by Rabbi Lana Zilberman Soloway

There’s nothing you can do that can’t be done.
Nothing you can sing that can’t be sung.
Nothing you can say but you can learn how to play the game.
It’s easy.

Nothing you can make that can’t be made.
No one you can save that can’t be saved.
Nothing you can do, but you can learn how to be you in time.
It’s easy.

All you need is love.
All you need is love.
All you need is love, love.
Love is all you need.

(By: John Lennon, 1967)

Next week, we will celebrate Tu B’Av, the 15th Day of Av, a celebration of joy and love. Tu B’Av is not a Biblical festival, and as such, it was barely noticed in the Jewish calendar for many centuries. In recent decades, however, it has been rejuvenated, especially in the modern state of Israel. In its modern incarnation, it has become a Jewish Festival of Love, resembling America’s Valentine’s Day (although its origins are much more ancient and profound).

Tu B’Av served as a matchmaking day for unmarried women in the Second Temple period. It is written in the Mishnah (2nd century) that there are no better days for the people of Israel than the Fifteenth of Av and Yom Kippur (representing the beginning and the end of the grape harvest time). On those days, the daughters of Jerusalem went out, dressed in white, to dance in the vineyards, while young men would come to choose their wives. 

The Talmud (5th century) adds a few other explanations to the meaning of this festival:

Tu B’Av marked the time when our Jewish ancestors, a generation after entering the Land of Israel, were permitted to intermarry among tribes, including with the tribe of Benjamin, which was previously banned from all others. This act signified reconciliation and unity among the people of Israel.

Tu B’Av also marked the end of the divine punishment of wandering in the wilderness for forty years, resulting from the sin of the spies. On Tu B’Av of the last year, those who were still alive realized that they would ultimately reach the promised land of Israel.

After the gravity, sadness, loss, and mourning of Tisha B’av, commemorated earlier this week, Tu B’Av represents joy, happiness, love, and hope. 

In the modern state of Israel, Tu B’Av is observed as a day of love and romance by Jews of all backgrounds and denominations. It has also become one of the most popular dates for getting married for those who dream about an outdoor summer wedding on a full moon night.

Next Tuesday, we will celebrate Tu B’Av at Congregation Or Ami. 

In order to make it special, we have invited two special couples to share their love with us, one through story and one through music. The celebration will not be complete without YOU!

Join us for a unique evening of Love and Celebration on a beautiful full-moon summer night. Let us fill our hearts with joy, love and hope, do we need more than that?