đ Executive Summary
In this teaching, the speaker discusses the significance of Tu BâAv (15th of Av) and Yom Kippur as outlined in the Mishnah (Taanit 4:8) and the Talmud.
Key Themes:
- Connection Between Tu BâAv and Yom Kippur:
- Yom Kippur: Represents the giving of the second Tablets (Luchot), symbolizing a covenant or âmarriage contractâ (Ketubah) between G-d and Israel.
- Tu BâAv: Commemorates several historical reconciliations and structural shifts in Jewish history that restored divine and communal connection.
- The Reasons for Tu BâAv:
- End of the Desert Generation: The decree of death for the generation that left Egypt ceased on Tu BâAv, allowing Divine communication (Dibbur) to return to Moses face-to-face.
- Tribal Intermarriage Permitted: The prohibition against marrying across tribes to preserve ancestral land inheritances was lifted.
- Re-admitting the Tribe of Benjamin: The tribe of Benjamin was welcomed back into the congregation following the tragic Civil War (Pilesh BâGivâah).
- Removal of the Roadblocks: Hoshea ben Elah (the last king of Northern Israel) dismantled the guards and roadposts set up centuries prior by Jeroboam I (Yarovâam ben Nevat) to prevent Northern Israelites from making pilgrimage to the Temple in Jerusalem.
- The Spiritual Paradox of Hoshea ben Elah:
- Despite Hoshea ben Elahâs righteous act of removing the roadblocks, the Northern Kingdom was conquered and exiled by Shalmaneser V during his reign.
Jerusalem Talmudâs Explanation: When the legal barriers were removed, the peopleâs failure to ascend to Jerusalem became a choice of personal apathy rather than political coercion. This moral indifference shifted responsibility onto the populace, triggering the exile.
In the second half of the lecture, Rabbi Eliyahu Weber contrasts historical periods (under Ottoman, British, Mamluk, Byzantine, Crusader, and Jordanian rule) when Jews were physically prevented from accessing the Temple Mount with the era after 1967 (5727). He notes the claim that if the entire nation had flocked to the site following its liberation, full sacrificial worship might have already been restored. However, he concludes on an encouraging note, pointing out that people are increasingly returning to the site, expressing hope that this growing presence will eventually lead to the rebuilding of the Temple and the renewal of Temple service.
Full Transcript
As it is written in the Talmud, there are six reasons why we celebrate on Tu BâAv, but each day we should focus on one reason.
Well, so we wonât dwell on everything all at once.
I will focus on one central point; I will mention all the reasons for Tu BâAv and then focus on the main topic.
As written in the Mishnah: âThere were no better days for Israel than the 15th of Av and Yom Kippur, on which the daughters of Jerusalem would go out and dance in the vineyards, and anyone without a wife would go there.â
So it is a day designated for finding matches (spouses).
I once heard a literal explanation for why this occurred on the 15th of Av and Yom Kippur: because the grape harvest in the vineyards typically begins around Tu BâAv and finishes around Yom Kippur.
But nonethless, they chose these two specific datesâa Hebrew date doesnât always align precisely with the harvest dayâ
so there is likely a special reason, which the Talmud asks about.
The Talmud says: âGranted, Yom Kippurâ is understandable as a joyous dayâit is a day of forgiveness and pardon.
A day on which the second Tablets were given; the Talmud adds: the day the second Tablets were given.
How does the giving of the Tablets relate to this joy?
Yes, we really need to find a reason why this is a day when everyone looks for a match.
Throughout the year there are many joyous dates, so perhaps various dates would have been suitable for this ceremonyâŚ
Rather, the reasons for this day must be connected to connection/bonding, like the union of a husband and wife,
so they will be fitting. Thus, the day the second Tablets were given, the day of the Giving of the TorahâŚ
The Mishnah concludes there: ââOn the day of His wedding and on the day of His heartâs joyââthis refers to the Giving of the Torah,â and Yom Kippur, when the second Tablets were given, is like a marriage contract (Ketubah) between us and the Holy One, Blessed be He.
That is Yom Kippur. What about the 15th of Av? asks the Talmud.
The Talmud answers: The day on which the deaths of the wilderness generation ceasedâthe first reason.
But the Talmud does not stop there. Because if the reason is that the deaths in the wilderness ceased, the question
returns: how is that connected to matches?
Therefore, the Talmud states: Divine speech returned to Moses. On that day, speech returned to Moses.
Speech returned to Moses our Teacher, creating a bond of love, âFace to face I speak with him.â Moses and G-dâthere is a connection between the Divine Presence (the Beloved) and the Nation of Israel (the Bride).
As we see in Song of Songs, the connection between the Beloved and His bride.
And the second reason: The tribes were permitted to intermarry with one anotherâwhich is certainly related to this matter.
And the tribe of Benjamin was permitted to re-enter the congregation.
And the Talmud brings an additional reason: The day on which Hoshea ben Elah abolished the guards/roadblocks that Jeroboam ben Nebat placed on the roads.
For over 200 years, any Jew from the Kingdom of Israelânorth of Bethelâwho wanted to reach Jerusalem for pilgrimage was unable to.
There were guards on the roads; Jeroboam ben Nebat placed guards on the roads so that anyone wanting to make a pilgrimage could only go to Bethel or Dan, to the golden calves.
It was impossible to make a pilgrimage to Jerusalem.
And so it was during the time of Jeroboam ben Nebat and his son, Baasha ben Ahijah and his son, Tibni ben Ginath, Omri, and all of Omriâs descendantsâAhab, Jehoram, AhaziahâŚ
Even during periods when there was unity between Israel and Judah, such as the era of Jehoshaphat, there were still guards on the roads.
Jehu ben Nimshi, who was anointed by Elisha, also did not allow pilgrimage to Jerusalem.
And after him, through all four generations that followed, up through Pekahiah ben Menahem and Pekah ben RemaliahâŚ
Menahem ben Gadi, Pekahiah ben Menahem, and then Pekah ben Remaliahâthey still did not permit pilgrimage.
Then came Hoshea ben Elah⌠Hoshea ben Elah arrived andâI didnât list every king, there were also Shallum ben Jabesh, Zimri, etcâŚ
The generation of Hoshea ben Elah arrived, and he removed the roadblocks that Jeroboam ben Nebat had stationed on the roads.
The Jerusalem Talmud in Tractate Taanit asks a question:
Well, if this was the best possible generation, why did Shalmaneser, King of Assyria, attack and conquer during his reign?
Why did the destruction happen specifically under him?
The Jerusalem Talmud provides the reason: Because he removed the collar (blame) from himself and placed it onto the people.
Previously, the people said: âWhy arenât you going on pilgrimage? Well, the government doesnât allow it; the law forbids it.â
But when Hoshea ben Elah came and removed the barriers, why didnât you go on pilgrimage then?
They shrugged: âI donât know, Iâm not interested.â Ah, youâre not interested? Therefore, the punishment fell directly upon the people.
Now, I want to examine closely a detail from the verses brought by the Jerusalem Talmud.
It says that Shalmaneser King of Assyria marched against him. Anyone who studies the Tanakhâand itâs always good to study Tanakhâ
We see that Shalmaneser marched against him during the period when Ahaz was king in Jerusalem.
Rabbi Eliyahu Weber concludes that even in that time period when Ahaz ruled, the ten tribes could have made major changes in what went on in the Temple, had they come back in big numbers to the Temple Mount.
Part 2 of the Lecture
- But let us look at our own times.
- For many years one could ask, âWhy arenât you going up to the Temple Mount?â 200â300 years ago we had an issue with the Turks who didnât let us, and the British didnât let us, and before that the Mamluks, and the Byzantines, and I canât even remember all the namesâŚ
- There were all kindsâthe Crusaders, early Arabs, and in recent generations the British and then the Jordanians. Fine, you couldnât come.
- But in 1967 (5727) the door to the Temple Mount was opened to you! Why didnât you come then?
- If all of the Jewish nation were here, if all of the People of Israel had come hereâwhat would have happened? There would be sacrifices offered here! We would already have sacrifices!
- So there is a strong argument here.
- But here, the answer is: we are coming. Look, the People of Israel are coming here.
- True, it isnât everyone yet, and we need many moreâwe are a small percentageâŚ
- But thank G-d, the People of Israel are returning, and may G-d multiply us a thousandfold; know that great things grow from small beginnings, so all is fine.
- May the Holy One, Blessed be He, help us so that all of the People of Israel awaken, come here to the Temple Mount, and in this way rebuild the Temple and restore the sacrificial service to its place, speedily in our days and through our hands, Amen.