(ח) אָמַר רַבָּן שִׁמְעוֹן בֶּן גַּמְלִיאֵל, לֹא הָיוּ יָמִים טוֹבִים לְיִשְׂרָאֵל כַּחֲמִשָּׁה עָשָׂר בְּאָב וּכְיוֹם הַכִּפּוּרִים, שֶׁבָּהֶן בְּנוֹת יְרוּשָׁלַיִם יוֹצְאוֹת בִּכְלֵי לָבָן שְׁאוּלִין, שֶׁלֹּא לְבַיֵּשׁ אֶת מִי שֶׁאֵין לוֹ. כָּל הַכֵּלִים טְעוּנִין טְבִילָה. וּבְנוֹת יְרוּשָׁלַיִם יוֹצְאוֹת וְחוֹלוֹת בַּכְּרָמִים. וּמֶה הָיוּ אוֹמְרוֹת, בָּחוּר, שָׂא נָא עֵינֶיךָ וּרְאֵה, מָה אַתָּה בוֹרֵר לָךְ. אַל תִּתֵּן עֵינֶיךָ בַנּוֹי, תֵּן עֵינֶיךָ בַמִּשְׁפָּחָה. שֶׁקֶר הַחֵן וְהֶבֶל הַיֹּפִי, אִשָּׁה יִרְאַת יהוה הִיא תִתְהַלָּל (משלי לא). וְאוֹמֵר, תְּנוּ לָהּ מִפְּרִי יָדֶיהָ, וִיהַלְלוּהָ בַשְּׁעָרִים מַעֲשֶׂיהָ. וְכֵן הוּא אוֹמֵר, צְאֶינָה וּרְאֶינָה בְּנוֹת צִיּוֹן בַּמֶּלֶךְ שְׁלֹמֹה בָּעֲטָרָה שֶׁעִטְּרָה לּוֹ אִמּוֹ בְּיוֹם חֲתֻנָּתוֹ וּבְיוֹם שִׂמְחַת לִבּוֹ (שיר השירים ג). בְּיוֹם חֲתֻנָּתוֹ, זֶה מַתַּן תּוֹרָה. וּבְיוֹם שִׂמְחַת לִבּוֹ, זֶה בִּנְיַן בֵּית הַמִּקְדָּשׁ, שֶׁיִּבָּנֶה בִמְהֵרָה בְיָמֵינוּ. אָמֵן:
(8)Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel said: There were no days as joyous for the Jewish people as the fifteenth of Av and as Yom Kippur, as on them the daughters of Jerusalem would go out in white clothes, which each woman borrowed from another. Why were they borrowed? They did this so as not to embarrass one who did not have her own white garments. All the garments that the women borrowed require immersion, as those who previously wore them might have been ritually impure. And the daughters of Jerusalem would go out and dance in the vineyards. And what would they say? Young man, please lift up your eyes and see what you choose for yourself for a wife. Do not set your eyes toward beauty, but set your eyes toward a good family, as the verse states: “Grace is deceitful and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised” (Proverbs 31:30), and it further says: “Give her the fruit of her hands, and let her works praise her in the gates” (Proverbs 31:31). And similarly, it says in another verse: “Go forth, daughters of Zion, and gaze upon King Solomon, upon the crown with which his mother crowned him on the day of his wedding, and on the day of the gladness of his heart” (Song of Songs 3:11). This verse is explained as an allusion to special days: “On the day of his wedding”; this is the giving of the Torah through the second set of tablets on Yom Kippur. The name King Solomon in this context, which also means king of peace, is interpreted as a reference to God. “And on the day of the gladness of his heart”; this is the building of the Temple, may it be rebuilt speedily in our days.
אָמַר רַבָּן שִׁמְעוֹן בֶּן גַּמְלִיאֵל: לֹא הָיוּ יָמִים טוֹבִים לְיִשְׂרָאֵל כַּחֲמִשָּׁה עָשָׂר בְּאָב וּכְיוֹם הַכִּפּוּרִים. בִּשְׁלָמָא יוֹם הַכִּפּוּרִים — מִשּׁוּם דְּאִית בֵּיהּ סְלִיחָה וּמְחִילָה, יוֹם שֶׁנִּיתְּנוּ בּוֹ לוּחוֹת הָאַחֲרוֹנוֹת. אֶלָּא חֲמִשָּׁה עָשָׂר בְּאָב מַאי הִיא? אָמַר רַב יְהוּדָה אָמַר שְׁמוּאֵל: יוֹם שֶׁהוּתְּרוּ שְׁבָטִים לָבוֹא זֶה בָּזֶה. מַאי דְּרוּשׁ? ״זֶה הַדָּבָר אֲשֶׁר צִוָּה יהוה לִבְנוֹת צְלׇפְחָד וְגוֹ׳״ — דָּבָר זֶה לֹא יְהֵא נוֹהֵג אֶלָּא בְּדוֹר זֶה. אָמַר רַב יוֹסֵף אָמַר רַב נַחְמָן: יוֹם שֶׁהוּתַּר שֵׁבֶט בִּנְיָמִין לָבוֹא בַּקָּהָל, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״וְאִישׁ יִשְׂרָאֵל נִשְׁבַּע בַּמִּצְפָּה לֵאמֹר אִישׁ מִמֶּנּוּ לֹא יִתֵּן בִּתּוֹ לְבִנְיָמִן לְאִשָּׁה״. מַאי דְּרוּשׁ? אָמַר רַב: ״מִמֶּנּוּ״, וְלֹא מִבָּנֵינוּ. אָמַר רַבָּה בַּר בַּר חָנָה אָמַר רַבִּי יוֹחָנָן: יוֹם שֶׁכָּלוּ בּוֹ מֵתֵי מִדְבָּר. דְּאָמַר מָר: עַד שֶׁלֹּא כָּלוּ מֵתֵי מִדְבָּר לֹא הָיָה דִּבּוּר עִם מֹשֶׁה, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״וַיְהִי כַּאֲשֶׁר תַּמּוּ כׇּל אַנְשֵׁי הַמִּלְחָמָה לָמוּת. וַיְדַבֵּר יהוה אֵלַי״. אֵלַי הָיָה הַדִּבּוּר. עוּלָּא אָמַר: יוֹם שֶׁבִּיטֵּל הוֹשֵׁעַ בֶּן אֵלָה פְּרוֹסְדָיוֹת שֶׁהוֹשִׁיב יָרׇבְעָם בֶּן נְבָט עַל הַדְּרָכִים שֶׁלֹּא יַעֲלוּ יִשְׂרָאֵל לָרֶגֶל, וְאָמַר:
§ The mishna taught that Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel said: There were no days as happy for the Jewish people as the fifteenth of Av and as Yom Kippur. The Gemara asks: Granted, Yom Kippur is a day of joy because it has the elements of pardon and forgiveness, and moreover, it is the day on which the last pair of tablets were given.However, what is the special joy of the fifteenth of Av? Rav Yehuda said that Shmuel said: This was the day on which the members of different tribes were permitted to enter one another’s tribe, by intermarriage. It was initially prohibited to intermarry between tribes, so as to keep each plot of land within the portion of the tribe that originally inherited it. This halakha was instituted by the Torah in the wake of a complaint by the relatives of the daughters of Zelophehad, who were worried that if these women married men from other tribes, the inheritance of Zelophehad would be lost from his tribe (see Numbers 36:1–12). What did they expound, in support of their conclusion that this halakha was no longer in effect? The verse states: “This is the matter that the Lord has commanded concerning the daughters of Zelophehad, saying: Let them marry whom they think best; only into the family of the tribe of their father shall they marry” (Numbers 36:5). They derived from the verse that this matter shall be practiced only in this generation, when Eretz Yisrael was divided among the tribes, but afterward members of different tribes were permitted to marry. On the day this barrier separating the tribes was removed, the Sages established a permanent day of rejoicing. Rav Yosef said that Rav Naḥman said: The fifteenth of Av was the day on which the tribe of Benjamin was permitted to enter the congregation of the Jewish people. After the tragic incident at Gibeah, for which the tribe of Benjamin was blamed, the other tribes ostracized them. They took an oath to prohibit themselves from marrying a member of the tribe of Benjamin, as it is stated: “And the men of Israel had sworn in Mizpah, saying: None of us shall give his daughter to Benjamin as a wife” (Judges 21:1). The Gemara asks: What did they expound that enabled them to dissolve this oath? Rav said: They understood the verse literally, as it states: “None of us,” and not: None of our children, i.e., the oath applied only to the generation that took the oath, not their descendants. Rabba bar bar Ḥana said that Rabbi Yoḥanan said: The fifteenth of Av was the day on which the deaths of the Jews in the wilderness ceased. The entire generation that had left Egypt had passed away, as the Master said: After the sin of the spies, on account of which the Jews of that generation were sentenced to die in the wilderness, as long as the death of the Jews in the wilderness had not ceased, God’s speech did not come to Moses, as it is stated: “And it came to pass, when all the men of war were consumed and dead from among the people, that the Lord spoke to me, saying” (Deuteronomy 2:16–17). This indicates that only then, after the last member of that generation had died, was God’s speech delivered to me, i.e., Moses, but not beforehand. When the Jews realized that the decree that God would not speak to Moses had been lifted, they established that day as a permanent day of rejoicing. Ulla said: The fifteenth of Av was the day on which King Hoshea, son of Ela, canceled the guards that Jeroboam, son of Nevat, placed on the roads so that the Jews would not ascend to Jerusalem for the pilgrim Festival. AndHoshea, son of Ela, said
6 features of T"u Be'Av: 1. Permission for intermarriage between tribes 2. Intermarriage with tribe of Benjamin permitted 3. Generation that left Egypt ceased to die 4. King Hosea permitted Northern Kingdom to make pilgrimage to Jerusalem 5. Roman gov't. allowed burial of victims of Beitar uprising 6. End of season for cutting wood for the altar.
**Themes suggested here: Unity, Hope/Redemption, End of period of labor - rest - All these themes flow into the spirit of the season leading up to Elul/Rosh Hashanah - they all connect with the theme of love/unity/renewal
Parallels in our weekly parsha...
**Themes suggested here: Unity, Hope/Redemption, End of period of labor - rest - All these themes flow into the spirit of the season leading up to Elul/Rosh Hashanah - they all connect with the theme of love/unity/renewal
Parallels in our weekly parsha...
(ה) וְאָ֣הַבְתָּ֔ אֵ֖ת יהוה אֱלֹהֶ֑יךָ בְּכׇל־לְבָבְךָ֥ וּבְכׇל־נַפְשְׁךָ֖ וּבְכׇל־מְאֹדֶֽךָ׃
(5) You shall love your God יהוה with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.
Fulfil God's commands out of love, for one who acts out of love is not like him (is on a higher plane than one) who acts out of fear. The one who serves his master out of fear, if he (the master) troubles him overmuch, leaves him and goes away (Sifrei Devarim 32:1). Rashi
Since we have no other god aside from the Lord, you are obligated to love Him, for we have no other god. Ibn Ezra
you will then enjoy doing things which are pleasing to Him when you understand that there is nothing in this world which is more worth doing. [the word ואהבת is not perceived a commandment by the author; in fact it is questionable if loving someone could be the subject of a commandment altogether. Ed.] Sforno
Love implies two aspects: (1) Sacrificing one's desires and existence for the beloved. (2) Being deeply attached in thought and intense longing for enjoyment with the beloved. These two intentions are hinted at in this verse. (1) As explained by Maimonides, even in a life-threatening situation, one should not transgress any of these three commandments, as it is stated, 'And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul,' even if He takes your soul. This entails dedicating everything one possesses for the sake of His honor and faith. (2) As also explained by Maimonides, one is commanded to love the revered and awesome God, as stated, 'And you shall love the Lord.' And how does one go about loving Him? This is further explained in the Jerusalem Talmud, where Rabbi Akiva interprets the verse, 'Your compassion has been with me in my heart; Your compassion has been with me in my soul.' This is similar to a woman who is attached to her child from the womb, indicating the intense attachment in love. The main implications of these two aspects are derived from the previous passage, as one who behaves according to the natural course of the world and has not yet reached the level of piety to find a way of attachment to God. In this case, it is explained that one should at least stand firmly in his faith and not change it in any way, even in times of hardship. This is clarified further. On the other hand, for those who are on a higher spiritual level, they are cautioned in the second aspect to immerse their thoughts in love and attachment at the appropriate time to mention God's name in the Shema and prayer. Therefore, it is written 'You shall love the Lord' and not as it is written 'You shall love your fellow.' The latter implies only leaving one's desire for the other, but 'You shall love the Lord' implies mentioning His name and cleaving to Him. The same applies to the later verse, 'And you shall love the Lord,' which refers to the aspect of fulfilling the commandments with love, as explained there. This is also clarified in this way. Thus, this passage will be further explained in the course that leads to this." Ha'amek Davar (R. Naftali Tzvi Yehuda Berlin, Netziv
Since we have no other god aside from the Lord, you are obligated to love Him, for we have no other god. Ibn Ezra
you will then enjoy doing things which are pleasing to Him when you understand that there is nothing in this world which is more worth doing. [the word ואהבת is not perceived a commandment by the author; in fact it is questionable if loving someone could be the subject of a commandment altogether. Ed.] Sforno
Love implies two aspects: (1) Sacrificing one's desires and existence for the beloved. (2) Being deeply attached in thought and intense longing for enjoyment with the beloved. These two intentions are hinted at in this verse. (1) As explained by Maimonides, even in a life-threatening situation, one should not transgress any of these three commandments, as it is stated, 'And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul,' even if He takes your soul. This entails dedicating everything one possesses for the sake of His honor and faith. (2) As also explained by Maimonides, one is commanded to love the revered and awesome God, as stated, 'And you shall love the Lord.' And how does one go about loving Him? This is further explained in the Jerusalem Talmud, where Rabbi Akiva interprets the verse, 'Your compassion has been with me in my heart; Your compassion has been with me in my soul.' This is similar to a woman who is attached to her child from the womb, indicating the intense attachment in love. The main implications of these two aspects are derived from the previous passage, as one who behaves according to the natural course of the world and has not yet reached the level of piety to find a way of attachment to God. In this case, it is explained that one should at least stand firmly in his faith and not change it in any way, even in times of hardship. This is clarified further. On the other hand, for those who are on a higher spiritual level, they are cautioned in the second aspect to immerse their thoughts in love and attachment at the appropriate time to mention God's name in the Shema and prayer. Therefore, it is written 'You shall love the Lord' and not as it is written 'You shall love your fellow.' The latter implies only leaving one's desire for the other, but 'You shall love the Lord' implies mentioning His name and cleaving to Him. The same applies to the later verse, 'And you shall love the Lord,' which refers to the aspect of fulfilling the commandments with love, as explained there. This is also clarified in this way. Thus, this passage will be further explained in the course that leads to this." Ha'amek Davar (R. Naftali Tzvi Yehuda Berlin, Netziv
שגם מה שידמה לך שהוא רע הוא באמת אך טוב וחסד, כי מהאחד הטוב א"א שתצא רעה רק שהרע הנדמה לך אלהים חשבה לטובה, א"כ ראוי שתאהב אותו אפי' הוא נוטל את נפשך ואת ממונך,
"What seems to you to be evil is really good and full of lovingkindness, from the One Who is God there is no possibility evil will come from [God], just that what appears negative to you God has intended for good. Therefore it is fitting one should love God even if God takes your life or your property...
Malbim -
This language is rooted in ancient Near Eastern political treaties, where “love” implies a sense of loyalty to a greater power. The verb conveys not just an emotion, but a statement with implications for one’s actions. God demands intellectual, emotional, and physical commitment. (See also Women's Torah Comentary
at 7:13.)
"What seems to you to be evil is really good and full of lovingkindness, from the One Who is God there is no possibility evil will come from [God], just that what appears negative to you God has intended for good. Therefore it is fitting one should love God even if God takes your life or your property...
Malbim -
This language is rooted in ancient Near Eastern political treaties, where “love” implies a sense of loyalty to a greater power. The verb conveys not just an emotion, but a statement with implications for one’s actions. God demands intellectual, emotional, and physical commitment. (See also Women's Torah Comentary
at 7:13.)
(ח) כִּי֩ מֵאַהֲבַ֨ת יהוה אֶתְכֶ֗ם וּמִשׇּׁמְר֤וֹ אֶת־הַשְּׁבֻעָה֙ אֲשֶׁ֤ר נִשְׁבַּע֙ לַאֲבֹ֣תֵיכֶ֔ם הוֹצִ֧יא יהוה אֶתְכֶ֖ם בְּיָ֣ד חֲזָקָ֑ה וַֽיִּפְדְּךָ֙ מִבֵּ֣ית עֲבָדִ֔ים מִיַּ֖ד פַּרְעֹ֥ה מֶֽלֶךְ־מִצְרָֽיִם׃
Duties of the Heart, Tenth Treatise on Devotion to God 2:15
One can also explain the intent of "And you shall love the L-ord your G-d with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might" (Devarim 6:5) to be referring to cleaving to the love of G-d inwardly, and to exhibit it outwardly, until the genuineness of the believer's love will be recognizable inwardly and outwardly, privately and publicly, in a way that it will be manifested uniformly and in the proper way, in the same amount and in the same level, as David said: "my heart and my flesh cry out for the living G-d" (Tehilim 84:3).
One can also explain the intent of "And you shall love the L-ord your G-d with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might" (Devarim 6:5) to be referring to cleaving to the love of G-d inwardly, and to exhibit it outwardly, until the genuineness of the believer's love will be recognizable inwardly and outwardly, privately and publicly, in a way that it will be manifested uniformly and in the proper way, in the same amount and in the same level, as David said: "my heart and my flesh cry out for the living G-d" (Tehilim 84:3).