Tu B’Av: The Jewish Day of Love

Many Jewish holidays take place during the brightest days of the month, when the moon is at its fullest. On the 15th day of the Jewish month, the full moon symbolizes possibility and potential.

The holiday of Tu B’Av takes place on the 15th of Av. This year, it begins at sundown on July 28 and ends in the evening on July 29.

Tu B’Av comes just one week after Tisha B’Av, the saddest day on the Jewish calendar, which commemorates the destruction of the Temples in Jerusalem. Jewish spiritual tradition teaches us that there is always light within darkness, and Tu B’Av reminds us of joy, renewal, and love.

Tu B’Av is both ancient and modern. It was originally observed during the Second Temple period as a day of dancing and celebration. In recent decades, the holiday has been revived as the Jewish Day of Love—a kind of quirky Jewish older sibling to Valentine’s Day.

The Hebrew word for love is ahava. Its root, hav, means “to give.” This reminds us that love involves giving our time, attention, admiration, and respect to others. As parents, we can teach our children how to give by demonstrating love through our own acts of kindness and generosity.

Sharing stories is a wonderful way to begin conversations about affection, friendship, and caring for others. Books about love and kindness between friends, family members, neighbors, and community members can help children understand what it means to show love in everyday life.

What You Need to Know About This Ancient Day of Love

1. During the Second Temple period, Tu B’Av was like an ancient singles mixer. According to the Talmud, young Jewish women would dance in the vineyards, and unmarried men would go out to meet them.
2. The women wore borrowed white dresses so that no one would feel embarrassed if she did not own the proper garments.
3. According to the Talmud, women also danced on Yom Kippur. For this reason, Tu B’Av and Yom Kippur are described as two of the happiest days for the Jewish people.
4. On Tu B’Av, men and women from different tribes of Israel were permitted to marry one another, despite earlier restrictions on intermarriage between tribes.
5. The holiday’s Hebrew name simply refers to its date: the 15th of the month of Av. “Tu” comes from the Hebrew letters tet and vav, whose numerical values are 9 and 6. Together, they add up to 15.
6. In modern Israel, Tu B’Av is celebrated much like Valentine’s Day in the United States, with flowers, romantic dinners, and evening celebrations. It is also considered a meaningful date for weddings.
7. From the end of the Second Temple era until the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948, Tu B’Av was mainly marked by the omission of Tachanun, a penitential prayer recited during weekday morning and afternoon services. The holiday was later revived in modern Israeli culture.
8. Because Tu B’Av falls during the full moon, many people enjoy taking an evening walk outside and appreciating nature’s beautiful “mood lighting.”

Celebrate Tu B’Av with a sweet, simple treat that families can make together. These No-Bake Chocolate Cookie Pops are fun for children in the summer heat, this no-oven recipe is a perfect holiday treat!

Ingredients

18 chocolate sandwich cookies
4 ounces cream cheese or frosting
1.5 cups milk or semi-sweet chocolate chips
Assorted sprinkles, finely chopped nuts or toasted flake coconut
Lollipop sticks or popsicle sticks

Directions

1. Crush the cookies into fine crumbs.
2. Mix the crumbs with cream cheese or frosting until the mixture holds together.
3. Roll the mixture into small balls.
4. Insert a lollipop stick into each ball.
5. Place cookie pops on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
6. Melt chocolate in 30 second intervals stirring after each interval. Repeat until all the chocolate is melted.
7. Dip each cookie pop into melted chocolate.
8. Add sprinkles or decorations before the chocolate hardens.
9. Place the pops in the refrigerator for 1 hour until firm.

Enjoy and share with someone you love!