Tu b'Av

We're all familiar with the holiday of Tisha b'Av (the 9th day of the month of Av), the commemoration of the day when both Temples were destroyed. But I was surprised when my son brought home a craft project from school for Tu b'Av (the 15th of the month). Maybe I'm the only person who didn't know this, but it's kind of an alternative to Valentine's Day. On this day, Jewish single women would wear borrowed white dresses (so no one would judge someone by the quality of her dress) and run to the fields to be selected as brides. It's the date when the two kingdoms of Israel (Judea and Israel) came to agreements about sacrifices in the Temple. It is when couples could marry outside their tribes (important because of the inheritance implications). Being happily married with two kids (which I sometimes still can't believe), perhaps it's reasonable that a "singles" holiday isn't on my radar screen. It's been reinvigorated in recent decades (though has existed for centuries) and the idea seems quite nice. (FYI, it was this past Monday. Maybe next year I'll remember in advance!)