Rabbi Ackerman's Blog
08/05/2009 - Tu B`Av [The 15th of Av]
Last night's full moon let us know that today marks the middle of the month of Av on the Hebrew calendar. The 15th of Av stands out as a distinct occasion, described in colorful and intriguing detail in the Mishna [circa 220 CE, the first topical organization of Jewish law and practice and the basis for the Talmud which comments on it] - "Rabbi Shimon ben Gamliel said: there were no days in Israel as good as the 15th of Av and Yom Kippur, for on those days the daughters of Jerusalem would go out...and dance in the vineyards. What would they say? 'Young man, lift up your eyes and see, whom do you choose?'"Mere days after the Fast of the 9th of Av, connecting is the order of the day. It makes sense in the aftermath of Tisha B'Av's pattern of mourning, but why on Yom Kippur?
I've suggested elsewhere that we view the 9th of Av as our collective experience of 'limited or no connectivity,' in other words as the loss of deep and meaningful connection with God, with our tradition, with one another. And so if Tisha B'Av marked the nadir of alienation, then the proper response to it is to hit the spiritual 'repair' button in an effort to connect anew.
The Shabbat after Tisha B'Av, whose Torah reading includes the Sh'ma and the 10 Commandments, marks a first effort at 'repair.' The 15th of Av, with its tradition of matchmaking, marks a second effort, still at the very beginning of a process of restoration that will take us all the way to the High Holy Days and into the New Year.
That's where Yom Kippur fits in. If the 15th of Av frames the outset of that process, Yom Kippur frames its (hopefully) positive and successful conclusion. We seek to connect with one another today, on Tu B'Av, and if we keep at the work of repair over the next seven or so weeks, we seal our efforts by connecting again and more fully with ourselves and with God on the Day of Atonement. It's all about connectivity.
So on this 15th of Av, dance with a partner, click on 'repair,' and together let's begin to find our way back.
B'shalom,
Rabbi David Ackerman
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10/18/2009 - 30 Tishrei 5770 - Rosh Hodesh Heshvan
10/13/2009 - Rabbi Mordecai Waxman, a Tribute
09/28/2009 - Yom Kippur Sermon 5770
09/27/2009 - Kol Nidre Sermon 5770
09/21/2009 - Rosh Hashanah 2nd Day Sermon 5770
09/21/2009 - Rosh Hashanah First Day Sermon 5770
09/17/2009 - L`shana Tova Tikateivu v`Teihateimu
08/21/2009 - Rosh Hodesh Elul
08/18/2009 - The Torah of Trees
08/14/2009 - Parashat Re`eh
08/05/2009 - Tu B`Av [The 15th of Av] (Current display)
07/24/2009 - Shabbat Devarim-Hazon
07/17/2009 - Parashat Matot-Masei
07/10/2009 - Parashat Pinchas