מנהגי טו באב

 1

All references in this section to תענית mean the סוגיא related to this topic on :ל. All references in this section to בבא בתרא mean the סוגיא related to this topic on .קכא. All references to מפרשים on שס are located in either סוגיא.

Today, טו באב, shuls across the world omit תחנון. Here we will discuss the background for this practice and what today's significance is in Jewish history.

To my knowledge, this is not even a matter of debate, but rather an explicit דין in (שלחן ערוך או"ח קלא:ו):

נהגו שלא ליפול על פניהם בט"ו באב

On which the מגן אברהם comments:

אי' בב"ב דף קכ"א הרבה טעמים שהיה יום טוב גדול בזמן המקדש

This is codified in the (ס"ק ל) משנה ברורה as well.

The 'גמ quoted by מגן אברהם (as well as .תענית ל, where the original משנה and the identical סוגיא is found) discusses the statement of רבן שמעון בן גמליאל in תענית:

לא היו ימים טובים לישראל כחמשה עשר באב וכיום הכפורים שבהן בנות ירושלים יוצאות בכלי לבן שאולין שלא לבייש את מי שאין לו...וחולות בכרמים...ואומרות בחור שא עיניך וראה 

To explain the significance of the day, the 'גמ lists multiple happy occurrences which took place on that date. Here we will list them in chronological order:

יום שכלו בו מתי מדבר (רב דימי בר יוסף in the name of רב נחמן)

Since the episode of the מרגלים, the דור המדבר was punished that they wouldn't enter א"י. According to some מפרשים, they would die each year on תשעה באב, the anniversary of the מרגלים's הוצאת דבה. (The ענני כבוד protected everyone from the elements etc. so there were no natural causes to die from, as a result of which no one died the rest of the year, but rather only on תשעה באב, the designated "dying day".) In the last year that כלל ישראל was in the מדבר, those who expected to die that year woke up the next morning (!). They kept going to sleep in the graves that they dug for themselves (as was the practice of the דור המדבר), thinking that they had miscalculated the dates, until they saw a full moon on טו אב, at which point they realized that indeed, no one was to die that year. [1] [2]

Also on that day, 'ה resumed speaking to משה "mouth-to-mouth", as opposed in visions, through a מלאך, or through the אורים ותומים, like other נביאים. Alternatively, 'ה previously only spoke to משה only for a specific need, for example, to address the matter of קרח's rebellion or the like. Another understanding is (בן יהיוידע) that the מעלה of שכינה מדברת מתוך גרונו, as well the אספקלריא המאירה, stopped, and only resumed once all the דור המדבר stopped dying.[2]

This was the first happy event, chronologically, that took place on טו אב, originally designating that day as a יו"ט.

 יום שהותרו שבטים לבא זה בזה (רב יהודה in the name of שמואל)

As per תקנת בנות צלופחד, no woman who was in position to inherit a property was allowed to marry outside her שבט; once א"י was finished being distributed among the שבטים, this תקנה was הותר on טו אב.    

[1][3]

   יום שהותר שבט בנימן לבא בקהל (רבה בר בר חנה in the name of רבי יוחנן)

Following the פילגש בגבעה saga, כלל ישראל collectively made a שבועה not to marry into שבט בנימן. The following generation was מתיר this שבועה on טו אב. 

[1] [4]

עולא) יום שביטל בו הושע בן אלה פרדסאות שהושיב ירבעם על הדרכים שלא יעלו ישראל לרגל)

ירבעם בן נבט, upon seceding from רחבעם's מלכות, realized that if he allows his subjects to be עולה רגל, they will see רחבעם sitting in the ביהמ"ק, while ירבעם stands. (Only מלכי בית דוד are allowed to sit in the ביהמ"ק.) They will realize that ירבעם is not the "real" king, and potentially defect back to רחבעם. To that end, ירבעם built calves that were intended as an intermediary of sorts; then, ירבעם went a step further: not only was there now an alternative to the ביהמ"ק, but עליה לרגל was actually illegal; ירבעם posted guards by the יהודה-ישראל border, making sure no one would be עולה רגל. הושע בן אלה, a moderately positive king of ישראל, removed the guards on טו באב. 

[1] [5]

יום שפוסקין בו מלכרות עצים למערכה (רבה and רב יוסף)

From ניסן until טו אב, woodcutters would cut wood for the מערכה on the מזבח. On טו אב, the sun would weaken and the wood began to moisten [6], at which point the season for cutting wood was over. In honor of finishing this important טו באב ,מצוה would be celebrated as a יו"ט. 

[1] [7] [8]

רב מתנה) יום שניתנו הרוגי ביתר לקבורה) 

After the quashing of the בר כוכבא rebellion, the Roman authorities did not allow the dead soldiers to be buried. On טו אב, the גזירה was lifted. Miraculously, all the bodies were still intact. For this event the חכמים instituted the last ברכה of Bentching (which I hope to discuss elsewhere). [1]

רשבם points out that none of the אמוראים specifically disagree as to the reason why this date was designated a יו"ט but rather each is quoting what he received from his rebbi.

2

We will now examine different practices related to טו באב and how the day was observed throughout the generations.

According to חיים שאל [9], the first year that the שבטים were הותר to marry each other, they made it a יו"ט for משתה ושמחה. Subsequently, however, it was only a זיכרון בעלמא.

טו באב שבו ידעו שכלו מתי מדבר שבשנת המ' ומפני זה נהגו לעשות סעודה בשבת שלאחר ט באב (ריטבא תענית שם)

ריטבא is not clear on any details, which would imply that this was a common, obvious practice in his time.

The (סימן שיב) רוקח, as well as (שבולת ל) שבולי הלקט specifically says that on טו באב we do say תחנון, because מגילת תענית is בטל. (This is a topic unto itself, which perhaps we will address at another opportunity, but אכמ"ל, and suffice it to say here that מגילת תענית is a quasi-ברייתא from approximately תקופת בית שני that lists days on which fasting and הספדים are אסור, arranged by month, due to various positive occurrences that took place throughout Jewish history. Many of these ימים טובים are no longer observed. The רוקח is counting טו באב among them.) The (בית יוסף (או"ח סימן קלא quotes the רוקח then says that today the world is נוהג not to say תחנון. The בית יוסף does not specify what caused this change in practice. פסקי תוספות (תענית שם) explains that since טו באב is not a יו"ט exclusively by virtue of being mentioned in מגילת תענית, but rather טו באב is a יו"ט on its own right, therefore the ביטול of מגילת תענית does not affect that status of טו באב at all. עולת תמיד (שם ס"ק יט) explains that since תחנון is (theoretically) a רשות, therefore there is no מנהג to be מבטל מגילת תענית regarding תחנון.

ר אייזיק ,(#תשעה)  מטה משה Tirnau (ספר המנהגים עמ' פ) [10],  [11]   לקט יושר (או"ח קיג:יג) as well as ר אברהם Klausner (ספר המנהגים #קמו) state unequivocally that we do not say תחנון at all.

מהריל (מנהגים הל' בין המצרים אות כח) records a practice that in most places we don't say תחינה (תחנון) in the morning. In Mainz and Worms, however, they do say תחינה (perhaps in accordance with the רוקח). This is confirmed (regarding Worms) by ר יודא לייב Kirchheim [12] as well as ר יוזפא שמש [13] and (regarding Mainz) by מגיה to ספר המנהגים (ר אברהם Klausner קמו:ב).

סדר היום (סדר חמשה עשר בשבט) instructs one to distance יגון and אנחה today as much as possible, because today is a יו"ט, as described by the 'גמ quoted above at the beginning of this article. A similar idea is expressed in פסקי חתם סופר [14], who also says that if one has a court case against a gentile, they should try to postpone it until after טו באב, at which point the Jew has a better מזל to win the case.

The אלטע סטאללענער רעבע, beginning טו באב, would be מעיין in the פיוטים of ימים נוראים together with his son ר אשר סטאללענער each day, with all the מפרשים. 

[15]

תחנון at the the Israelitische Religions Gesellschaft (Israelite Religious Society of רב שמשון רפאל הירש and his son-in-law רב שלמה Breuer) in Frankfurt-am-Main was only omitted on the morning of טו באב. 

תחנון was said at מנחה of both יד and טו. 

תחנון in KAJ (very likely based on the קלאוז מנין in FfaM where רב יוסף Breuer was the רב) is like in most אשכנזי places: Also not מנחה of יד or טו. 

[16]

In תחנון ,בית מדרש גבוה is not said on טו באב nor at מנחה on יד (but למנצח is said). [17]

3

So far we have seen how and why it came about that טו באב became a יו"ט historically. Now we will see why specifically this day was chosen especially and what its spiritual significance is.

One can sense the presence of a phenomenon by contrasting its presence with its absence. Now, all the ימים טובים are days where a person brings themselves close to השי"ת, but where a particular יו"ט does not immediately follow a sad, tragic period, then the effect of the יו"ט is not so sharply felt. The effect of a יו"ט is sharply felt on באב טו and יו"כ, since the period preceding them is בהתרחקות: Because regarding the period preceding טו באב the פסוק says וריחק ה' את האדם [18]; And in the period preceding יו"כ is a בחינה of שמאל דוחה, because of which we lein מרחוק ה' נראה לי [19] on ר"ה. Therefore, the closeness and the love is felt more sharply then than on other ימים טובים. It is known from the רמבן that any love a person has must be directed toward a חפץ של מצוה. To that end, following יו"כ is סוכות, regarding which the פסוק says וימינו תחבקני [20], which is why סוכות is מחייב so many מצוות; and starting at טו באב, where the nights begin lengthening, there is more opportunity to learn than previously (see רבינו גרשום in note 3), the חפץ being התגברות התורה. 

[21]

אש המועדים (בין המצרים פרק ד) quotes the פסיקתא that on טו באב the 7 days of אבלות for the חורבן are over, and the שבעה דנחמתא formally begin.

4

All that we have discussed until now explains how and why it was that טו באב was designated as, and became, a יו"ט. What yet remains to be clarified is what effect the historic occurrences that took place today still have currently.

To that end, ישמח משה (ליקוטים לחמשה עשר באב) explains that since the מתי מדבר stopped dying (see above at the beginning of this article), and there was השראת השכינה in that the דיבור was נתיחד with משה, an extension of that השראת השכינה is still in effect today, in that the main השראת השכינה exists through learning תורה at night [22], and beginning טו אב the nights start lengthening (see above discussion of קרבן עצים), so therefore today is the day that we celebrate the continuance of השראת השכינה throughout the generations. 

[1] based on 'רשי, תוס, and רשבם there.

[2] רבינו תם (quoted by 'תוס) addresses the obvious question why, if they were supposed to die, as per the גזירה on the generation of the מרגלים, did they indeed not die; and why, if they were not supposed to die, did they think they were supposed to die? He answers that the גזירה was on the 20-60 age group at the point of חטא המרגלים. Originally, the גזירה included those who were 20 at the ה' ;חטא had רחמנות on those who did תשובה and was מבטל the גזירה. 

This does not contradict ולא נותר מהם איש כי אם כלב בן יפונה ויהושע  בן נון (במדבר 26:65), as that פסוק refers to those who were not included in the ביטול הגזירה.

Alternatively, 'תוס understands the 'גמ to mean that indeed, they did die that year, but since this was the last group that was supposed to die, the דיבור returned to משה that year on טו אב, as soon as אבלות (שבעה) was over {שכינה is not שורה מתוך עצבות}.

According to בן יהוידע, this entire episode was Divinely orchestrated, purposely, so that טו באב would גופא become a יו"ט, based on מגלגלין זכות ליום זכאי. Not only that, but משה רבינו and all the גדולי ישראל knew what would happen, and indeed told בני ישראל the truth. They still were not believed, just so that טו באב would end up being established as a יו"ט. In fact, משה רבינו knew from beforehand that no one would die that year, and he still did not cancel the annual announcement that graves should be dug, leaving people in their state of confusion.

[3] תוס' הריד understands this to mean not that the חכמים of that generation themselves made this דרשה, but rather that they indeed received the דרשה from משה, only that until the בני ישראל would settle in their נחלות, they did not want to publicize the דרשה, so that people would not be מפקפק in the ציווי. After the נחלות were settled, the fact that this ציווי was only for that generation was publicized (presumably on occasion of שדוכים being made) on טו באב, and the day was made a יו"ט. 

רשש on the other hand, understands the גמ' כפשוטו, namely that on טו באב this דרשה was made.

מהרשא points out why this is cause for rejoicing if, as a result of שבטים intermarrying with each other, one שבט will benefit from having more נחלה, while another שבט loses out on its own former נחלה: women that inherit a נחלה, who are גופא finding שדוכים on the very day that the שבטים were הותר to marry each other, are rejoicing, because until now, if a man had a נחלה, he could marry from any שבט he wanted, whereas a woman who had a נחלה could only marry from her own שבט.

[4] עטרת שמואל explains the spiritual significance of הותרו שבטים לבא זה בזה based on עקדה (ויגש שער לא) that the completeness of the structure of כלל ישראל is only through all 12 שבטים together (which is 12 דרכים), and if one שבט is missing, that is not just a חסרון of that שבט, but rather the entire structure of כלל ישראל is missing, and that's why יעקב refused to be comforted over losing יוסף because the generality of the world and its image was missing, and that's why where שבט בנימן was הותר לקהל and כלל ישראל returned to its completeness there was a יו"ט for all of כלל ישראל.

[5] The ירושלמי asks why, if הושע did such good for כלל ישראל, did שלמנ-אסר destroy his kingdom. -?- The ירושלמי answers that instead allowing whomever wanted to be עולה רגל, he should've commanded everyone to be עולה רגל.

[6] קובץ שעורים asks how and why is it that the weakening of the sun depends on our months, which are lunar, not solar, and answers that perhaps in most instances the sun weakens on טו באב, and they established an equal time for all the years, based on the majority. אגדות ירושלמי answers that every year the sun would weaken specifically on בדרך נס ,טו אב.

[7] I list this event here based on  תענית ד:ה (see תפארת ישראל), which implies that this was done בזמן בית שני.

[8] This explanation is according to רבינו גרשום ;רשבם explains that the reason for celebration was the extra time to learn offered by the end of the wood-cutting season. This explanation is also consistent with the natural lengthening of the nights that occurs on טו אב which allow additional opportunity to learn. עטרת שמואל asks why, if that is the case, is it a יו"ט for all כלל ישראל, if the משמרות were only יחידים in כלל ישראל. -?- He answers from ר דן Segal that from here we see the חשיבות of even an individual's learning.

גרא (יו"ד רמו:כו:עו) references this 'גמ (according to רשבם's explanation) as a source for making a סיום סעודת at the completion of a מסכתא.

[9] שו"ת א:נא

[10] מכון ירושלים edition. הגהות המנהגים (פח#) brings "some מנהגים" that by מנחה on יד אב there is תחנון but that is not the מנהג.

[11] מכון ירושלים edition. Also mentioned there is a מנהג of Austrian women not to do מלאכה on טו באב.

[12] מנהגות Worms, page 275 (מכון ירושלים edition)

[13] מנהגים דק"ק Worms #קכט (מכון ירושלים edition)

[14] בני משה Institute for Manuscripts edition, בין המצרים #ו

[15] Official סטאללענער לוח, directed to my attention by ישעיה Pomansky. This is in line with ספרי קודש (quoted by התחלת ימי הרחמים והרצון ,טו באב ,אמרות טהורות) that from טו באב, the מנהג ישראל מקדמת דנא is to prepare for the ימי הרחמים והרצון, primarily by being inspired to תשובה, and to begin the proper עבודה for ימים נוראים.

[16] email correspondence with ישראל Strauss Jul 18 2022, directed to me by אליעזר Littmann as someone familiar with the מנהגים of KAJ; the IRG was presumably in accordance with the "most places" mentioned by מהריל earlier.

רב Breuer, who was Klausrabbiner, apparently took some of the קלאוז מנהגים into KAJ.  He also incorporated a few other German but not FFaM and even greater מנהגי אשכנז. (The Klaus was an independent כולל-type בית מדרש, not formally affiliated with the קהילה, where those who were able to learnt throughout the day. רב Breuer was the רב of the Klaus. Where he later established the מנהגים of KAJ in his capacity as the רב there, he continued practicing what he was familiar with, namely the מנהגים of the קלאוז, which were generally, though not always, identical to the מנהגים of the IRG, hence the difference here.)

[17] נהג בחכמה, Official קונטרס המנהגים of בית מדרש גבוה, compiled by יהודה שושנה

[18] .ישעיה ו:יב .ישראל הקרויים אדם יהיו גולים למקום רחוק (מצודת דוד)  

[19] ירמיה לא

[20] שיר השירים ב:ו

[21] שם משמואל ואתחנן שנת תרע. Credit is due to שדה צופים (בבא בתרא שם) for directing my attention to this source.

[22] see ברייתא of רבי חייא quoted by :תמיד לב and רשי" שם"

אברהם חיים Guelfguat contributed to the research for this article

Thanks is due to the extensive ספרים library of ישיבה תורה ודעת where many of the sources for this article were available