Overview:
Tu B'Av: The 15th Day of Av
A Celebration that Takes us From Mourning to Dancing
After the long period of mourning, the 15th of Av is a joyous day filled with dancing. On this day, historically the unmarried Jewish women of Jerusalem would go dancing in vineyards in preparation for the annual Feast of the LORD (The Feast of Trumpets). There, the unmarried men would come and chose their bride!
This Holy Day has direct correlation to the events of Judges chapter 21. In this chapter, the Benjaminites were commanded to go to the vineyards in Shiloh and wait for the virgins of Shiloh to come and dance in preparation for the Feast of the Lord (The Feast of Trumpets). From the dancing virgins, 200 of the men of Benjamin were to take wives.
These 200 men were the men left of the 600 total men who did not receive wives from the 400 virgins of Jabesh-gilead (Judges 21:8-12). These 600 men were the only Benjaminites left alive after Hashem brought judgement against the tribe of Benjamin after some men of Benjamin raped and murdered the wife (concubine) of a Levite (Judges 19).
Prior to this day, intermarriage between members of the 12 Tribes of Israel was forbidding so that the land boundaries apportioned by Hashem to each Tribe would not be changed (Numbers 27: 1-11; Numbers 36:1-12). But, on the 15th of Av, Hashem allowed the Benjaminites to intermarry with other Tribes of Israel so that they would not be entirely cut off from the nation of Israel.
When is
Tu B'Av?
28 July 2026 - 29 July 2026
History in Tanakh:
Judges 21:5-14
וַיֹּֽאמְרוּ֙ בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל מִ֠י אֲשֶׁ֨ר לֹא־עָלָ֧ה בַקָּהָ֛ל מִכׇּל־שִׁבְטֵ֥י יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל אֶל־יְהֹוָ֑ה כִּי֩ הַשְּׁבוּעָ֨ה הַגְּדוֹלָ֜ה הָיְתָ֗ה לַ֠אֲשֶׁ֠ר לֹא־עָלָ֨ה אֶל־יְהֹוָ֧ה הַמִּצְפָּ֛ה לֵאמֹ֖ר מ֥וֹת יוּמָֽת׃
5 The Israelites asked, “Is there anyone from all the tribes of Israel who failed to come up to the assembly before GOD?” For a solemn oath had been taken concerning anyone who did not go up to GOD at Mizpah: “He shall be put to death.”
וַיִּנָּֽחֲמוּ֙ בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל אֶל־בִּנְיָמִ֖ן אָחִ֑יו וַיֹּ֣אמְר֔וּ נִגְדַּ֥ע הַיּ֛וֹם שֵׁ֥בֶט אֶחָ֖ד מִיִּשְׂרָאֵֽל׃
6 The Israelites now relented toward their kin the Benjaminites, and they said, “This day one tribe has been cut off from Israel!
מַה־נַּעֲשֶׂ֥ה לָהֶ֛ם לַנּוֹתָרִ֖ים לְנָשִׁ֑ים וַאֲנַ֙חְנוּ֙ נִשְׁבַּ֣עְנוּ בַֽיהֹוָ֔ה לְבִלְתִּ֛י תֵּת־לָהֶ֥ם מִבְּנוֹתֵ֖ינוּ לְנָשִֽׁים׃
7 What can we do to provide wives for those who are left, seeing that we have sworn by GOD not to give any of our daughters to them in marriage?”
וַיֹּ֣אמְר֔וּ מִ֗י אֶחָד֙ מִשִּׁבְטֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל אֲשֶׁ֛ר לֹא־עָלָ֥ה אֶל־יְהֹוָ֖ה הַמִּצְפָּ֑ה וְ֠הִנֵּ֠ה לֹ֣א בָא־אִ֧ישׁ אֶל־הַֽמַּחֲנֶ֛ה מִיָּבֵ֥ישׁ גִּלְעָ֖ד אֶל־הַקָּהָֽל׃
8 They inquired, “Is there anyone from the tribes of Israel who did not go up to GOD at Mizpah?” Now no one from Jabesh-gilead had come to the camp, to the assembly.
וַיִּתְפָּקֵ֖ד הָעָ֑ם וְהִנֵּ֤ה אֵֽין־שָׁם֙ אִ֔ישׁ מִיּוֹשְׁבֵ֖י יָבֵ֥שׁ גִּלְעָֽד׃
9 For, when the roll of the troops was taken, not one of the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead was present.
וַיִּשְׁלְחוּ־שָׁ֣ם הָעֵדָ֗ה שְׁנֵים־עָשָׂ֥ר אֶ֛לֶף אִ֖ישׁ מִבְּנֵ֣י הֶחָ֑יִל וַיְצַוּ֨וּ אוֹתָ֜ם לֵאמֹ֗ר לְ֠כ֠וּ וְהִכִּיתֶ֞ם אֶת־יוֹשְׁבֵ֨י יָבֵ֤שׁ גִּלְעָד֙ לְפִי־חֶ֔רֶב וְהַנָּשִׁ֖ים וְהַטָּֽף׃
10 So the assemblage dispatched 12,000 of the warriors, instructing them as follows: “Go and put the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead to the sword, women and children included.
וְזֶ֥ה הַדָּבָ֖ר אֲשֶׁ֣ר תַּעֲשׂ֑וּ כׇּל־זָכָ֗ר וְכׇל־אִשָּׁ֛ה יֹדַ֥עַת מִשְׁכַּב־זָכָ֖ר תַּחֲרִֽימוּ׃
11 This is what you are to do: Proscribe every male, and every woman who has known a man carnally.”
וַֽיִּמְצְא֞וּ מִיּוֹשְׁבֵ֣י ׀ יָבֵ֣ישׁ גִּלְעָ֗ד אַרְבַּ֤ע מֵאוֹת֙ נַעֲרָ֣ה בְתוּלָ֔ה אֲשֶׁ֧ר לֹא־יָדְעָ֛ה אִ֖ישׁ לְמִשְׁכַּ֣ב זָכָ֑ר וַיָּבִ֨אוּ אוֹתָ֤ם אֶל־הַֽמַּחֲנֶה֙ שִׁלֹ֔ה אֲשֶׁ֖ר בְּאֶ֥רֶץ כְּנָֽעַן׃ {פ}
12 They found among the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead 400 maidens who had not known a man carnally; and they brought them to the camp at Shiloh, which is in the land of Canaan.
וַֽיִּשְׁלְחוּ֙ כׇּל־הָ֣עֵדָ֔ה וַֽיְדַבְּרוּ֙ אֶל־בְּנֵ֣י בִנְיָמִ֔ן אֲשֶׁ֖ר בְּסֶ֣לַע רִמּ֑וֹן וַיִּקְרְא֥וּ לָהֶ֖ם שָׁלֽוֹם׃
14 Then the whole community sent word to the Benjaminites who were at the Rock of Rimmon, and offered them terms of peace.
וַיָּ֤שׇׁב בִּנְיָמִן֙ בָּעֵ֣ת הַהִ֔יא וַיִּתְּנ֤וּ לָהֶם֙ הַנָּשִׁ֔ים אֲשֶׁ֣ר חִיּ֔וּ מִנְּשֵׁ֖י יָבֵ֣שׁ גִּלְעָ֑ד וְלֹא־מָצְא֥וּ לָהֶ֖ם כֵּֽן׃
15 Thereupon the Benjaminites returned, and they gave them the maidens who had been spared from the women of Jabesh-gilead. But there were not enough of them.