Halocho #1398 - Why is today - Tu B'Av - a joyous day?

A number of joyous events happened over the years on Tu B'Av.

- It was the day the Generation-of-the-Wilderness realized that the sin of the spies had been forgiven, in the year 2488.

- It was the day that the tribes were allowed to intermarry, including orphaned daughters (as per בְּמִדְבַּר ל"ו:ח) once all those who conquered the Land had passed away.

- On the same day the tribe of בִּנְיָמִין were allowed to intermarry with other tribes, after the scandal of גִּבְעָה (as per שֹּׁפְטִים Ch. 19 - 21), around the year 2524.

- It was the day that King  הוֹשֵׁעַ בֶּן אֵלָה  removed the blockades that the wicked King  יָרָבְעָם בֶּן נְבָט  had placed on the roads, preventing the Jews from going to Jerusalem for the שָׁלֹשׁ רְגָלִים about 75 years earlier, around the year 3040.

- It was the day the Romans allowed those massacred by the wicked Hadrian in Beitar to be buried, some time after he died in 138 (C.E).

- It was the day they stopped chopping wood for the altar in the Bet Hamikdash every year, as it marks the end of "summer" (as per Rashi on Breishis 8:22) and the start of the 2 months of "heat". The wood had to be worm free to be used on the altar, and had to be fully dried before the rainy season.

This gave everybody more time for learning Torah - and therefore Tu B'Av is the Joyous Day of Increased Torah Learning (and one does not say Tachanun on Tu B'Av.)

Source: The Book of our Heritage, Vol 3 page 307-313

- Danny
Monday, ט"ו באב - 15 Menachem Av 5774

Please daven for 3 year old נָעֳמִי בַּת דִינָה who is being treated for lymphoma