What’s the happiest day in the Jewish calendar? Surprise – it’s not Purim! The Talmud in tractate Taanis (26b) tells us that no day was as joyous as the 15th of Av, AKA “Tu B’Av.” What’s so special about this day – and why is it off the radar of so many of us?
OU Holidays is here to answer all your Tu b’Av questions! First, we have some nice general information about the day. Next, we examine why a day that celebrates love and marriage paradoxically commemorates mass burials. Then, Rav Shlomo Aviner delves in-depth into the holiday. Finally, Rabbi Jack Abramowitz (yours truly) discusses Tu b’Av as the kosher alternative to Valentine’s Day. (What does Valentine’s Day have to do with anything? Read it and find out!)
We just came out of Tisha b’Av – the saddest day of the year. We owe it to ourselves to balance that out with the joy that Tu b’Av brings!