In honor of my grand-nephew Yehudah Simcha ben Aryeh Lev entering the brit of Avraham Avinu on 11 Av 5782.
Masechet Ta’anit, filled with discussion of fasting and days of sorrow, ends, as the Talmud is wont to do, on a happy note, as Rabbi Shimon ben Gamliel declares that the ultimate days of happiness, “yamim tovim,” are Yom Kippur and Tu B’Av, the 15th of Av. While Yom Kippur gives us the tremendous joy from standing before God as angels, the nature of Tu B’Av is elusive, with no prescribed prayers and a single ritual, which is not even formally practiced today. What type of holiday is this?
The Talmud gives eight separate reasons, each from different rabbis, for this holiday, and a common theme emerges—reunion. In Jewish thought, eight is seen as seven + one. Seven represents natural events (seven days of creation, seven days of Sukkot, seven years of shemitah, seven shemitah cycles in Yovel), and eight represents going beyond nature (Shemini Atzeret, Yovel). The first seven reasons give the historical and natural background for the holiday, setting the stage for the ultimate reunion at the end.
The first two reasons given are the historical reunions of the Jewish people during the time of the Shoftim—the allowance of tribal intermarriage, which was banned during the original settling of the land, then the readmittance of Shevet Binyamin into the Jewish people after the civil war that followed Pilegesh B’Givah. These reasons parallel the historical commemorations at the core of most biblical and post-biblical holidays.
The third reason given, perhaps the most well-known, is that the Jewish people stopped dying in the desert on that day. However, instead of expanding on that story further (as found in Rashi), the Talmud focuses on Moshe regaining his ability to speak to Hashem—another reunion. Strikingly, this event is given out of historical order, which further indicates that the core message is found in the first two events—reunion.
The fourth reason given, staying in the biblical period, is that the Jews living in Malchut Yisrael were once allowed to worship in the Beit Hamikdash on that day after being prevented for hundreds of years, reuniting thousands of Jews with the center for Jewish worship and connection to Hashem.
The fifth reason given is that those killed at the Roman massacre of Beitar were allowed to be buried, reconnecting them to the land: “dust to dust” (Kohelet 3:20).
The sixth reason given is that this is the day we stopped cutting wood for the Beit Hamikdash. Adding an agricultural connection links Tu B’Av to the core biblical holidays (Shemot 23:15-16), but how does this add to the theme of reconnection? I propose that the link is alluded to in the name the Talmud assigns to the day: “yom tavar magal, the day the scythes are broken.” The Torah, in detailing the laws of unintentional manslaughter, describes cutting wood (Devarim 19:5) as an example for this crime. As a result of committing this act, the perpetrator must flee into exile to avoid retribution. In destroying the wood-chopping implements on this day, the fear of exile and separation goes away.
Finally, the seventh reason given is, with the changing of the seasons, we can now increase our Torah study at night, which, per Chagigah 12b and elsewhere, is the ideal time for gaining wisdom and reconnecting to God, as we already learned all of the Torah in the womb (Niddah 30b).
Only after going through all seven historical and natural reasons for this holiday, we turn to the only known mitzvah for this day—making shidduchim. As described by the Talmud, we are exhorted to ensure that all Jewish women have the opportunity to find a mate, supplying them with appropriate clothes and encouraging them to highlight their particular gifts to the Jewish people. Bringing a couple together is the ultimate supernatural reunion, as these connections were already determined by God before the couple was born (Sotah 2a), so on Tu B’av we are really doing God’s work.
Going further, every new Jewish family gives us the opportunity to bring a new Jewish neshama into the world, thereby increasing the potential for Torah and mitzvot in this world, bringing us closer to ultimate redemption, b’mehara b’yameinu.
Hesh Luber, a new great-uncle, lives in Teaneck with his wife and children.
