Tonight and tomorrow, the 15th of Av, we celebrate Tu B’Av. The most auspicious time for soulmates to come together. After the sadness we experienced on the 9th of Av,Tu B’Av is the complete opposite. It’s a day in which we celebrate love and marriage. In Talmudic times, single Jewish women used to dance together in the fields all dressed in white. No one wore their own dress, they would all interchange so when the single men would come to meet them no one knew who was rich or poor. The attraction came from the inside and not from the externalities.
The Talmud compares the holiness of this day to the holiness of Yom Kipur.
The message of this very special day is so down to earth. It tells us to experience the beauty of marriage. It tells us to look beyond our own selfs and open space for someone else. To observe the selflessness of two people that have many obstacles between them and regardless of this they are able to thrive together and bring life into the world.
Just as Yom Kipur is holy because we become selfless giving up our bodily needs in our quest to reach spiritual heights, similarly on Tu B’Av we are saying “I’m willing to let go of my agenda and needs so I can care about someone else.” And marriage is a holy institution.
The marriage between a man and a woman is a parallel between G-d and us. The most intimate relationship we can ever have in this world is with our spouse, the most intimate relationship always is with G-d. One resembles the other.
May tonight and tomorrow be a day of increased love and let’s focus on what is really important in this life.
Live a little higher
