The Mishnah in Maseches Ta’anis (26b) states:
Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel said: There were no yamim tovim for Klal Yisrael like Chamishah Asar B’Av and Yom HaKippurim... And so it says (Shir HaShirim 3:11): “Go out and see, O daughters of Tzion, King Shlomo crowned with the crown with which his mother crowned him on the day of his wedding, and on the day of the gladness of his heart.” “On the day of his wedding” — this refers to Mattan Torah; “and on the day of the gladness of his heart” — this refers to the building of the Beis HaMikdash, may it be rebuilt speedily in our days.
Rashi comments:
“This refers to Mattan Torah” — Yom HaKippurim, upon which the Luchos Acharonos were given.
The Maharsha there writes:
“And so it says: Go out and see... on the day of his wedding, this refers to Mattan Torah.” Rashi explains this to mean Yom HaKippurim, on which the Luchos Acharonos were given, see there. And the Bartenura (Ra’av) added: “And on the day of the gladness of his heart, this refers to the building of the Beis HaMikdash,” which was dedicated on Yom HaKippurim, end of quote. But I do not know of its dedication being on Yom HaKippurim; rather, according to the context, it appears that this refers back to Chamishah Asar B’Av, as the reasons for its joy stated in the Gemara are intrinsically bound to the building of the Mikdash.
That is to say: “The day of his wedding” refers to the Mattan Torah of Yom HaKippurim, and “the day of the gladness of his heart” refers to the rebuilding of the Beis HaMikdash, which will take place on Tu B’Av.
This comes to teach us that these two yamim tovim correspond directly to the two days of churban: Shivah Asar B’Tammuz and Tishah B’Av.
Corresponding to Shivah Asar B’Tammuz, when the Luchos were broken, we have Yom HaKippurim, upon which the Luchos Acharonos were given.
Corresponding to Tishah B’Av, when it was decreed that our ancestors would not enter Eretz Yisrael and the Batei Mikdash were destroyed (which is far more severe than what transpired on Shivah Asar B’Tammuz), we have the yom tov of Tu B’Av.
Furthermore, Chazal teach (Pesikta) that le’asid lavo there will be a seven-day Yom Tov just like Pesach. The implication is that Tishah B’Av will become the first day of Yom Tov, paralleling the first day of Pesach, and Tu B’Av will correspond to Shevi’i shel Pesach.
Regarding the reason for instituting Tu B’Av as a yom tov, the Gemara (Ta’anis 30b–31a) enumerates six distinct reasons:
The day the shevatim were permitted to intermarry.
The day the tribe of Binyamin was permitted to re-enter the kahal.
The day the meisei midbar (the generation of the desert) ceased dying.
The day Hoshea ben Elah removed the sentries (perosdiyos) set up by Yerovam ben Nevat along the highways to prevent Yisrael from making the pilgrimage for aliyah l’regel.
The day the martyrs of Beitar were granted burial.
The day they ceased chopping wood for the ma’arachah (the altar woodpile).
Nevertheless, one must still examine: Mai kulei hai? Why all this prominence, to the extent that it is considered even greater than Yom HaKippurim? The answer lies in the fact that Tu B’Av serves as the tikkun for a far more devastating churban.
Section II: Tu B’Av — When the Meisei Midbar Ceased Dying
The Rambam writes in his Peirush HaMishnayos (Ta’anis):
They designated the fifteenth day of Av because on it the plague ceased from the generation of the desert in the fortieth year. For death occurred in large numbers on every Tishah B’Av, and in that final year it ceased. They waited until the middle of the month, at which point they felt reassured within themselves, believed in their own survival, and sensed the Divine favor, the subsidence of His wrath, and the removal of His fury from upon them. Therefore, from that point onward, they established it as a day of feasting and joy.
It is clear from his words that the Rambam maintains that the primary reason Tu B’Av was established as a yom tov is that the meisei midbar ceased dying.
Following the sin of the Meraglim, it was decreed upon our ancestors that they would not enter the Land. Every year, those subject to the decree would dig graves on the night of Tishah B’Av and lie down in them to sleep; whoever did not wake up in the morning was covered with earth. This occurred year after year on the night of Tishah B’Av.
However, in the fortieth year, everyone awoke the next morning. Initially, they assumed they had miscalculated the calendar, and they continued doing this every night until the night of the fifteenth of Av. When they saw the full moon, they understood with certainty that the decree had been rescinded.
To properly comprehend the Rambam’s profound words, we must first elucidate the fundamental nature of aveilus (mourning) and nechamah (consolation).
Section III: Tanchumim — A New Perception and a Change of Mind
The din is that every transgression against the Divine will carries a designated punishment. However, beyond the punishment itself, there exists an additional reality termed aveilus.
The halachos of aveilus are entirely identical to the laws of nidui (excommunication). An avel must conduct himself as one cast out before Heaven—as one who is displaced, estranged, and unwelcome (which is precisely what the avel feels internally).
Yet our Sages teach that an essential requirement of the dinim of aveilus is to be consoled (lehisnacheim). It reaches such an extent that if there are no comforters, the state of aveilus does not take hold, as Rashi writes (Yechezkel 24:22):
“And you shall do as I have done” — You shall not practice the customs of mourning, for you will have no comforters, seeing that there will not be a single one among you who is not himself a mourner, and there is no mourning except where there are comforters.
The concept of tanchumim seems exceedingly difficult to fathom. When an individual suffers a horrifying catastrophe, his entire existence is plunged into that dark reality; to him, it appears impossible to continue living. The halachah mandates that we must comfort him. But how can this be accomplished? An avel is strictly forbidden to distract his mind (hesech hada’as) from his grief, nor does mere distraction provide true comfort!
Rashi writes in several places (Bereishis 6:6; Bereishis 27:42; Shemos 32:12, and elsewhere) that the term nechamah denotes a change of mind (machshavah acheres) or regret—meaning a fundamental transformation in perception and understanding. It is explained in the name of the Vilna Gaon (see HaKesav VeHaKabbalah, Vayechi 50:3, and Kehillos Yaakov / Lashon Torah by the Maharit Algazi, s.v. Navoch) that the root of the word bechi (weeping) is related to mevuchah (perplexity/helplessness), as in “Nevuchim heim ba’aretz, sagar aleihem hamidbar” (Shemos 14:3)—denoting a state of being utterly paralyzed, not knowing how to proceed. Weeping is a phenomenon that blurs and obstructs vision.
Tanchumim, therefore, represents a shift in perception. This is precisely what the Rambam describes:
“They felt reassured within themselves, believed in their own survival, and sensed the Divine favor, the subsidence of His wrath, and the removal of His fury from upon them.”
The essential root of tanchumim is the realization that an entirely new fountainhead of life has been opened. Previously, it appeared that moving forward was an impossibility; the consolation completely overturned that reality and infused the strength to continue onward.
“I Shall Not Die, For I Shall Live” — The Essence of Tanchumim
The pasuk states (Tehillim 118:17): “Lo amus ki echyeh, va’asapeir ma’asei Kah” — “I shall not die, ki I shall live, and recount the deeds of the Lord.”
This text requires clarification. As is well known, the word “ki” carries four distinct Talmudic usages: o (if/or), dilma (lest), ela (rather/but), and deha (because/for) (see Rosh Hashanah 3a).
If we were to translate “ki” here as “ela”—“I shall not die, but rather I shall live”—it would be a tautology containing no novel message. Rather, the true meaning is: “Lo amus deha echyeh” — “I shall not die, because I am infused with life!”
Life itself overpowers death. This is the very definition of tanchumim. Consolation is the vital force of life that genuinely triumphs over that which obstructs and hinders continuity; indeed, that very impediment becomes the catalyst that intensifies the vitality of life.
The standard nusach of nichum aveilim recited among Ashkenazim is: “HaMakom yenacheim eschem besoch she’ar aveilei Tzion viYerushalayim.” This formula teaches us what authentic consolation truly entails.
The very first time the term nechamah appears in the Torah is with Yehudah, where it says:
“And the days multiplied, and the daughter of Shua, the wife of Yehudah, died; vayinnachem Yehudah, and he went up to his sheep-shearers, he and Chirah his Adullamite friend, to Timnah” (Bereishis 38:12).
The Ramban explains that Yehudah went up to his sheep-shearers, and through this act he found consolation. From that very juncture, Peretz was born, and from him emerged the Melech HaMashiach, the “ish ben Partzi.” That is authentic, generative vayinnachem.
The ultimate consolation is subsumed “besoch she’ar aveilei Tzion viYerushalayim”—which signifies that life will inevitably triumph over every manifestation of death: over absolute devastation (katlei kulei), over partial loss (katlei palgei), down to a third and a quarter. “Lo amus ki echyeh.”
In the Birkas HaMazon of Shabbos (Retzei VeHachalitzeinu), we pray:
“And show us, Hashem our G-d, the consolation of Tzion Your city and the rebuilding of Yerushalayim Your holy city, ki Atah hu Ba’al HaYeshuos u’Va’al HaNechamos.”
Ba’al HaYeshuos corresponds to the yom tov of Yom HaKippurim, as Chazal expound (Vayikra Rabbah, Acharei Mos 21:4) on the verse “L’David, Hashem ori v’yish’i” (Tehillim 27:1): “Ori” refers to Rosh Hashanah, and “Yish’i” refers to Yom HaKippurim. Yeshuos denotes the kapparah (atonement) granted for sin.
Ba’al HaNechamos corresponds to the yom tov of Tu B’Av—the moment when “they felt reassured within themselves, believed in their own survival, and sensed the Divine favor, the subsidence of His wrath, and the removal of His fury from upon them.”
In the Ma’ariv prayer we say: “Ve’emunah kol zos v’kayam aleinu”—and this emunah applies to two core principles:
“Ki Hu Hashem Elokeinu v’ein zulaso” (that He is Hashem our G-d and there is none besides Him).
“Va’anachnu Yisrael amo” (and we, Yisrael, are His people).
Just as one is obligated to believe with complete faith that “Hu Hashem Elokeinu v’ein zulaso,” so too must one firmly believe that “va’anachnu Yisrael amo.” This is the meaning of: “they felt reassured within themselves, believed in their own survival, and sensed the Divine favor, the subsidence of His wrath, and the removal of His fury from upon them.”
Consolation is a fresh revelation of pristine springs of living waters (mayim chayim). That is the true essence of tanchumim.
Section IV: Tu B’Av — The Day the Martyrs of Beitar Were Brought to Burial
One of the explicit reasons stated in the Gemara for the establishment of Tu B’Av as a yom tov is that the martyrs of Beitar were granted burial.
This requires serious analysis. All the other reasons cited in the Gemara concern Klal Yisrael as a whole. The burial of the slain of Beitar, however, appears to be an event limited to its specific place and time. How could this justify instituting an enduring yom tov for all generations, commensurate in status with Yom HaKippurim?
Regarding the martyrs of Beitar, we find yet another major rabbinic enactment. It is related (Talmud Yerushalmi, Ta’anis ch. 4; cf. Bavli Ta’anis 31a):
The wicked Hadrian possessed an immense vineyard spanning eighteen mil by eighteen mil—like the distance from Teveria to Tzippori. He surrounded it with a fence made from the corpses of the slain of Beitar, standing at full height with outstretched arms. Nor did he permit them to be buried until another emperor arose and decreed that they could be buried. Rav Huna said: When the martyrs of Beitar were brought to burial, the blessing of HaTov VeHaMeitiv was instituted: “HaTov” (the Good), that they did not decompose, and “HaMeitiv” (Who does good), that they were ultimately granted burial.
We see here that Chazal instituted a remembrance for all generations: whenever a person eats bread and recites Birkas HaMazon, he must commemorate this event. Tosafos (ibid.) and the Rosh (Berachos, ch. Haroeh) write that the berachah of HaTov VeHaMeitiv recited upon changing wines was likewise instituted in commemoration of this miracle. Mai kulei hai? Why such an extraordinary emphasis?
The Fall of Beitar, Ben Koziva, and the Concept of Mashiach
This matter may be understood through a vital detail added by the Rambam regarding the destruction of Beitar (Hilchos Ta’aniyos 5:3):
A great city named Beitar was captured, containing thousands and myriads of Jews. They had a great king, whom all of Yisrael and the greatest of the Sages thought was the Melech HaMashiach. But it fell into the hands of the gentiles, and all of them were slain, resulting in a catastrophe as immense as the destruction of the Beis HaMikdash.
The Rambam further writes (Hilchos Melachim 11:3):
...For Rabbi Akiva was a paramount sage among the Chachmei HaMishnah, and he was the armor-bearer of King Ben Koziva. He would proclaim about him that he was the Melech HaMashiach, and he and all the sages of his generation considered him to be the Melech HaMashiach, until he was killed on account of sins.
In understanding this episode, there is a common, widespread error that must be completely uprooted: people erroneously assume that Rabbi Akiva and all the sages of his generation were simply mistaken.
This is an impossibility! We do not establish public fast days over a mere calculation mistake. Above all, chas v’shalom to entertain the notion that all of Klal Yisrael and the towering sages of the generation erred so thoroughly regarding a matter so central and monumental. It was not an error; it was an authentic churban.
In truth, there existed at that time a genuine potential for “Darach kochav miYaakov”—a genuine illumination of Mashiach. However, because Ben Koziva struck and killed his uncle, Rabbi Elazar HaModa’i—who served as the eyes and protective arm of Yisrael—he was slain. This is what is meant by “he was killed on account of sins.”
The Blessing of HaTov VeHaMeitiv Over the Enduring Spark of Mashiach
The Gemara relates (Pesachim 50a) that the blessing of HaTov VeHaMeitiv is essentially a berachah reserved for Olam HaBa:
Rabbi Acha bar Chanina said: The World to Come is not like this world. In this world, upon good tidings one recites “Baruch HaTov VeHaMeitiv,” and upon evil tidings one recites “Baruch Dayan HaEmes.” But in the World to Come, it will be entirely HaTov VeHaMeitiv.
Based on this, we can comprehend the enactment of HaTov VeHaMeitiv in Birkas HaMazon and over wine. In Beitar, there was a profound manifestation of Olam HaBa. Those slain at Beitar were destined to be the first generation of the Melech HaMashiach and the World to Come. Though that potential was shattered and destroyed, the core illumination remained intact: the bodies did not decompose, and the transcendent dignity of the tzuras ha’adam (human form) was miraculously preserved.
The fact that they were initially denied burial meant that they were prevented from entering the progression of new life. As the Maharal teaches in his eulogy for a talmid chacham (Derush L’Hesped, printed at the end of Gur Aryeh on Bamidbar), the tum’as meis (ritual impurity of a corpse) does not stem from degradation; on the contrary, it derives from exalted sanctity—analogous to the tum’ah decreed upon the Holy Scriptures (Kisvei HaKodesh).
Upon a person’s death, he enters the inner progression of “Vayyitzer Hashem Elokim es ha’adam.” The word vayyitzer is written with two yuds, which Rashi explains as denoting two formations: one formation for this world, and one formation for Techiyas HaMeisim (the Resurrection of the Dead). When the phase of the first yud concludes, the progression of the second yud—the life of the World to Come—commences.
The martyrs of Beitar formed the fence surrounding Hadrian’s colossal vineyard; their being denied burial prevented them from initiating their ultimate existence for Olam HaBa. When they were finally brought to burial on Tu B’Av after so many years, that higher existence was unlocked.
This yom tov of Tu B’Av is the day upon which we must recognize that despite all the tzaros and afflictions that surround us, HaKadosh Baruch Hu reveals new wellsprings of vitality, displaying matters that contain authentic tanchumim.
May the Ribbono shel Olam assist the wonderful Sonnenfeld family, granting them true nechamah, and may there burst forth for them fresh springs of renewed life: a life of goodness, a life of berachah, a life of accomplishment, of chein, of chesed, of Torah, and of abundant vitality—marbeh Torah, marbeh chayim.
May HaKadosh Baruch Hu grant that we all merit the rebuilding of the Beis HaMikdash, destined to take place on Tu B’Av, bimheirah b’yameinu, Amein. [מדברי מו"ר זצ"ל]
