Tu b'Av: A Day of Love and Unity

Tu b'Av is the one of the most joyous days in the Jewish year. In the previous Newsletter from JesusBoat.com we learned about Tisha b'Av - the saddest day in the Jewish Year - and all the tragedy than has befallen the Jewish people on that day. The foil to that day is Tu b'Av, the 15th of the Jewish month of Av (beginning the evening of the 25th of July).

Tu b'Av is often referred to as "The Jewish Valentine's Day." While modern traditions are making it more so, the root of the love and joy celebrated at Tu b'Av relates more to Jewish unity.

Because Tu b'Av was already a joyous day, during the Second Temple period an additional element was added to the events of the day. In this period the happiness of marriage was incorporated into the customs. The Talmud tells us that on Tu b'Av, the young women of Jerusalem would go into the vineyards on the outskirts of the city, dressed in white dresses that they borrowed from each other - the richest women worn the poorest women's dresses and vice-versa. This was so the suitors could not merely choose a wife based on social status. In the vineyards the single women would dance and dance, play tambourines, smile and be festive. All the bachelors would gather there to find a suitable marriage partner.

The men would be advised to choose their spouses wisely. "Lift up your eyes and see who you will choose as a wife. Don't look only at physical beauty, but look at family." Quoting from Proverbs 30:31, "Charm is deceitful and beauty is vain, but a God fearing woman is the one to be praised." A woman who fears the L-rd is a rare and a precious person. A woman who abides by G-d's laws is a true gift from G-d. She is the most attractive woman to G-d and will make a kind and dedicated wife.

So on this joyous day, pay special attention to your spouse, your fiancé or your special friend. Celebrate each other and celebrate all the good that knowing G-d has brought to your life. Six days ago we mourned, on Tu b'Av be happy and thank G-d for each and every day.

   

Tisha b’Av: A Time to Mourn

On Tuesday, July 20^th in the Gregorian calendar is Tisha b’Av. Tisha b’Av or the 9^th of the Jewish month Av, is the saddest day in Jewish history. On this day throughout history several calamities have befallen the Jewish people.

This date was designated by G-d to be forever a date of misfortune and grief for the Jewish people. As documented in Numbers 13 and 14, on this date the Israelites showed G-d an unequivocal lack of faith. It was on Tisha b’Av that the Twelve spies sent to Canaan by Moses returned. With the exception of Joshua and Caleb, the spies spoke of a terrible land where only death awaited. This caused the Israelites to weep in despair and panic that entering the Promised Land would mean certain destruction. Because they did not have faith that G-d would take care of them, the Israelites were punished and had to wander in the desert for 40 years. Additionally, G-d made Tisha b’Av a day of great pain for the Jewish people.

On Tisha b’Av we mourn the destruction of both Temples in  Jerusalem. The destruction of First Temple occurred on Tisha b’Av, and then 656 years later the destruction of the Second Temple also occurred on this day. The destruction of the Temples and the subsequent fall of Jerusalem is a source of great sorrow to the Jewish people. The Jewish people had a home in Jerusalem. It was a place they could be secure, safe and comfortable. It was a place to worship G-d freely without condemnation and persecution. This was ripped away from them when the Babylonians destroyed the First Temple and the Romans destroyed the Second Temple. After the Second Temple destruction the Jewish people were scattered and exiled from the Holy Land. It was to be thousands of years until the Jewish people were able to again make a home land in Israel. This alone is cause for great sorrow.

As an expression of this sorrow, Tisha b’Av is observed by fasting and abstaining from anything that would bring joy, pleasure or comfort. Like the Yom Kippur fast, the Tisha b’Av fast lasts for 25 hours. Here are the main prohibitions on Tisha b’Av:

1. No food or drink, even water
2. No bathing
3. No anointing the body
4. No leather shoes (as they are deemed comfortable)
5. No learning Torah (except the Book of Lamentations)
6. No wearing of the Tallit or Tefilin
7. No marital relations
8. No idle chatter, laughter or greeting each other

Additionally, it is traditional to not sit on anything comfortable and to alter sleeping arrangements so not to be comfortable.

On Tisha b’Av many recite the Book of Lamentations. In this book Jeremiah describes in ghastly detail the fall of Jerusalem, destruction of the First Temple and the utter despair and desperate condition of the Jewish people. It is a heartbreaking account that solidifies the reason we mourn this day.

On this day we mourn the destruction of the Temple and the exile of the Jewish people. As we mourn we should also consider the many other tragedies that have befallen the Jewish people -- and there has been much tragedy for the Jewish people. Daily, this is not a place we can put our energies. If we dwell on the pain of tragedy, the Jewish nation would not have the strength and courage needed to survive. However, one day each year, we may cry. On Tisha b’Av we are to release all the sorrow. But for each tear we shed, tomorrow we will show joy for despite all the tragedy, the Nation of Israel lives.

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Just as G-d guaranteed, on this day several other calamities came to pass the Jewish nation on Tisha b’Av.

• In 135 CE Bar Kokhba's revolt against Rome failed, he was killed, and the city of Betar was destroyed. It was the last great revolt against Rome. 100,000 Jews slaughtered.
• The year after the destruction of the Second Temple, The Romans razed Jerusalem. Pagan city was built on its ruins
• In 1290 all Jews were expelled from England.
• The Spanish Inquisition culminated with the expulsion of Jews from Spain on Tisha b'Av in 1492.
• In 1914 Germany declared war on Russia commencing World War I. German resentment from the war set the stage for WW II and the Holocaust.
• On the eve of Tisha b’Av 1942 and throughout the day, began the liquidation of Jews from the Warsaw Ghetto, en route to Treblinka

 

The Jewish Calendar

A means for marking the passage of time has been necessary for  cultures the world over. The Bible states that on several occasions G-d commanded the Israelites to keep precise observances according to the days he instructed. To ensure that G-d’s commandments were followed, it was necessary for the Israelites to create a calendar. The system of keeping time in the Old Testament was based on the cycles of the moon and the sun – a lunisolar calendar. To create their calendar, the Israelites used observation and knowledge of astronomy to calculate the dates.

The Jewish Calendar is still the official calendar of the State of Israel. It is used when determining religious observances, by all official institutions, and by Israeli farmers as an agricultural framework for planting and harvesting.

Nevertheless, for practical reasons most Jewish calendars produced today have both the Jewish and Gregorian dates listed. The Gregorian calendar is the system most commonly used presently to mark time; it is calendar that begins with January 1^st and ends with December 31^st. In Israel, Gregorian dates are more commonly used in every day life for ease of communication with the rest of the world.

The Jewish Calendar and the Gregorian Calendar have similarities and differences. Here is how the two calendars compare:

Jewish Calendar	Gregorian Calendar
Began counting years with creation	Began counting years with the birth of Jesus
Based on Lunar and Solar observations and calculations	Based on Solar calculations
New Year begins with the 7th month of the calendar.	New Year begins with the first month of the calendar.
12 months in a standard year	12 months in a year
Months begin with the new moon and lengths are based on the lunar cycle	Month beginnings have no lunar or solar relationship and lengths are based on Christian events calculations.
Months have 29 or 30 days	Months have between 28 and 31 days
Leap year occurs every 2 or 4 years and adds one more month, Adar Aleph	Leap year occurs every 4 years and adds one day to February
Names of the months are Babylonian and adopted during the time of Ezra after the exile	Names of the months adopted in Ancient Rome from Roman entities
7 days in a week	7 days in a week
Days of the week are numbered except Shabbat	Days of the week are named for celestial bodies
New day begins at sundown	New day begins at mid-night

Who needs a Jewish Calendar...

If you have been thinking about adding or currently enjoy keeping Jewish observations in your spiritual life, a Jewish calendar is a must for your home or office.

Jewish Calendars for the Jewish year 5771 (which will begin in the Gregorian calendar on the evening of September 9th, 2010) are now available.

Jewish calendars from JesusBoat.com are arranged around the corresponding Gregorian calendar.

Supplies are limited, so make sure you are ready for the coming Jewish New Year and the High Holidays and get your new calendar today.

  

More for the Jewish New Year...
Keep your eyes open for specials from JesusBoat.com for the High Holidays. We have some great new items for adults and kids. And as always, we have them at great prices.