Fifteenth Ava

The Talmud (the Mishnah , the treatise Taanit ) says: “Israel did not have such joyful days as the Fifteenth Ava and Yom Kippur .” ^{[1] [2] [9]} According to the Pentateuch , on the Fifteenth of Ava, six joyful events occurred: ^{[1] [3] [10]}

• the pestilence that destroyed the Egyptian descenders ceased - the calamity was the execution of the death sentence handed down by God to the entire generation that left Egypt and committed two serious sins: the creation of a golden calf and the unwillingness to go to the Land of Israel
• the prohibition was lifted (see Judges 19-21) of the marriage of the descendants of the tribe of Benjamin to girls belonging to other Israeli clans (see concubine in Gibeah )
• the general ban on marriages between members of different Israeli clans
• Israeli king Hosea issued a decree replacing the prohibitive decree of Jeroboam I , allowing the citizens of the kingdom of Israel to visit Jerusalem during the holidays
• The firewood for the altar of the Jerusalem Temple , where according to the Torah , fire must always burn
• the last of Betar’s defenders, whose bodies the Romans had forbidden to bury, were buried.

It is considered an extremely auspicious day for the wedding, because according to the Mishnah, it was customary to start matchmaking to create a new family in Israel. ^{[3] [11]} According to the Mishnah (Taanit 4: 8), on this day the “daughters of Jerusalem” borrowed white clothes from one another in order to “not embarrass the poor” to put on, and then sing and dance in the vineyards in order to find a groom. ^{[3] [10] [11] [12] [13]} This exchange of clothes should have shown that beauty and well-being are not important, and the main thing is the contents of the hearts. ^{[14] The} girls sang Taanit words: “Young man! Lift up your eyes and make your choice, choose your wife. Do not look at the beauty, look at the family. ” ^{[9] [11]} Also, dances were held in the city square of the then capital of Israel - Silom in Samaria . ^[2]

Also on this day since the construction of the Second Temple began to celebrate the harvest festival of grapes and winemaking, which lasted until Yom Kippur , during which residents of kibbutzim tried to associate it with music, songs, poetry and love songs. ( English chagigat hakeramim ) ^{[2] [ 15]} All representatives of the people of Israel were invited to the festival, regardless of their position in society. ^[12]

Today, some residual Tu Bbe-Av remains in some traditional Jewish communities. Some penitential and morning prayers included in the day service are not pronounced. Grooms do not observe pre-wedding fasting. The offensive of Tu Be-Av means the end of classes in the yeshiva , and after the morning service in the synagogue, the mentors must distribute to their wards a glass of brandy and a piece of cake. ^{[15] [16]}

At present, the celebration of Tu B'Av has been divided into very simple ones and some fairly consistent. Thus, in Tsemah, located not far from Tiberias , a youth rally of fifty thousand boys and girls was held at Tu B'Av for a rock - concert under the general title “The Night of Love on Lake Tiberias ”. Together they spent the weekend, mostly sitting in front of the stage. Some couples slept in sleeping bags , and many preferred to just sleep on the coast. It was a neohanaanite party that had nothing to do with the authentic Tu B'Av, and the ancient festival turned into an event that raised questions. At the same time, for example, another celebration of Tu B'Av took place in Manhattan, where a group of one hundred unmarried and unmarried young people of thirty or forty years old gathered in the rotunda, located at the foot of 79th Street and the Hudson River overlooking the boat bay and Palisades Park . The event was sponsored by the Assembly of the Community of Jacob ( Eng. Congregation Kehilath Jacob ). Since this was an orthodox celebration, the dances were separate. A small ensemble of eight musicians played Jewish and Hasidic melodies. An acquaintance was conducted by a professional matchmaker , or shadkhan ( Yiddish שאדכן ), Pinkus Freiberg, who considered his activities as follows: “God chooses a couple, but I only encourage”. Also among those who, on Tu B'Av, helps men and women find a companion for life, include a fashion designer, a violinist, a psychotherapist and a Jewish mentor. One of those who decided to abandon the traditional white in favor of a bright print fabric on Tu B'Av, Arlene Agus, set the tone by saying that “Matchmaking is like a head hunt, and besides, it’s a hunt for hearts” ^[15]

Rabbi Shimon ben Gamliel believed that on this day "the tribes of Israel were allowed to mix with each other." ^[2]

Judge and Jewish Philosophy Specialist Meir Levinov notes that

There was no holiday in Israel more beautiful 15 Av. Jewish girls went to the gardens in white dresses - borrowed, as is customary, from each other, so that no one was ashamed of the lack of beautiful clothes. In the gardens, they led round dances, and anyone who was looking for a bride for himself went there ^[4]

Heinrich Gretz believes that the celebration of the fifteenth Ava came about thanks to the Pharisees , who were trying to show their victory over the Sadducees . ^[3]

Some scientists pay attention to the fact that on this holiday torches and bonfires were lit, which, in their opinion, testifies to the connection of Tu B'Av with the pagan festivities in honor of the summer solstice . ^[3]

• Tu B'Av is known in the West as the Hebrew "Sadie Hawkins Day" ^[9] (Sadie Hawkins - the heroine of the comic, "the hunter for men" ^[17] )

• Siddur "Gate of Prayer" (Shaarei Tfila) on weekdays, Saturdays and holidays; nousah ashkenaz; transliteration, translation, commentary and explanation of the order of prayers / ed. Pihas Polonsky ; Mahanaim . Jerusalem, 2008.

• The Babylonian Talmud. Treatise Taanit = The Talmud. Tractate Taanit / Comments. ed. Rabbi Adina Even-Israel (Steinsaltz) / Ed. Council M. Schneider and others - Jerusalem; M .: Inst studied. Judaism in the CIS , Israel. In-t Talmud. Publ, 1998. - 337 p. - 6000 copies - ISBN 5-7349-006-12 .
• Arthur Waskow . Growing Tu B'Shvat: The Life-Juice of the Tree of History // Trees, Earth, and Torah: A Tu B'Shvat Anthology / Ari Elon , Naomi Mara Hyman, Arthur Waskow. - Philadelphia: Jewish Publication Society, 2000. - 494 p.
• Larry Domnitch. The Jewish Holidays: A Journey through History . - Jason Aronson, 2000. - 264 p.
• Bernard S. Raskas. Seasons of the Mind: Minnesota Rabbi . - Kar-Ben Publishing, 2001. - 302 p.
• Paul Steinberg. Tu B'Av: Coming Back to Life // Celebrating the Jewish Year: The Spring and Summer Holidays: Passover, The Omer, Shavuot, Tisha B'Av . - Philadelphia: Jewish Publication Society, 2009. - 295 p.
• Petra van der Zande. Remember Observe Rejoice. A Guide to the Jewish Feasts, Memorial Days and Events . - Jerusalem: TsurTsina Publication, 2012. - 144 p. - ISBN 978-965-7542-12-5 .