Today marks the 15th of Av-a day in which the Talmud (Taanit 26b) exclaims that “there was never in Israel greater days of joy than the 15th of Av and the Yom Kippur.”

While the full moon 15th of Av is particularly known as the day in which the maidens of Jerusalem would go to the vineyards to dance in search for a suitable mate, the Talmud enumerates five events that occurred on this day.

And these 5 events are:

1) That the generation of the desert ceased dying,

2) inter-tribe marriages became permitted,

3) cutting wood for the altar was completed,

4) the road blocks to the Temple were opened,

and 5) the dead of Beitar were finally brought to burial.

Not to forget that the dancing of the daughters of Jerusalem, who danced for the sake of obtaining a partner in marriage, was established after Israel had realized that most of the women from the Benjamite tribe were killed during the incident when Israel decided to wage war against the tribe of Benjamin.

Acknowledging their mistake (after a great period of mourning over their misconduct), Israel decided to send their daughters coming from the different tribes of Israel, to go out to dance in the vineyard, so that the tribe of Benjamin may prolong their lineage through the women they have chosen for marriage.

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