The fast and mourning of Tisha B’Av has ended, and now I am awaiting “Elul air,” or those first breezes here in Israel that give a hint of autumn, which here is really more like a kinder, gentler summer. Soon the hard, green pomegranates will start to blush on the trees and I’ll be able to walk at mid-day. The change in the weather is reflected by the spiritual climate of this time, as we turn away from tears over the destruction of the Temple, the fires that consumed the Beis Hamikdash which we sense through the intense heat, and closer to a more bearable but purposeful time when we must take account of our deeds and thoughts throughout the past year and prepare for Rosh Hashana, the Jewish New Year.
What marked this transition? Yesterday was a special day, not often celebrated because it isn’t often enough discussed, and yet it is a day Rabbi Shmuel ben Gamliel said was as propitious for the People of Israel as Yom Kippur. Just as there are a list of tragic events that took place on Tisha B’Av, on Tu B’Av (fifteenth of Av), there are a list of positive events that at first may not seem related, but are connected by the themes of peace and harmony. On the fifteenth of Av, young unmarried women danced in the fields and men looking for wives would choose their mates. All the women wore white dresses, and they all borrowed dresses from others so no one who couldn’t afford a beautiful garment would be embarrassed. This is why the 15th of Av, even today, is considered an ideal time to look for a life partner or celebrate a wedding.
Continuing the theme of marriage, intermarriage between Jewish tribes was first permitted on the 15th of Av. This meant that a woman could marry outside of her father’s tribe, if she wished. The tribe of Benjamin, which had been excommunicated over a terrible crime, was allowed to rejoin the Jewish People on the 15th of Av. The Jews as an entire nation were forgiven on that day during Moses’ generation; the curse that the generation would die in the wilderness was lifted on that day, and those who remained entered the Land of Israel with Joshua.
There are a few more important events associated with the 15th of Av, but one I find particularly interesting is the destruction of the axes used to chop wood for the Holy Temple. This provided a striking parallel with Tisha B’Av. On Tisha B’Av, the Temple itself burned. On the 15th of Av, axes, which represent the tendency to divide and tear apart, were destroyed. This demonstrates that now is the time to eliminate divisive factors which cause friction and look inward to improve our own character and deeds as we approach the Jewish New Year.