Tu B'Av In the final mishna in TAANIT, Rabban Shimon b. Gamliel tells us that there were no more joyous festivals in Israel than T"U b'AV and Yom Kippur. Right in the middle of this "tragic" month, the month whose entrance was accompanied by the diminishing of our joy, we find the most joyous of festivals. If you will ponder the various reasons for T"U b'Av, you can see in each one a message of consolation and promise... and therefore joy. In the aftermath of the "sin of the spies", G-d decreed that the entire adult male population of that generation should die out during 40 years of wandering. Not only was this decree handed down on Tish'a b'Av, but the "sentence" was carried out on Tish'a b'Av each year. Tradition tells us that each year on the 9th of Av, the men of Israel would dig graves and sleep in them. In the morning, Moshe would announce "let the living separate from the dead". Each year, approximately 15,000 men were thus buried; the others living on for at least another year. In the final year of wandering, none of the remaining 15,000 died. Not on Tish'a b'Av eve, nor the next night, nor the next. The people thought they had erred in the calculation of the days of the month, but when the full moon of Av took its place in the sky, all joyously realized that the decree against the remaining men had been rescinded through G-d's mercy. The 15th of Av was thus marked as a day of joy. Tish'a b'Av commemorates the "sin of the spies"; T"U b'Av marks the joy of being alive and the ability to make amends and "move on". It marks (the existence of) forgiveness, even from very serious sins. But there's more... T"U b'Av was the end of the season for wood-gathering for the Mizbei'ach. After this date, the power of the sun begins to diminish due to the shortening length of the day. Since it is essential that the wood for the fires of the Mizbei'ach be free of worms and insects, it was feared that after T"U b'Av the wood might not sufficiently dry out to avoid infestation. The completion of the wood-gathering season was an occasion for special korbanot in the Mikdash, and T"U b'Av was celebrated as a family festival for those involved in this special mitzva. Note that just as 9Av and 15Av were opposite sides of the same coin vis-a-vis the Sin of the Spies, so too are they here in that 9Av marks destruction of the Temple; the 15th celebrates wood-gathering for the Beit HaMikdash. and more... Following the terrible episode of the "pilegesh from Giv'a", there was a ban placed on marrying into the tribe of Binyamin. This ban was lifted on a T"U b'Av. For a long period of time, due to a misunderstanding in the rulings concerning who the daughters of Zelofchad should marry, there was little or no inter-tribal marriage. After a later Sanhedrin clarified the issue, inter-tribal marriages became commonplace. This reuniting of all of Israel, was associated with T"U b'Av, and the cause of great joy. Not finished yet... The mishna referred to above, tells us that the young maidens of Jerusalem would wear borrowed white dresses, so as not to embarrass one who had no dresses... and they would dance in the vineyards... (so that eligible young men might choose their brides). This, the two items mentioned above (daughters of Zelofchad and the tribe of Binyamin), and the fact that there have not been weddings during the Three Weeks, combine to make T"U b'Av a special day for Shiduchim and marriages, and a truly joyous day. Still more on TU B'AV... Following the fall of Beitar about 65 years after the destruction of the second Beit HaMikdash (on a Tish'a b'Av, non-coincidentally), the Romans did not permit the dead bodies of the Jews to be buried, as a punishment for rebelling against and resisting Rome. A few years later, a new emperor allowed burial of the bodies. Tradition records that this was on the 15th of Av. The bodies were found not to have decayed in the years that they lay unburied. The Sanhedrin at Yavne declared this a miracle and composed the fourth bracha of Birkat HaMazon - HaTov V'ha'Meitiv, to thank G-d for His kindnesses, even in darkest of times. Notice the trend here. Just about every facet of Tish'a b'Av finds its way into the nature of T"U b'AV, but in an opposite - positive sense. It is almost as if we couldn't handle Tish'a b'Av without a day of a very different nature less than a week later. T"U b'Av represents in so many ways the light at the end of the tunnel and the reminder that the Geula is just a step away. NACHAMU NACHAMU AMI YOMAR ELOKEICHEM: DIBRU AL LEV YERUSHALAYIM V'KARU A'LEA... The Shabbat following Tish'a b'Av is SHABBAT NACHAMU. Sources say that one should be a little more joyous on this Shabbat than the other Shabbatot of the year. It is fitting to plan to make this Shabbat a bit more special, in your own particular way. Perhaps sparkling wine for Kiddush, instead of the no-bubble variety. Or a favorite dish. Or a special dessert. More Z'mirot at the table than usual. Even the other songs in the back of the bencher. Special guests. A pleasant walk on Friday night and/or Shabbat afternoon. Extra Torah learning with the whole family. Use your imagination (and/or borrow some of these suggestions). Shabbat Nachamu is a wonderful "snap out of it" for the mood we can develop during the Three Weeks and/or the Nine Days. But it doesn't mean to forget the mourning for the destruction of the Beit HaMikdash. It means to keep things in perspective and to emlead to action that will bring about positive changes to our lives, as individuals and as part of Klal Yisrael, that will hasten the Geula. Remember that there are three weeks of commemoration of tragedies and seven Shabbatot of consolation. Excessive mourning can be destructive. Just as we needed to get into the mourning period for the Beit HaMikdash, we also need a good way to be drawn out. Shabbat Nachamu can do the job well, if we let it. And how much more so, that this Shabbat Nachamu is also TU B'AV! [The Va'etchanan Homepage]
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