Tu B'Av
Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel (first century C.E.) said, “There were no days as happy for the Jewish people as the fifteenth of Av and as Yom Kippur” (Mishnah Ta’anit 4:8)—a bold claim, but fitting when you realize Tu B’Av comes right after Tisha B’Av, our most mournful day. Love follows grief; renewal follows destruction. In ancient times, the fifteenth of Av meant young women in borrowed white dresses dancing in the vineyards under a full moon, blurring lines between rich and poor, tribe and tribe, while the community healed and paired off. It’s basically the Jewish version of Valentine’s Day—except without the cheesy cards, schmaltzy ballads, and the pressure to buy buy buy. Today, it’s still a minor holiday with major energy: no fasting, no prohibitions, just the holy truth that joy, romance, and second chances belong in the Jewish calendar too.
Lovingly dedicated to Andy, my future second husband, second chance at life and love, who has given me joy after grief.
נשמות תאומות היינו מראשית הימים, אהבתי אותך עתה ועד עולם, יחידי
Neshamot te’omot hayinu m’reshit hayamim, ahavti otcha atah v’ad olam, yachidi.
We were twin souls from the beginning of days; I have loved you now and forever, my One.
Lovingly dedicated to Andy, my future second husband, second chance at life and love, who has given me joy after grief.
נשמות תאומות היינו מראשית הימים, אהבתי אותך עתה ועד עולם, יחידי
Neshamot te’omot hayinu m’reshit hayamim, ahavti otcha atah v’ad olam, yachidi.
We were twin souls from the beginning of days; I have loved you now and forever, my One.
