Shalom friends,

What is it ? How do you feel it? Where and how can one find it?
Unfortunately, you will not find answers to these questions in this issue. The definitions of love vary depending on culture, age, religion, spirituality, experience, gender, and much more, and hence it is beyond the scope of this newsletter.
We will look, however, at the celebration of love and reconciliation (פִּיּוּס, piyus) at a certain date of the Hebrew calendar – Tu be’Av (ט"ו בְּאָב – the 15th day of the Hebrew month of Av). The 15th of a Hebrew-Lunar month always falls on a full-moon night – a time that was associated with romance, love, and fertility in ancient cultures.
The Talmud states that Tu be’Av was a “Yom Tov” (יוֹם טוֹב, good day / holiday) during the days of the Temple in Jerusalem. The more romantic aspect of this day is mentioned in the Mishnah in a quote of Raban Shim’on Ben Gamli’el:

“There were no better days for the people of Israel than Tu be’Av and Yom Kippur, since on these days the daughters of Jerusalem went out dressed in borrowed white dresses, not to embarrass those who have-not and danced in the vineyards. What were they saying: Young man, consider whom you choose (to be your wife) - Don’t consider beauty, consider family. Grace is deceitful, and beauty is vain; but a woman that feareth the LORD, she shall be praised.” ( Taanit, Chapter 4).

In other words, in this day unmarried women went out and danced in the vineyards and young men would choose a wife for themselves. To eliminate economical biases for marriage, all women borrowed their dresses, so the dress would not give a hint regarding their richness or poorness.
 

The bible mentions this day as the time when the tribes of Israel were permitted to mingle with each other, namely to marry women from other tribes. This probably refers to a story in the book of Judges (chapter 21) describing a civil war between the tribe of Benjamin and other Israelite tribes. The consequences of that war were that the tribes vowed not to intermarry with men of the tribe of Benjamin. This law threatened to annihilate the tribe of Benjamin, and therefore they were advised to catch girls who danced in the vineyards to be their wives. This act helped to reunite the tribes of Israel and points to the reconciliation component of this day.

Since the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem, this holiday was almost disregarded. After the establishment of the State of Israel this holiday became more popular among secular Jews and it is celebrated with festivals of singing and dancing on the night of Tu be'Av. The radio plays love songs and the TV broadcasts romantic movies. It is a popular day for weddings and marriage proposals.

בְּאַהֲבָה!
Be’ahava!
With Love!

שירה כהן-רגב

Shira Cohen-Regev
The eTeacherHebrew Team