Taanit 31 - How to celebrate Tu B'Av

The day of Tu B'Av was celebrated as follows: the maidens of Jerusalem would go in the orchards to dance and find their future husbands.

Every girl wore a dress that she would borrow from someone else. The daughter of the King - from the daughter of the High Priest. She, in turn, borrowed from the daughter of the vice-priest. All others borrowed from each other - not to embarrass ones who did not have a beautiful dress.

Lovely girls said that "A wife is only for beauty." Those of great lineage claimed that "the wife is only for children." The good-charactered said: "A good woman, who can find her? Give her the fruits of her hands and let her deeds praise her." Each group proved their point of view with phrases from the Scriptures.

Those who lacked exceptional merit would point out that it all depends on marrying with altruistic intentions. They also added that jewelry and attractive clothing will compensate for the lack of natural beauty.

Art: A girl in a picture frame by Rembrandt

Taanit 30 - The good things of Tu B'Av

Just a few days after Tisha B'Av (ninth of the month) comes the joyous Tu B'Av (fifteen of the month.) Five good things happened on that day.

The Jews who were dying in the desert for forty years stopped dying on this day.

The prohibition to give wives to the Binyamin tribe - which resulted from the incident at Givah - was annulled on that day, and Jews were reunited.

The prohibition to go to Jerusalem, established by Yaravam ben Nevat, was removed.

The slain people of Bethar, who were killed on Tisha B'Av, were allowed to be buried. This happened on Tu B'Av, three years later. The other miracle was that the bodies did not decompose.

Art:  A Jewish Wedding by Joseph Israëls

Taanit 29 - What happened on Tisha B'Av

The five events that happened on the ninth of Av are these.

On this day, the spies came back from touring Israel. They brought a negative report, and the community cried over the seeming impossibility of conquering the Land of Israel. It was decreed that all adult male Jews of the generation would die in the desert in the upcoming forty years. The story here was that "You cried for nothing? You will have something to cry about." The Talmud calculates how the spies returned precisely on the ninth of Av.

Both the first and the second Temples were destroyed on the same calendar day, the ninth of Av. 

The city of Bethar was conquered fifty-two years after the destruction of the Second Temple. All of its inhabitants were massacred. At this time, death was decreed on the leader, Rabban Gamliel. The Roman messenger appointed to bring about Raban Gamliel's execution was a secret admirer of him. The Roman tradition was that if the messenger dies, the decree is annulled. The messenger threw himself from the roof and died, thus saving Rabban Gamliel.  The Heavenly voice announced: this Roman official has earned his share in the World to Come.

Art: The Death of Chatterton by Henry Walli

Taanit 28 - The fast of the seventeenth of Tamuz

On the seventeenth of the month of Tamuz, five bad things happened in Jewish history, and five other things happened on Tisha B'Av. Both days are commemorated by fasting. These days are three weeks apart; Lamentations hints at this by saying, "All her pursuers overtook her within the straits." What are the five bad things?

Moses broke the Tablets of the Covenant. The Talmud makes the calculation: Moses went up the Mount Sinai and got the Tablets, spent forty days learning the Torah, and came down when he heard the Jews worshiping the Golden Calf. This day was the seventeenth of Tamuz. 

Other events were: the invading Roman army breached the walls of Jerusalem; a Greek general, Apostumos, burned the Torah scroll written by Ezrah the Prophet and put idols in the Temple.

Art: The Siege and Destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans by David Roberts

Taanit 27 - Community standing by

The Temple service and the sacrifices were on behalf of everybody. Can people go about their business as if nothing is happening? For that reason, the appointed members of the congregation were doing "maamadot" or "standing by" - as community representatives.

Now, the whole procedure was as follows. When the appointed week for each priest group would come, they would go to the Temple. However, half of them went to the labor market in Jericho to do agricultural work, which was plentiful and provided sustenance for the priests who served in the Temple. Some say that they would change after three days so that everybody would get a chance for Temple service. There were twenty-four groups of priests in total, and thus they would serve in the Temple two weeks a year on average.

The community representative would be standing by, saying prayers, reading from the Torah, and fasting. Some were in Jerusalem, but some remained in their cities, collecting themselves in the synagogue. Each group was essential, and the sacrifices could not be brought if it was missing.

The Temple service was what assured the existence of Heaven and the Earth. What is the source for this? In the phrase, "Whereby shall I know that I will inherit Israel?" The complete conversation went like this. Abraham said, "Master of the Universe! All is well now, but if Jews sin, will you destroy them?" God said, "No." Abraham continued, "How do I know?" God said, "Take three calves and three goats, etc." This means that the merit of the sacrifices will atone." 

Art: Weaning the Calves by Rosa Bonheur

Taanit 26 - When to stop fasting?

If people were in the middle of a fast, and the rain they were asking for did fall out, they could say that it fell in their merit and stop fasting.  There are multiple opinions on this, but the story of Shmuel the HaKatan represents one extreme. (He called himself HaKatan, the Small One, although he was the most excellent sage of the generation.) 

Once, the rain fell before the daybreak. People felt tremendous, but Shmuel said it was similar to a master who said, "Give them whatever they ask, but let me not hear their voices." Another time, rain fell after the end of the fast. People felt good, but Shmuel told them it was similar to a master who said, "Wait till my servant is humbled enough and only then give him what he needs." If so, when should the rain start to be considered good, according to Shmuel? He answered, "When the prayer leader says, "Who makes the wind blow"  - and the wind blows. Then, the prayer leader says, "Who makes the rain fall," and the rain falls.

The Talmud enumerates the rules of communal worship, days of fasting, and days of feasting. When the Temple was in existence, groups of priests served on appointed weeks. Community representatives were also there, in the Temple or their cities, as if standing by their offerings. These were called "maamadot" or "standing." The saddest day of the Jewish calendar is Tisha B'Av, and the most joyful days are Tu B'Av and Yom Kippur. The following pages will give more details.

Art: The Yerres,  Rain by Gustave Caillebotte

Taanit 14 - Distresses other than drought

There was once general affliction in the Rabbi Yehudah the Prince (the grandson the compiler of the Mishnah by the same name.) Rabbi Yehudah decreed the thirteen fasts, but they were not answered, and the affliction did not stop. Rabbi Yehudah considered decreeing more fasts, but Rabbi Ami stopped him. Rabbi Ami quoted the rule, "we do not put more burden on the congregation than they can bear."

Some people dissented from Rabbi Ami and said that in his decision, he acted for personal reasons. What about the rule that Rabbi Ami quoted? They said that rule applied only to drought, but they could keep fasting for other afflictions until they were answered. 

So, did Rabbi Ami simply make a mistake? - No! There were two opinions on this in the earlier times. Rabbi Yehudah the Prince reasoned that they should not burden the community with more than they could bear. The opposing opinion said that it only applied to drought because after the time it took to go through thirteen fasts, it was already spring, and the rains would not be beneficial anyway. That is why they would stop fasting. The final, practical conclusion follows this opposing opinion. (Still, today, there are no courts that declare congregational fasts.)

Art: The Court by Jean-Louis Forain (1852-1931)