty days before the creation of a child, a Bath Kol issues forth and proclaims, The daughter of A is for B; the house of C is for D; the field of E is for F!

Thus, forty days before the female side of the world comes into existence (the process is always recurring as it states “He renews the creation everyday”) the erect, expanding energy of the masculine tree is releasing its sap and the seed essence of the tree begins rising. Forty days before the male side of the world comes into existence the containing, curved energy of the feminine dance is generating its circle. Tu B’Shevat and Tu B’Av are the vortex of the cosmic Yesod of the world. Forty days before the birth of the world, the divine hormones are released into time to orchestrate HaShem’s calendar.

Tu B’Shevat is mystically parallel to Tu B'Av, the fifteenth day of the summer month of Av. Tu B'Av is forty days before the twenty-fifth of Elul, the date of the beginning of the creation of the world (which is five days prior to Rosh HaShanah). The Talmud, at the end of tractate Taanit, suggests that Tu B’Av represents the 'subconscious' glimmer of love that led to the act of creation. The Baalei HaTosefot, in tractate Rosh HaShanah 27b, say that on Rosh HaShanah, the 'thought' of creating humanity entered the Creator's consciousness. The actual Creation of humanity took place six months later, on the first of the month of Nisan.

Tu B’Shevat is forty days before the twenty-fifth of Adar. According to the Baalei HaTosefot, the twenty-fifth of Adar would be the first day of creation of the world, as it is five days before the first of Nisan. Tu B’Shevat would thus be the first glimmer of love before the act of creation. According to Jewish law, it is the day that new sap begins to stir and flow within the fruit trees of the land of Israel. It is the first glimmer of the new fruits that will blossom in Nisan. It is the first glimmer of the chessed that will nourish us in the coming year.

The first Mishna of Rosh HaShana states that Tu B’Shevat is the Rosh HaShana for trees with regard to orlah (that which is cut off). The new year of Tu B’Shevat significantly affects the status of the trees’ fruit. The Torah does not permit fruits from a tree during its first three years of growth. Tu B’Shevat will terminate the third year as it ushers in the fourth, the year the fruits may be eaten. (The produce of the fourth year must be redeemed by transferring the holiness onto a coin before it is eaten.) This takes effect even though three full years (thirty-six months) have not elapsed. Once the tree has lived past three Tu B’Shevats, the tree is considered to be starting its fourth year.

It is not sufficient to plant the tree one day before Tu B’Shevat to qualify for the tree’s transformation to it’s second year with the coming of Tu B’Shevat. Rather the tree must be planted by the end of the 15th of Ab, Tu B’Av, to first utilize the Rosh HaShana of Tishri and only later utilize the new year of Tu B’Shevat. This is, because during its first few months this young sapling is not yet considered a “tree”. By planting forty-four days before Rosh HaShana (Tishri) the young sapling enters its second year as a sapling at Rosh HaShana (Tishri). Only as a “tree” is it affected by Tu B’Shevat. which allows the tree to enter a new year as soon as Tu B’Shevat commences. By the third Tu B’Shevat the tree’s produce which subsequently begins to form, is no longer orlah, and by the fourth it is no longer the fruit that must be redeemed.

Kabbalists connect the sefirot with the festivals such that Tu B’Shevat and Tu B’Av are both associated with Yesod. The Arizal writes that the sefira of Yesod is revealed on that day:[48]

Tu B'Av falls exactly six months after Tu B'Shevat. This places them opposite each other, 180 degrees apart, in the annual cycle. This symmetrical positioning often suggests a complementary or mirroring relationship in Jewish thought.

Tu B'Shevat: Occurs in the winter (January/February), marking the "New Year for Trees" and the point when the sap begins to rise in Israel, indicating the start of the fruit-bearing season. It's a time of potential, growth, and the arousal from "above" (Divine beneficence).

Tu B'Av: Occurs in the summer (July/August), after the intense heat and solemnity of Tisha B'Av. It is often described as a "festival of love" and a day of joy, marking the beginning of the grape harvest and a period of preparation for the High Holy Days. It's associated with "arousal from below" (human effort and preparation).

Themes of Growth and Renewal: Both holidays are tied to the agricultural cycle of the Land of Israel and symbolize renewal and growth, albeit in different phases. Tu B'Shevat celebrates the beginning of the trees' new year and the potential for fruit, while Tu B'Av marks the culmination of the summer growth and the joyous harvest of grapes.

Rectification and Wholeness: Kabbalistic thought often sees both holidays as opportunities for tikkun (rectification).

Tu B'Shevat is seen as a time to rectify the sin of Adam and Eve eating from the Tree of Knowledge. By partaking of fruits in a holy manner, one can mend the spiritual damage caused by that first transgression. It's about bringing holiness into the physical world through proper intention.

Tu B'Av is connected to the rectification of brokenness and disunity. Historically, it marked the end of various decrees and prohibitions that caused division among the Jewish people, such as the ban on intermarriage between tribes (specifically the tribe of Benjamin after the concubine at Gibeah incident). It's a day of reuniting and finding one's soulmate, symbolizing wholeness and completion.

The core idea is that both festivals mark a spiritual "conception" of the world, 40 days before a significant "birth" or manifestation point.

Tu B'Av: 40 Days Before Elul 25

The "Birth":

The 25th of Elul is traditionally understood as the day of the creation of the world itself (specifically, the initial six days of creation culminating in the creation of Adam on Rosh Hashanah, Tishri 1). This is the Tishri-centric view of creation. Rosh HaShana and Yom Kippur are days of ‘din’, judgment. HaShem’s plan was for a world of din only. However, He saw that we could not endure din alone and He layered on rachamim in order to allow us to survive.

The "Conception": Counting back 40 days from Elul 25 lands us precisely on Tu B'Av. Kabbalistically, this signifies that Tu B'Av is the day when the “thought of creation" or the "divine will to create" was conceived in the Supernal Realms. It's the moment the Divine decision to bring the universe into being was formed.

Kabbalistic Meaning: This links Tu B'Av to the very genesis of existence and the deepest roots of relationship. Just as 40 days before human conception, a soulmate is decreed, so too on Tu B'Av, the "match" between HaShem and creation (and specifically, HaShem and the Jewish people) was established. It's the ultimate expression of Divine love and desire for union. This explains why Tu B'Av is seen as a day particularly auspicious for finding a spouse and for general expressions of love and unity – it mirrors the cosmic love that initiated creation itself. It represents the arousal from Above that precipitates existence.

Three months after conception, Chazal indicate that the fetus is fully recognizable in terms of its major structure. This stage marks a significant transition, after which the chance of miscarriage drops considerably. 3 Months after Elul 25 brings us to Kislev 25, Chanukah.

The vessels, tapestries, wall sections and other components of the Mishkan (the portable sanctuary or "Tabernacle" built under Moses' direction to house the Divine Presence during the Israelites' journeys through the desert) were completed on the 25th of Kislev in the year 2449 from creation (1312 BCE).

Tu B'Shevat: 40 Days Before Adar 25.

Pesach is in the month of rachamim,[58] compassion. When HaShem created the world, He desired that it should be created with din. However, He saw that we could not endure din so He layered on rachamim.

The "Birth": This connection is based on the Talmudic debate about whether the world was created in Tishri or Nisan. If one follows the opinion that creation began in Nisan, specifically with its manifestation in the physical world, then:

Adar 25: This is often cited as the beginning of the creation process in the Nisan cycle, where the raw potential for the physical world began to be formed.

Nisan 1: The 1st of Nisan is seen as a "New Year for Kings and festivals," and for the "birth" of the actualized physical world, especially in relation to the agricultural cycle and the spring renewal.

The "Conception": Counting back 40 days from Adar 24 (or Nisan 1, as mentioned by the Bnei Yissachar in other contexts) brings us to Tu B'Shevat.

Kabbalistic Meaning:

This places Tu B'Shevat as the "conception" of the physical, manifest world, particularly as it relates to growth, life force, and the vegetation that sustains it. It's the moment the desire for physical manifestation and the arousal of life within the earth were set into motion. This reinforces Tu B'Shevat's role as the "New Year for Trees" and the day connected to the flow of sap and the potential for fruit. It's about bringing the spiritual blueprint of creation into tangible, living form.

Kabbalistic Relationship of these Twin "Conceptions":

This dual system of "40 days before" highlights a fundamental Kabbalistic principle: the interplay between thought/potential (machshava) and action/manifestation (ma'aseh).

Tu B'Av as the Spiritual/Conceptual Conception: It represents the initial, abstract, and spiritual will for creation, the ultimate "marriage" of God with existence. This corresponds to the higher, more abstract worlds of Atzilut (Emanation) and Beriah (Creation). It's the source of Divine love and unity.

Tu B'Shevat as the Physical/Manifest Conception: It represents the actualization of that will into the tangible, natural world. This corresponds to the lower worlds of Yetzirah (Formation) and Assiyah (Action). It's the source of physical life and sustenance.

Together, they form a complete cycle: the divine thought (Tu B'Av) descends and becomes actualized in the physical realm (Tu B'Shevat), ultimately leading to the full "births" of the spiritual and physical dimensions of creation. The 40-day period in between is the time of gestation and formation, where potential is translated into reality. This process is reflective of how all creation, both macrocosmic and microcosmic, unfolds.

Connections

Tu B’Av has numerous parallels with Tu B’Shevat, as we will now explore. Both days fall on the 15^th day of their respective months, making them both full moons. In fact, Tu B’Av is exactly six months after Tu B’Shevat, and thus they are situated 180° across from each other in the full circle of the Jewish calendar.

Another parallel between Tu B’Shevat and Tu B’Av is that each one heralds the beginning of a new season. In Israel, Tu B’Shevat ushers in the very beginning of spring, whereas Tu B’Av represents the very beginning of the waning of the summer sun, leading inevitably to autumn. Tu B'Av and Tu B'Shevat, as the "fullest" points of their respective halves of the year, represent the culmination of spiritual processes: Tu B'Av for the summer, Tu B'Shevat for the winter.

Before discussing the numerous parallels between these two days any further, it should be noted that there are many other days in the Jewish calendar that also fall 180° across from each other, creating a kind of 4^th dimensional symmetry of meaningful connections that is woven geometrically throughout the calendar year. An example that was discussed in the section on Pesach parallels the holidays and significant events of the month of Nisan with the holidays of Tishri. For example, Rosh Chodesh Nisan is exactly 6 months before Rosh Hashanah. Shabbat Hagadol, the 10^th day of the month of Nisan, when Israel took a lamb in preparation for sacrificing it and putting its blood on their door posts upon leaving Egypt, is six months before Yom Kippur, the 10^th day of Tishri. The 15^th day of Nisan, Pesach, is exactly six months before the 15^th day of Tishri, Succoth. And finally, Hoshanah Rabbah, the seventh day of Sukkot, corresponds to the seventh day of Pesach. These temporal balancing points exist throughout the calendar year and provide us with numerous opportunities for meaningful reflection and symbolic connection between various times, themes and ritual practices.

The ancient Israel Torah readings were set to complete the Torah in three and a half years; with two such cycles fitting precisely in a seven-year shmita cycle. Thus, the calendar examples in the previous paragraph are graphically displayed and attenuated.

The Talmud, in Sotah 2, tells us that it was on Tu B’Av that the last group of people in the desert who thought they too would die realized that they had been spared. Spiritually and psychologically, this was as if they were resurrected from the dead, as they had been living with a constant cloud of death over their heads. Related to this theme, we should note that during the winter, fruit trees and many other trees lose their leaves and become dormant. From an outside perspective, these trees appear to be dead. On Tu B’Shevat, however, the sap begins to flow in the trees again, which also represents a resurrection of the (apparently) dead world of vegetation. Both Tu B’Av, coming on the heels of Tisha B’Av, and Tu B’Shevat therefore express this profound dynamic of physical and spiritual revival.

The custom, on both Tu B’Shevat and Tu B’Av, is not to recite tachanun on that day as well as at mincha on the preceding day.

Masculine and Feminine Energies

Yirmiyahu (Jeremiah) 31:21 How long will you hide, O backsliding daughter? For the Lord has created something new on the earth, a woman shall surround a man.[60]

Tu B’Av embodies the feminine / circular / surrounding energy (Ohr Chozer),[61] symbolized by the circle dance of the maidens and themes of union and romance.

Tu B’Shevat embodies the masculine / linear / upright energy (Ohr Yashar),[62] symbolized by the rising sap in trees and the “erect” growth of the tree, as well as the Torah scroll’s upright form.[63]

The union of Tu B’Av and Tu B’Shevat is seen as a mystical dance of male and female energies, ultimately united in the “circle dance of the righteous” in the messianic era.

Note to self:

“Ohr Makif – The Encompassing Light”

Paired Creation and Cosmic Symmetry

Each is linked to one aspect of creation: Tu B’Av to the masculine side, Tu B’Shevat to the feminine, reflecting the cosmic principle that everything is created in pairs.

The Jewish year is structured as six pairs of months, with Av and Shevat paired as masculine and feminine twins.

Renewal and Fertility

Both are associated with renewal, fertility, and the emergence of hidden potential—

Tu B’Av in human relationships and

Tu B’Shevat in the natural world (the rising sap, new fruit cycle).

Orlah Connection

For the first three years of a tree’s life, its fruits are called orlah. We may not eat them or derive benefit from them in any other way; they are rather left to decay in the field.

Whether in or outside Israel, if one has a fruit tree to which the law of orlah would apply, the way to calculate the three years is somewhat complex. We do not count full years, but the number of Rosh Hashanahs which pass. Thus, if a tree is planted six months before Rosh Hashanah, its second year begins six months rather than a full year later.

However, there is a minimum amount of time which must pass before the period prior to the first Rosh Hashanah is counted as a “year”. This is a month and a half. The reason is because we assume two weeks are needed for a seed or sapling to take root, and another month must pass to minimally be considered a year. Thus, in practice, a seed or sapling must be planted by the 15th of the month of Av for its first year to be complete on Rosh Hashanah.

After the third Rosh Hashanah, the tree’s new fruit is not permitted immediately, but only the fruit which began forming after Tu B’Shevat. The reason for this is that although Rosh Hashanah is considered the birthday for trees, the birthday for fruits is later, on Tu B’Shevat. Thus, another 41⁄2 months must pass for the fruit to be considered a product of the new year and permissible.

Tu B’Av (15th of Av) and Tu B’Shevat (15th of Shevat) are separated by exactly six months on the Hebrew lunar calendar. Though one is often seen as romantic (Tu B’Av) and the other agricultural (Tu B’Shevat), Jewish sources—especially midrashic and mystical—do suggest deep structural and symbolic parallels.

Tu B'Av is also the last day to plant many types of fruit trees especially smaller ones like grape vines in Israel, to gain an extra Halachic year YEAR towards orlah. Trees planted before Tu B'Av begin to take root, and in ONLY 45 days are considered rooted enough in the ground to be counted as year 1 towards orlah.

Then after Rosh Hashana will begin year 2 of orlah! Had the same tree been planted right after the previous Rosh Hashana the farmer has to wait a full year for the 1st year or orlah. By planting right before this Tu B'Av the farmer can save 10 & ½ months in the cost of water, fertilizer weeding, and other expenses involved in caring for fruit trees.

Trees planted by the 15^th of Av become one year old on Rosh HaShana.[64] After three Rosh HaShana have passed, the orlah period is complete on Tu B’Shevat.

While the underlying logic is not identical – a matter that cannot be covered in these few lines – in regard to Shmita too the rule of not planting fruit trees extends backwards from Rosh Hashanah to Av 16 in order that a tree planted prior to Rosh Hashanah take root prior to the one-month period that precedes the relevant Rosh Hashanah. That month known as Tosefet Shvi’it – an addition to the seventh – can be compared to the way that we bring in Shabbat 18 minutes prior to sunset, thereby extending somewhat its holiness. In the case of Shmita, the extension is one month. And although the farmer may have no active part in a tree taking root during that one-month period, one still seeks to avoid it actually happening; basically, because the Torah requires the land to rest (Vayikra 25:2) irrespective of whether we do the agricultural work. And so, in regard to Shmita also, Tu B’Av has relevance – it is the last day for pre-Shmita planting of trees.

Plant Stage	Festival	Reasoning

Rooting	Tu B’Av till Rosh HaShana (RH)	The reason is because we assume two weeks are needed for a seed or sapling to take root, and another month must pass to minimally be considered a year. Thus, in practice, a seed or sapling must be planted by the 15th of the month of Av for its first year to be complete on Rosh Hashanah.
Growing plant fruit is orlah	1^st RH till 3^rd RH	After the third Rosh Hashanah, the tree’s new fruit is not permitted immediately, but only the fruit which began forming after Tu B’Shevat. The reason for this is that although Rosh Hashanah is considered the birthday for trees, the birthday for fruits is later, on Tu B’Shevat. Thus, another 41⁄2 months must pass for the fruit to be considered a product of the new year and permissible.
Fruit is orlah	3^rd year fruit till Tu B’Shevat	Fruits that started blossoming in the 4th year prior to Tu B’Shevat are considered Orlah.
Fruit is neta revii[65] [66]	3^rdTu B’Shevat[67] until 4^th Tu B’Shevat	Fruits that blossom in the fourth year after Tu B’Shevat until Tu B’Shevat of the fifth year are neta revii.
Fruit of the 5^th year	4^th Tu B’Shevat until 5^th Tu B’Shevat	Fruits that blossom after Tu B’Shevat of the fifth year are regular fruit.

Thus, we see that B’Av and Tu B’Shevat are both transitional periods from the hottest and coldest parts of the year to the more moderated hot and cold seasons.

* * *

winter, in Jewish thought, is a metaphor for the long and dark galut (exile) to which the Jewish people have been subjected for centuries and millennia. Just as in winter, all planting and physical growth ceases and the earth lies dormant and “dies”, and many people also experience the winter blues and feel emotionally and spiritually dead, so, too, have our many enemies throughout the long galut tried to stunt our growth and kill us both physically and spiritually.

Shir HaShirim (Song of Songs) 2:11-12 For, behold, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone. The blossoms have appeared in the land; the time of singing has come, and the voice of the turtledove is heard in the land.

* * *

If one planted his grape seed on the 16^th of Av, the plant would have to pass through Rosh HaShana four times.[74] [75] The orlah period would end on Tu B’Shevat three and a half years later. This would match the time taken to read the Torah in the ancient triennial Torah lectionary.

* * *

The 15th of Shevat is the midpoint between fall and spring. Once half the winter has passed, its strength is weakened, the cold is not as intense, and the budding process begins.[76] Beit Hillel’s reasoning is that since the fifteenth of Shevat is the median date between the winter solstice and the vernal equinox, and since half of the period has already passed, the winter has abated and the cold has diminished, and the formation of the fruits accelerates.

The 15th of Av is the midpoint between spring and fall. Once half the summer has passed, its strength is weakened, the heat is not as intense, and the budding process ends. Since the fifteenth of Av is the median date between the summer solstice and the autumnal equinox, and since half of the period has already passed, the summer has abated and the heat has diminished, and the ripening of the fruits accelerates.

* * *

Tu B’Shevat – “Man is a tree of the field”.[77]

The Daat Zekeinim Baalei Tosafot quotes the Tractate of Taanit (Chapter One) that this verse is referring to a Torah scholar. This means that Torah scholars who study Torah are compared to fruit trees from the field, because the entire world enjoys their fruits, and we live from their teachings.

Tu B’Av – Man produces fruit only through marriage.

In Halacha:

From a halachic point of view, Tu B’Shevat is of dual importance. It is the birthday of all trees, such that regardless of when a tree may have been planted, it marks the end of its third year on Tu B’Shevat. It is on this date that the orlah period—when it is forbidden both to eat the fruit or to derive any form of benefit from it—ends.

When a tree turns one year old is determined 44 days before Rosh Hashanah (the one in Tishri), so that a tree planted 44 days before Rosh Hashanah turns one on Rosh Hashanah whereas those planted after Tu B’Av do not turn one for another 13 months.

What that means in practice is that a tree planted in July of 2022 will turn one this upcoming Rosh Hashanah, turn three on Rosh Hashanah of 2024, and the orlah period will end on Tu B’Shevat of early 2025—somewhat less than three years from when it was planted. If that tree was not planted until September, the orlah period would only end in 2026, somewhat more than three years after it was first planted. Fruit that blooms in year four has the status of neta revai, and that fruit, or its 125% monetary equivalent, is to be eaten in Jerusalem.

What Happens Before Each Festival:

Understanding the lead-up to these festivals further deepens their significance.

Before Tu B'Av: The Three Weeks and Tisha B'Av

The period immediately preceding Tu B'Av is the most intense and somber on the Jewish calendar:

The Three Weeks (Bein HaMetzarim), culminating in Tisha B'Av.

The Three Weeks (17th of Tammuz to 9th of Av):

This is a period of mourning, introspection, and national tragedy, commemorating the breaching of Jerusalem's walls, the destruction of the Temples (First and Second), the exile of the Jewish people, and other calamities. It's a time when joy is diminished, and certain celebratory activities (like weddings, listening to music) are forbidden.

Tisha B'Av (9th of Av): The nadir of this period, Tisha B'Av is a full-day fast, observed with intense mourning akin to Yom Kippur. It commemorates the ultimate destruction and separation between God and Israel, manifested by the loss of the Temple.

Significance for Tu B'Av: Tu B'Av, falling just six days after Tisha B'Av, represents a radical shift. It's the transition from deep mourning and shattered unity to joy, hope, and renewed connection.

Rav Moshe Wolfson in Emunas Itecha examines Tu B’Av from yet another perspective. When we look at the structure of Pesach, we see that the first and last days are Yamim Tovim, with a bridge of Chol Hamoed. In the future, Tisha B’Av will become a moed. The seventh day after Tisha B’Av will be the culmination of that festival of redemption — Tu B’Av. Just as the seventh day marks the height of Pesach, so, too, Tu B’Av will be the peak of the festival of redemption.

Although most holidays create an energy and light that affect our observance thereafter, there is a concept of ohr chozer, a light that influences the day even before the main event has happened. So we see, Avraham Avinu prepared matzos even before Yetziat Mistrayim. On Seder night as we sing Nirtzah and we recount the many wondrous miracles took place on the night of the Exodus hundreds of years prior to the Jews’ redemption. The future light creates sparks of salvation that can be felt even before the intensity of that light is revealed.

Tu B’Av is such a day. The events of Tu B’Av are not intrinsically special — it’s what they indicate that’s unique. They whisper of redemption to come. They hint of a future day that will be an ecstatic celebration of our redemption. So much so, that even today we feel something of that greatness.

Tu B’Av, then, is a day that celebrates our yearning and desire for the ultimate time of redemption. With this we can appreciate why it is the women who go out and dance. A woman’s strength is in her emunah: her ability to hold steadfast to the belief that redemption will come. The borrowed clothing of the women indicated the fact that the redemption was not yet ours — it was still just a yearning.

The dance took place in a vineyard, since wine is a symbol of the passionate connection with Hashem, the aspect of deep emotional belief. It’s therefore appropriate that on this day, the Rabbanim of Yavneh instituted the brachah of hatov v’hameitiv on drinking fine wine. This bracha is part of the yearning of Yavneh, yibaneh, that the Beit Hamikdash will be built. The women’s dance in the vineyards mirrored that ultimate dance that we are long for: when the tzaddikim will dance around HaShem in celebration of the ultimate redemption.

Rectification (Tikkun): The suffering of Tisha B'Av is seen as having within it the seeds of future redemption. Tu B'Av is the moment when those seeds begin to sprout. It's the initial stage of tikkun for the spiritual damage and disunity caused by the destruction.

Divine Comfort: Historically, it marked the end of the decree that the generation of the wilderness would die, and the return of God's direct speech to Moses. It signifies the beginning of divine comfort and a renewed openness for relationship after a period of estrangement.

In essence, both Tu B'Av and Tu B'Shevat serve as pivot points on the calendar, emerging from periods of reflection, potential judgment, or spiritual rectification. They both herald new beginnings, with Tu B'Av focusing on the spiritual, relational, and unified aspect of creation, and Tu B'Shevat on the physical, growth-oriented, and manifest aspect. Their shared 40-day "conception" mechanism underscores a deep kabbalistic symmetry in the unfolding of divine will and the universe's continuous renewal.

* * *

Pesach – 118 days -> Tu B’Av – 40 days -> Elul 25 – 6 days -> Tishri 1 (Rosh HaShana) – 15 days -> Succoth.

Succoth – 118 days[78] -> Tu B’Shevat – 40 days -> Adar 25 – 6 days -> Nisan 1 – 15 days -> Pesach.

This shows a stunning bimodal and interconnected cyclical structure of the Jewish year.

This is a good mapping of the Jewish calendar's cyclical symmetries! We've presented a sophisticated understanding of how these key dates are interconnected through precise numerical and thematic relationships, moving both forwards and backwards.

Timing

A baby conceived on Chanukah would be born on Succoth. (see BIRTH)

Tu B’Av Dates

Year	Starts	Ends	Hebrew Year
2025	Fri, Aug 8	Sat, Aug 9	5785
2026	Tue, Jul 28	Wed, Jul 29	5786
2027	Tue, Aug 17	Wed, Aug 18	5787
2028	Sun, Aug 6	Mon, Aug 7	5788

In Other Religions

Avraham sent Hagar and Ishmael to the east and he sent them with gifts. Avraham also kept the whole Torah. Because of these two things, I would expect to find hints of Tu B’Av in the festivals of the children of the east.

Tu B’Av is HaShem’s festival that is mirrored in other religions that understand the meaning and purpose of this time of year. In this section I would like to show how other religions have picked up this festival and attempt to make it something that the Gentiles use to celebrate.

Celtic and modern Wiccans celebrate the holiday of Lammas on August 1, in the northern hemisphere. This solar date always falls very close to Tu B’Av. For example, I am writing this portion on Ab 11, 5772. Tu B’Av, in 5772, begins on August 3, 2012.

Lammas celebrates the Goddess as harvester, and in Scotland the first cut of the harvest was made on Lammas. Interestingly, like Tu B’Av, Lammas was a holiday of weddings—according top some accounts, in Ireland and Britain, “handfastings” or weddings that were binding for a year and a day took place at “Lammas Fairs” each year.

Christian celebrate this as a harvest holiday as well, celebrating the offering of new loaves of bread from harvested grain on the church altar.

Chinese Valentine’s Day - August 23, 2012

Another special day for lovers, Chinese Valentine’ Day falls on the seventh day of the seventh Chinese lunar month. It is also called Seven Sisters festival or the Festival of the Double Sevens, due to a charming legend surrounding its origins. Today, the festival goes by without much in the way of traditional celebrations, as young people generally prefer to celebrate their love on February 14th.

Zamling Chisang - Universal Prayer Day. In central Tibet, on the 15th day of the fifth month in the Tibetan calendar, Tibetans go to the tops of local mountains to burn incense and hang prayer flags.

In Tibet, according to tradition, The 15th day of the fifth month of the Tibetan calendar is the Lingka Festival, or the World Happiness Day, when people dress in their best and go picnicking in parks.

Popa Nat (Spirit) festival is held on full moon day of Tagu, the first month in Myanmar calendar during summer (April). Large numbers of worshippers, who believe in spirits pay respect to the Nats at their shrines on the top of Mt.Popa. Visitors will have a chance to witness the Nat (Spirit) dances, which are very crowded with the audience. In addition to this main festival, there are also festivals held on full moon day of Warkhaung, the fifth month of Myanmar calendar (July-August) and full moon day of Nadaw, the ninth month in Myanmar calendar (November ~ December).

In Thailand, the Mid-Fifth Month Festival starts from the full moon day to the second day of the waning moon, totaling three days and nights. It is held to mark the movement of Luangpho Sothon from the river to be enshrined at the temple.

Vesak is the commemoration of the three main events in the life of the Buddha Gotama, all of which fell on the full moon day of the fifth month: his birth, enlightenment, and his final passing away. Buddhists assemble for this commemoration on or near the full moon day in May to observe the precepts, listen to dhamma, and offer Dana to the Sangha. It is a national holiday in some Buddhist countries.

Raksha Bandhan, also known as ‘Rakhi,’ is a traditional Indian festival that celebrates the sacred bond of love between brothers and sisters. Every year, this festival is celebrated throughout India on the full moon day in the fifth month of Hindu calendar, Shraavana. The sister ties a rakhi (which could be a thread, a band, a metal clip, or even a piece of cloth) on the wrist of her brother’s right hand; the rakhi is a symbol of the protection that the sister’s love bestows upon the brother. Raksha Bandhan is one the oldest festivals of India. It celebrates the love between a brother and a sister. The festival has evolved with time, and the way it is celebrated has changed over the course of years. However, the spirit of the festival remains untouched.

So too, through Tu B’Av, we re-enact the cycle of death and rebirth, as the grain and vegetation around us is beginning to die in order to be reborn in spring. We honor the harvest of our hearts: the gifts of love we have been given, and our will to share them with others.

In The Heavens

In Jewish astrology, we use seven celestial bodies, five planets (Mars, Mercury, Venus, Saturn and Jupiter), the sun and the moon. The three furthest planets, Pluto, Uranus and Neptune are too far away to affect the physical world. They are connected to the spiritual world and correspond to the three upper Sefirot. Every month is connected to one of these seven celestial bodies. Each planet connects to two months (total 10), the sun and the moon only to one month, making a total of 12. (I have a chart of how this works if anybody is interested). Tammuz connects to the moon an Av to the sun.

* * *

Origins of Valentine's Day: A Pagan Festival in February

While some believe that Valentine's Day is celebrated in the middle of February to commemorate the anniversary of Valentine's death or burial--which probably occurred around A.D. 270--others claim that the Christian church may have decided to place St. Valentine's feast day in the middle of February in an effort to "Christianize" the pagan celebration of Lupercalia. Celebrated at the ides of February, or February 15, Lupercalia was a fertility festival dedicated to Faunus, the Roman god of agriculture, as well as to the Roman founders Romulus and Remus.

To begin the festival, members of the Luperci, an order of Roman priests, would gather at a sacred cave where the infants Romulus and Remus, the founders of Rome, were believed to have been cared for by a she-wolf or lupa. The priests would sacrifice a goat, for fertility, and a dog, for purification. They would then strip the goat's hide into strips, dip them into the sacrificial blood and take to the streets, gently slapping both women and crop fields with the goat hide. Far from being fearful, Roman women welcomed the touch of the hides because it was believed to make them more fertile in the coming year. Later in the day, according to legend, all the young women in the city would place their names in a big urn. The city's bachelors would each choose a name and become paired for the year with his chosen woman. These matches often ended in marriage.

* * *

This study was written by

Rabbi Dr. Hillel ben David

(Greg Killian).

Comments may be submitted to:

Rabbi Dr. Greg Killian

12210 Luckey Summit

San Antonio, TX 78252

Internet address: gkilli@aol.com

Web page: http://www.betemunah.org/

(360) 918-2905

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Send comments to Greg Killian at his email address: gkilli@aol.com

[1] Many of the ideas of this study were learned from: Yom Tov, Vol. I, # 32. Tu B’Av: Rejoicing in a Month of Misfortune - Part 1+2, by Rabbi Yehudah Prero.

[2] Tu B’Av is how Sephardic Jews pronounce this date. Tu B’Av is how Ashkenazi Jews pronounce this date.

[3] In modern times it has become a popular day for weddings, proposals and romantic dates.

[4] The Festival of Tisha B’Av: The Birth of Mashiach

[5] Pri Tzadik

[6] Yeshayahu (Isaiah) 40:1

[7] “Tammuz” is the Babylonian name of this month, as are all of the “official” names of the months in the Hebrew Calendar. In the Bible, however, the month is referred to as “the Fourth Month,” with reference to Nisan, the First Month.

[8] “Ab” is the Babylonian name of this month, as are all of the “official” names of the months in the Hebrew Calendar. In the Bible, however, the month is referred to as “the Fifth Month,” with reference to Nisan, the First Month. The name Ab literally means “father.” It derives from the root which means “to will” or “to desire.” it is customary to add the name Menachem (“comforter,” “consoler”; the name of Mashiach) -- Menachem Ab.

[9] This idea is discussed at length in the book in Hebrew, Machol Hakeramim, by Rabbi Yitzchak Ginsburgh

[10] Taanit 30b

[11] Berachot 33b

[12] Moed Katan 18b

[13] Judges 21:1

[14] See the Talmudic Encyclopedia, “Tu B’Av”, note 80. Otzar Hageonim at the end of Taanit; Pri Tzadik on Tu B’Av, 1 and various other sources mentioned in the Book of Our Heritage.

[15] Nifla’os Hayehudi, p. 85

[16] Old Testament

[17] Taanit 30b-31a

[18] See Numbers 36

[19] The first reason is given by Rav Yehuda in the name of Shmuel.

[20] See Judges 21

[21] R. Yosef in the name of R. Nachman

[22] The second reason is that of R' Yosef in the name of Rav Nachman. (In Baba Batra - Rabba bar bar Chana in the name of Rav Yochanan).

[23] The third reason the Talmud offers is given by Rabba bar bar Chana in the name of Rav Yochanan.

[24] The fourth reason the Talmud mentions is that of Ula.

[25] The fifth reason is that offered by Rav Masna.

[26] breaking of the axe יום תבר מגל - Yom Tevar Magal - a Magal, usually translated as a scythe or sickle, may also be a type of axe used for cutting down trees) (Rashi to Ta'anit 31a)

[27] The final reason mentioned is that of Rabba and Rav Yosef.

[28] Sukkah 52a

[29] Sukkah 52a

[30] The first king of the Kingdom of Israel, [as opposed to the kingdom of Judah,] after King Shlomo

[31] A king from the Kingdom of Israel, approximately the eighteenth after Jeroboam

[32] Derech Emunah U’bitachon

[33] Mishnah Taanit

[34] Orlah = Blockage

[35] On the 9^th of Av the tribes of Joseph and Judah were united: When the spies returned only Joshua and Caleb, from the tribes of Joseph and Judah respectively, remained steadfast in their desire to enter Israel. They serve as the prototypes for the Messiah from Joseph, and the Messiah from David (Judah), who usher in the Messianic Era. See Sukkah 52a

[36] Gateway to Judaism, Pg.341

[37] Reading for the second day of Rosh HaShana.

[38] Ps. 18 corresponds in the above list to Gen. 21 or 22, the birth of Isaac. The Midrash has the following references:

a. Gen. 22.2, 3.

b. Gen. 21.10, and indeed the whole Psalm is made to refer to Abraham.

[39] Shir Shel Yom – 7th day Pesach (Gra, AY)

[40] Mizmor Shabbat Toldot (AY)

[41] Ps. 56 would be read on the same Sabbath as Ex. 21.1-22.25. No less than three verses of this Seder are quoted in the Midrash to this Psalm, viz., 22.1, 8 and 21.

[42] Shir Shel Yom – 1st day Succoth (AY, Gra)

[43] Psalms 89 is the end of the third book of the Psalms and it coincides with the end of the book of Leviticus.

[44] Shir Shel Yom – 1st day Pesach (AY), 4th day Pesach (Gra) ► Mizmor Shabbat Bechukotai (AY)

[45] Zelophehad’s daughters read the week before Tu B’Av. Zelophehad’s daughters issue led to no inter-tribal marriages.

[46] Mizmor Shabbat Bereshit (AY)

[47] The Book of Our Heritage, Eliyahu Kitov

[48] Pri Eitz Chaim, Mikrah Kodesh, Chapter 4, Sha'ar Chag Hashavuot, Chapter 1

[49] Pri Eitz Chaim

[50] The Pesikta de-Rav Kahana

[51] Taanit 26b and Bava Batra 121b

[52] "Female" energy is associated with receiving, nurturing, containing, and revealing through reception.

[53] "Male" energy is associated with giving, emanating, initiating, proactive, and direct revelation/action.

[54] Sotah 2a, Sanhedrin 22a

[55] According to Bnei Yesakhar, a Hassidic teaching by R. Zvi Elimelekh Shapira of Dinov, p. 112d, translated by Ivan Ickovits

[56] Mishna: Seder Moed: Tractate Rosh HaShanah: 1:1

[57] Devarim 20:19, Yeshayahu 65:22, and Yirmiyahu 17:8

[58] Rachamim comes from the Hebrew word Rechem, meaning womb.

[59] 1 Maccabees 13:41–42

[60] In imagery with sexual connotations, the female surrounds the male, that is, the female genitals envelop the male.

[61] In the Kabbalah there are two modes of divine energy that appear and reappear on many levels. They are known as “straight”, “linear” or “erect” light and “round”, “curved” or “returning” light, light being a metaphor for these two potencies within the Ain Sof. Linear light (ohr yashar) is masculine-like Divinity and curved light (ohr chozer - אוֹר חוֹזֵר) is feminine-like Divinity. (They are also associated with the Hasadim and gevurot)

[62] Radiant light and dark light; light that extends outward and light that pulls inward. Generally known in Kabbalah as Ohr Yashar אוֹר יָשָׁר and Ohr Chozer, translate: Direct Light and Returning Light. When one studies something and immediately understands it, that's related to the Ohr Yashar and that the Talmud Yerushalmi (the Jerusalem Talmud). If someone studies something and does not immediately understand it, having many questions on the subject, that's related to the Talmud Bavli (the Babylonian Talmud).

[63] This is even more apparent in the Sephardic Sefer Torah that is contained in a cylindrical case that opens vertically and sits upright both in the ark and on top of the reader’s platform.

[64] Beginning with Tu B’Av, you can also begin to end letters and emails with "May you be inscribed for a good year!"

[65] The Torah (Vayikra 19:24) writes that, “In the fourth year [of the tree] all the fruit shall be sanctified for praising HaShem.” Fruits that blossom in the fourth year after Tu B’Shevat until Tu B’Shevat of the fifth year are neta revai.

[66] Neta Revai: (lit. "fourth year fruits"); fruit produced by a tree in its fourth year (following the three years of orlah) and which in the days of the Beit HaMikdash was eaten in Jerusalem

[67] Fruit is considered to belong to the year in which it ripened, and that year begins with the 15th of Shevat: Rosh HaShanah 10a-b

[68] Devarim (Deuteronomy) 8:8

[69] This is a picture, exaggerated of course, of the extreme ease of their lives, which led to over-confidence in themselves and rebellion against God.

[70] This is a new passage. Since Scripture implies that henceforth there would be alternating seasons of cold and heat, how was the climate hitherto?

[71] I.e. the weather of a mild spring or early summer.

[72] B.M. 106b

[73] Megilat Taanit, 3

[74] Rosh Hashanah 9b–10a; Mishneh Torah, Hilchot Maaser Sheni 9:10–12

[75] Rosh Hashanah is the New Year for saplings, Tu B’Shevat is the New Year for trees. So the sapling becomes a tree (on Rosh Hashanah), but does not “age” as a tree for the purposes of orlah until Tu B’Shevat.

[76] Beit HaBechirah, Rosh Hashanah 1:1.

[77] Devarim (Deuteronomy) 20:19-20

[78] Assuming Heshvan is 29 days and Kislev is 30 days.

Tisha B’Av - Descent	Tu B’Av - Ascent
During the time of Moses, Jews in the desert accepted the slanderous report of the twelve Spies, and the decree was issued forbidding them from entering the Land of Israel. For the next forty years this generation was decreed death on Tisha B’Av.	The dying of the generation of the Exodus ceased on Ab 15, this also marked the beginnings of the “ascent” of Ab. A new generation stood poised to enter the land and lay the foundations for renewal.
The First Temple was destroyed by the Babylonian’s fire, led by Nebuchadnezzar. 100,000 Jews were slaughtered and millions more exiled.	King Hosea permitted residents of the Northern Kingdom to make the pilgrimage to Jerusalem, once again.
The Romans, led by Titus destroyed the Second Temple. Some two million Jews died, and another one million were exiled	The manner in which the conclusion of the wood-cutting for the Temple service was celebrated on Ab 15 is yet another manifestation of the significance of the day. For the breaking of axes expresses the ultimate purpose of the Holy Temple, whose destruction we mourn on the 9th of Ab and whose rebuilding will herald the harmonious world of Mashiach. Why break the axes? Why not store them for next year’s cutting? Because the ax represents the very antithesis of what the altar, and the Temple as a whole, stood for.
The Bar Kochba revolt was crushed by Roman Emperor Hadrian. The city of Betar, the Jews’ last stand against the Romans, was captured and liquidated. Over 100,000 Jews were slaughtered	Throughout the entire reign of Hadrian, the burial of these people was forbidden. The corpses, although they all lay exposed, miraculously did not decompose. Finally, years later on the 15th of Ab, the bodies were buried, and given the proper respect due to them
The Roman general Turnus Rufus plowed under the Temple area and its surroundings. Jerusalem was rebuilt as a pagan city, renamed Aelia Capitolina, and access was forbidden to Jews.	Marriage between different tribes of Israel was permitted that day. In the desert, a ban on inter-tribal marriage insured that land would not pass out of the hands of the tribe it originally belonged to.

018 – Gen. 22:1-24^{^[37]} = 24v, Akieda	Shevat 13, 5783	Av 11, 5786 Shabbat Nachamu 1^st Sabbath of Consolation.	18:1-43[38] [39]	I Kings 10:1-9 + 23-24 *Isaiah 40:1-26

040 – Gen. 42:1-23 = 23v. Buying corn in Egypt	Av 11, 5783 1^st Sabbath of Consolation	Shevat 15, 5787 Tu B’Shevat Shabbat Shira	36:1-13[40]	Amos 8:4-12 + 9:14-15 *Isaiah 40:1-26

063 – Ex. 18:1 – 19:5 = 32v. Yitro unites Moshe’s family	Shevat 10, 5784	Av 11, 5787 1st Sabbath of Consolation (Nachamu)	56:1-14[41]	Is 33:13-22 *Isaiah 40:1-26
Deuteronomy 20:19 Deuteronomy 8:8	Shevat 15, 5784 Tu B’Shevat	Av 15, 5787 Tu B’Av
086 – Lev. 6:12 – 7:38 = 50v. Altar’s eternal fire	Av 13, 5784 1st Sabbath of Consolation (Nachamu)	Shevat 15, 5788 Tu B’Shevat Shabbat Shira	76:1-13[42]	Mal.3:4-12 + 18 *Isaiah 40:1-26

108 – Lev. 27:1-34 = 34v. Vows	Shevat 10, 5785	Av 13, 5788 1st Sabbath of Consolation (Nachamu)	89:39-53[43]	Judges 11:30-40 *Isaiah 40:1-26
133 – Num. 26:19-51 = 34 v. בְּנֵי יְהוּדָה	Av 8, 5785 Shabbat Chazon 3rd Sabbath of Penitence	Shevat 4, 5789	105:1-6[44]	Josh 14:6-15 *Isaiah 1:1-27
134 – Num. 26:52 – 27:14 = 24v.[45] Tzelafchad’s daughters.			105:7-11	Is 57:13-19 + 58:12-14
135 – Num. 27:15 – 28:25 = 33v. יִפְקֹד יהוה	Av 15, 5785 Tu B’Av 1st Sabbath of Consolation (Nachamu)	Shevat 11, 5789	105:12-22	Josh 13:7-14 + 14:4-5 *Isaiah 40:1-26
136 – Num. 28:26 – 30:1 = 46v. וּבַיּוֹם, הַשְּׁבִיעִי			105:23-36	Mal 3:4, 13-18, 22-24

169 – Deut. 28:1 – 29:8 = 77v. Blessings and curses		Av 9, 5789 Tisha B’Av Shabbat Chazon 3rd Sabbath of Penitence	139:1-24[46]	Is 55:2-11 *Isaiah 1:1-27

	Keter (Crown) Skull
Binah (Understanding) Left Brain	Daat Mid Brain & Spine	Chachmah (Wisdom) Right Brain
Gevurah (Strength) Rosh HaShana Yom Kippurim Succoth Left Arm & Hand	Daat Mid Brain & Spine	Chessed (Mercy) Pesach Right Arm & Hand
	Tiferet (Beauty) Shavuot Torso
Biblical Festivals (Above the Diaphragm)
Rabbinic Festivals (Below the Diaphragm)
Hod (Glory) Chanukah Left Kidney, Gonad, Leg		Netzach (Victory) Purim right Right Kidney, Gonad, Leg
	Yesod (Foundation) Tu B’Av Tu B’Shevat Reproductive organs
	Malkhut (Presence) To be revealed in the Messianic era Mouth of reproductive channel

Tisha B’Av	Shabbat Nachamu	Tu B’Av
Destruction of the Temple	Comfort	Temple is rebuilt

“Festival Man”—Sefirotic Map of the Festivals

	(Three Concealed Higher Sefirot) Keter (Crown) Cranium
Binah (Understanding) left brain		Chochmah (Wisdom) right brain
	[Da'at (Knowledge)] [middle brain and spine]

	Lower Seven Sefirot of “Festival Man”
Gevurah (Power) left arm/hand (2/5) Rosh HaShanah. Yom Kippur. Succoth		Chesed (Lovingkindness) right arm/hand (1/4) Passover
	Tiferet (Harmony) Torso (3/6) Shavuot

Biblical in origin

Rabbinical in origin

Hod (Splendor) left kidney/gonad/leg (5/8) Chanukah		Netzach (Eternity) right kidney/gonad/leg (4/7) Purim
	Yesod (Foundation-Channel) reproductive organs (6/9) Tu B'Av / Tu B'Shevat

	Malchut (Kingdom) Mouth of reproductive channel, Microcosm revealing the sum total of the 6 Sefirot above (7/10) To be revealed in the Messianic Era
By Rabbi Joel David Bakst

“Female"[52] Half of the Year	"Male"[53] Half of the Year
Nisan	Tishri
Iyar	Heshvan
Sivan	Kislev
Tammuz	Tevet
Av	Shevat
Elul	Adar

Masculine	Feminine
Tishri Heshvan Kislev Tevet Shebat Adar	Nisan Iyar Sivan Tammuz Ab Elul
Tu B’Shevat	Tu B’Av

25^th of Adar, the universe was conceived. Tu B’Shevat is forty days earlier.	25^th of Elul, The universe was created. Tu B’Av is forty days earlier.

Date	Season	Event
Tishri 15	Celebrating the time for planting.	Succoth.
Kislev 15	Celebrating the beginning of winter.	Prayer for rain (Dec. 5)
Shevat 15	Celebrating the beginning of cold weather.	New year for trees.
Nisan 15	Celebrating the beginning of the harvest.	Passover
Sivan 15	Celebrating the beginning of summer.	Birth of Yehuda ben Yaakov. The Chashmonaim captured Beit Shean and Emek Yizrael, and removed anti-Jewish forces; once a Yom Tov.[73]
Av 15	Celebrating the beginning of hot weather.	Tu B’Av

Season	Month
Cold	Nisan
Harvest	Nisan
	Iyar
	Iyar
	Sivan
Summer	Sivan
	Tammuz
	Tammuz
	Av
Hot	Av
	Elul
	Elul
	Tishri
Seedtime	Tishri
	Heshvan
	Heshvan
	Kislev
Winter	Kislev
	Tevet
	Tevet
	Shevat
Cold	Shevat
	Adar
	Adar

Tu B’Av – The 5^th Month	Tu B’Shevat – The 11^th Month

Four is the number representing exile, and five is the number representing redemption.	Wherever the issue of daat arises, it is not unusual to find the number eleven as well.

The number ten denotes a complete set, because we have ten fingers. Five is therefore representative of half of a set.	Yosef was the eleventh son born to Yaakov, the one through whom the hand of HaShem became clear and from whom Mashiach ben Yosef will descend to help us across the threshold into Mashiach’s time.

Tisha B'Av, which precedes Tu B'Av, is the day commemorating five major national tragedies. The transition from Tisha B'Av to Tu B'Av is seen as the ultimate transformation of those five sorrows into five positive events and a day of joy. It symbolizes the Messianic promise that sorrow will be turned into celebration.	The number eleven represents a transitional state or a point of exceeding the natural order. Eleven refers to the conveyance of the Divine light which transcends the limits of the world within the limits of the world.

	Tu B'Shevat marks a critical transition in the agricultural year, moving from the barrenness of winter to the hidden renewal of spring. This "in-between" status is a perfect parallel for the number eleven, signifying a move from a finished cycle (the previous year's fruits) to a new, not-yet-manifest cycle (the coming year's fruits).