A Special Day!!

Tu B'av is [together with Yom Kippur] the BEST day of the year [Taanis 26].

Six happy events:

1] The tribes were allowed to intermarry: In the Torah the daughters of Tzlophchod were forbidden to marry men from other tribes lest the inheritance the women received pass over to a different tribe. On Tu B'av women were automatically permitted to marry men from different tribes.

2] The tribe of Binyomin was allowed to intermarry: After the ignominious [GOOD WORD!!] event of Pilegesh bi'giva the Jews decided that they are not going to marry into the tribe of Binyomin [Sefer Shoftim 21/1]. On Tu B'av this decree was rescinded.

3] On this day the Jews stopped dying in the desert.

4] Hoshea removed the guards who Yerovom had placed in order to prevent Jews from going up to Jerusalem. He wanted to disconnect between the ten tribes of Israel and the kingdom of Yehuda in Jerusalem.

5] After the massacre of Beitar the Jews were buried.

6] On this day they stopped cutting down trees for the fire on the mizbeach.

According to Reb Tzadok HaKoohen [that was a typo but I like it so I'll keep it:-)] the common denominator of theses six reasons was the relationship to the destruction of the Beis Hamikdash. The first Beis Hamikdash was destroyed because of three reasons: Jealousy [bloodshed], Illicit desire [gilui arayos], Honor [avoda zara]. The second Beis Hamikdash was destroyed because of hatred and lashon hara. The six reasons for the joy of Tu B'av are the tikkunim that will bring the third Beis Hamikdash.

1] The tribes intermarried and the inheritance was now allowed to pass from one tribe to another. This fixes the jealousy of the sons of Yosef [Tzlofchod's tribe] towards the other tribes that made them be particular that their inheritance shouldn't pass to a different tribe.

2] Permission for the tribe of Binyomin to intermarry. This proves that they fixed the sin of illicit desire which brought about the terrible episode of Pilegesh bi'giva.

3] The postponing of the burial of the people of Beitar was according to Reb Tzadok was a punishment for their arrogance. A sign of this arrogance was their custom [gittin 57a] to plant a cedar tree upon the birth of a child [see Rashi in Vayikra 14/4 that the tall cedar tree represents arrogance]. Another indication of arrogance was Bar Kochva's rule that all soldiers have to have a finger cut off in order to prove their machismo [Yerushalmi Taanis]. Their punishment was that their bodies lay without a burial place. The burial of the corpses fixes the blemish of arrogance because it represents true honor.

4] The Jews stopped dying in the desert. This showed that they fixed the sin of lashon hara about Israel for which they died.

5] The renewal of the connection between the ten tribes and Jerusalem shows the desire to reconnect between the kingdom of Israel and the kingdom of Yehuda.

6] The conclusion of the cutting down of the trees for the mizbeach represents an addition of FIRE and enthusiasm for avodas Hashem due to the other wonderful things that happened on this day. Now, there is more time to learn Torah because the work is done.

AMAZING!

A freilichin Tu B'av teire Yidden!!!!!!!!