The Special Celebration of טו באב - the Fifteenth of Av

The Special Celebration of טו באב - the Fifteenth of Av, by Rav Yitzchak Etshalom

The happiest days of the year, Rabban Shim'on b. Gamliel tells us, were the 15th of Av and Yom haKippurim. On these days, he reports, young women would go into the vineyards and dance and the young men would choose them as wives. The Gemara expresses an understandable confusion about the special nature of the 15th of Av, to be compared in its festivity to Yom haKippurim; the Gemara suggests six different things that happened on the 15th of Av during different epochs - but that leaves us all the more confused. What do these six events, none of which is outstanding in its celebration or rejoicing, have in common? We explore these events with an eye to finding the common message and its place in our national ethos. This shiur was lovingly given in honor of our son, Yossi on the occasion of his marriage to Chaya, on the fifteenth of Av this year, at the Gush Etzion winery. (Could it be any sweeter?)

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