The wheel of time keeps turning, and we now find ourselves in the month of Av. How does one feel as this month begins? The Gemara (Taanis 26b) rules, “When Av begins, we lessen our joy.” It seems we have reached the saddest time of the year. Indeed, this month is host to a number of tragic occurrences, primary among them being the destruction of the two holy Temples. The above-quoted Gemara states “On Tisha B’Av it was decreed on our ancestors (in the Sinai Desert) that they would not enter the Land (of Israel), the two Temples were destroyed, the city of Betar was conquered, and Jerusalem was plowed under. [Therefore,] it is forbidden to cut one’s hair… launder one’s clothes… or eat meat, etc.”
Yet, Av is also host to the holiday of Tu B’Av. The above-quoted Gemara states, “(The people of) Israel had no days as festive as Tu B’Av and Yom Kippur!” It seems that Av is host to the saddest days of the year and simultaneously to one of the happiest days in the year. But what is this obscure holiday of Tu B’Av? We find that the Gemara asks, “It is understandable that Yom Kippur is a festive day because it is a day of forgiveness. But what is the significance of Tu B’Av?” The Gemara proceeds to list six joyous events that occurred on Tu B’Av. We will limit ourselves to the first two.
“Tu B’Av was the day the tribes were permitted to marry into one another. [For in the generation of Moshe it was ruled that the tribes may only marry within their own tribe. But the Sages subsequently (on Tu B’Av) found basis in the Torah to say that this prohibition only applied to that generation alone.] In addition, on this day the tribes were permitted to marry into the tribe of Binyamin. [For the tribes took an oath not to marry into Binyamin following the atrocity of the concubine of Givah. But the Sages subsequently (on Tu B’Av) found a leniency based on the phraseology of the oath which rendered it non-binding on future generations.]”
Let’s analyze these two events. While they are definitely special occurrences, why are they cause for a new holiday? And even if they are indeed cause for celebration, why would they engender “the most festive day in Israel”? Are these relatively minor events really greater than the Exodus from Egypt or the Revelation at Har Sinai?
In order to answer these questions, we need to understand the ideas of holidays in general. Why do we celebrate the holidays? Are they all merely commemorations of past events? Rav Tzadok HaKohein explains that this is not so. “All holidays can be explained in the following way: A past occurrence happened on that day which made an impact on that calendar date. A degree of holiness was brought into that date forever more and it is therefore appropriate to make a holiday on that day.” Isn’t this a mind-blowing idea? Rav Tzadok is saying that the event that occurred way-back-when caused a degree of holiness to come into the world and settle on a particular date, thereby turning it into a day of celebration! This calendar day will never be the same because it is now a holier day – like Shabbos.
Let’s apply this idea to Av. Is Tisha B’Av a day of mourning only because in the past the two holy Temples were destroyed? No. It is axiomatic in Jewish thought that nothing happens without a reason. Why did the Jewish people deserve to have the Temple destroyed? Our Sages teach that it was because of sinas chinam – baseless hatred. Why was it decreed on our ancestors that they could not enter the Land? It was because of lashon harah – the slander and divisive speech of the spies. On Tisha B’Av (way-back-when) a contamination came into the world – from divisiveness between brothers. That impurity remains to this day – tied to our time through the calendar date. Hence, we mourn.
