DELIBERATELY DIVERSE | Frances Sorrow
Deliberately Diverse represents the opinions of a group of Taylor friends who never entirely agree on anything but welcome the opportunity to share their opinions in our beloved community.
What is the difference between Tisha B’Av and Tu B’Av? Only six calendar days, but what a difference in theme between the two.
Tisha B’Av mourns destruction while the latter holiday, Tu B’Av, affirms love and creation. Although Tu B’Av is the historically older observance, let’s start with the better-known observance of Tisha B’Av.
Tisha B’Av means the ninth of the Hebrew month of Av. This year it falls on Aug. 2, Saturday.
According to the Bible and Talmud, both the first and second Holy Temples in Jerusalem were destroyed on that day. The first Temple was destroyed by the Babylonians in 586 B.C. and the second Temple in 70 A.D. by the Romans.
But that’s not the end of the catastrophes on the ninth of Av. They continued through the 20th century.
Here are a few examples:
• On that date, Jews were expelled from England in 1290 and from France in 1306.
• The first Crusade started on Tisha B’Av in 1096, leading to the destruction of the Jews in France and the Rhineland. In 1492, the Jews were expelled from Spain unless they converted, and in 1941, the Nazis overcame Jewish resistance fighters in the Warsaw Ghetto.
Tisha B’Av is observed with fasting, reading the biblical Book of Lamentations and reciting the martyrs, especially the 10 Sages killed by the Romans after the failure of the Bar Kochba revolt about 110 years after Jesus’ death.
On Aug. 8, there is an older and much happier holiday called Tu B’Av, meaning the 15th of Av. According to the Talmud, the date was the start of the grape harvest in ancient Israel.
And it was the traditional day for making romantic matches. The custom was for unmarried girls to dress in white and dance in the fields.
Presumably it gave both men and women a chance to see prospective spouses. Sometimes the matchmaking was followed by immediate marriages.
When the Jews were expelled from the land after the failed Bar Kochba Revolt, the celebration was suspended.
But now many Jews celebrate it again, especially in Israel. Many modern customs include romantic gifts, sending flowers and dining out.
Since the 15th of each month in the Jewish calendar always falls on the full moon, it’s also a great day for moonlight walks, picnics and romance. The date is also a popular wedding day.
And you don’t have to be Jewish to add an extra day of love to your calendar. Share your love and enjoy the full moon together.
Create your own Tu B’Av card, buy your favorite wine and you’re on your way. Happy Tu B’Av.
Sorrow is an amateur historian.
