Hello John, Joe C and others with curiousity about 15th Av,
Aug 15, 2011.
Here is a bit more history on Tu B'Av:
"Fair use for educational and discussion purposes"
From Link Rabbi Chaim Richman
"It was on this day that the tribe of Benjamin was reinstated into the ranks of Israel.
It was on this day that the generation of the desert, which was condemned to die in the desert before the children of Israel could enter into the Land, stopped dying in the last year. During all those years that the decree was in effect, Moses did not receive the spirit of prophecy. But on this day, the fifteenth of Av, as soon as the decree was finished, G-d once again spoke with Moses."
"one of the major themes of the holiday of Tu B'Av is unity amongst the Jewish people. This day also marks the conclusion of the cycle of retribution experienced during Tammuz and the first part of Av, and begins the new cycle of renewal, consolation and repentance, leading towards the High Holy Days. A tradition is also recorded that there is a direct connection between this day, and the future building of the Third Temple...."
and another story: Link"Fair use for educational and discussion purposes"
"Raba bar bar Chana explains in the name of Rabbi Yochanan that, as the Torah records, the adult Jews who departed from Egypt had a Divine decree placed on them that they were to die before their children entered the land of Israel. This was a punishment for the Sin of the Spies, which caused the Jewish people to lose faith in G-d and His Promised Land. The nation knew that the deaths related to this decree occurred annually on the 9th of Av. Each year, every man in the age group destined to die would dig a grave for himself and lie down in it on the eve on the 9th of Av. All those who remained alive come the close of the 9th of Av would get up, and repeat the same actions the next year. In the 40th year, everyone arose. Seeing that no one had died, they thought that they might have erred in their calculation of the date, so they returned to their graves every night until the night of the 15th. On the 15th, they saw the full moon that indicated that their calculations were correct, and still no one had died. The decree was over, and there was cause for celebration.
Furthermore, the Talmud tells us that as long as those destined to die were still alive, the Divine Communication between G-d and Moses was on a lower and less personal level, to the extent that the Talmud considers it "no Divine Communication". Once the 15th of Av passed and it was confirmed that the decree was no longer, G-d resumed speaking to Moses as he had before the enactment of the decree. As this communication was for the benefit of Israel, the day it returned was a day of rejoicing and celebration.
So, in essence, the Talmud is teaching us that Tu B'Av is the celebration of our return to G-d's favor and the restoration of our total "love relationship" with G-d to its former glory.
This is a quality that is shared with the Day of Atonement. We are taught that on Yom Kippur, Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the second set of Tablets with the Ten Commandments written on them, signifying G-d's forgiveness of His beloved Jewish people and a complete atonement for the Sin of the Golden Calf."
Maybe the Jewish people will be looking around,
checking their family each day after the rapture to see if
they are still there, alive, and then realize that God is
speaking to them again
Blessings to you all, Regina
From Link Rabbi Chaim Richman
"It was on this day that the tribe of Benjamin was reinstated into the ranks of Israel.
It was on this day that the generation of the desert, which was condemned to die in the desert before the children of Israel could enter into the Land, stopped dying in the last year. During all those years that the decree was in effect, Moses did not receive the spirit of prophecy. But on this day, the fifteenth of Av, as soon as the decree was finished, G-d once again spoke with Moses."
"one of the major themes of the holiday of Tu B'Av is unity amongst the Jewish people. This day also marks the conclusion of the cycle of retribution experienced during Tammuz and the first part of Av, and begins the new cycle of renewal, consolation and repentance, leading towards the High Holy Days. A tradition is also recorded that there is a direct connection between this day, and the future building of the Third Temple...."
and another story: Link"Fair use for educational and discussion purposes"
"Raba bar bar Chana explains in the name of Rabbi Yochanan that, as the Torah records, the adult Jews who departed from Egypt had a Divine decree placed on them that they were to die before their children entered the land of Israel. This was a punishment for the Sin of the Spies, which caused the Jewish people to lose faith in G-d and His Promised Land. The nation knew that the deaths related to this decree occurred annually on the 9th of Av. Each year, every man in the age group destined to die would dig a grave for himself and lie down in it on the eve on the 9th of Av. All those who remained alive come the close of the 9th of Av would get up, and repeat the same actions the next year. In the 40th year, everyone arose. Seeing that no one had died, they thought that they might have erred in their calculation of the date, so they returned to their graves every night until the night of the 15th. On the 15th, they saw the full moon that indicated that their calculations were correct, and still no one had died. The decree was over, and there was cause for celebration.
Furthermore, the Talmud tells us that as long as those destined to die were still alive, the Divine Communication between G-d and Moses was on a lower and less personal level, to the extent that the Talmud considers it "no Divine Communication". Once the 15th of Av passed and it was confirmed that the decree was no longer, G-d resumed speaking to Moses as he had before the enactment of the decree. As this communication was for the benefit of Israel, the day it returned was a day of rejoicing and celebration.
So, in essence, the Talmud is teaching us that Tu B'Av is the celebration of our return to G-d's favor and the restoration of our total "love relationship" with G-d to its former glory.
This is a quality that is shared with the Day of Atonement. We are taught that on Yom Kippur, Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the second set of Tablets with the Ten Commandments written on them, signifying G-d's forgiveness of His beloved Jewish people and a complete atonement for the Sin of the Golden Calf."
Maybe the Jewish people will be looking around,
checking their family each day after the rapture to see if
they are still there, alive, and then realize that God is
speaking to them again Blessings to you all, Regina