The Jewish Month of Av: From Mourning to Consolation and Rebirth

In the Torah, Av is referred to as the fifth month, as it is the fifth month from Nissan. The month is also called Menachem Av — “the Comforting Father”, as in this month we yearn for consolation after the many tragedies that befell the Jewish people during this time.

Some explain the name Menachem Av as a hint to the Hebrew letters Alef–Bet, since the Book of Eicha (Lamentations), read on Tisha B’Av, is written in alphabetical order, and God will one day “comfort the letters” through which that lamentation was written. Others interpret Av as an acronym for Edom and Bavel — the two empires that destroyed the First and Second Temples, as mentioned in the psalms of exile: “Daughter of Babylon, doomed to destruction,” and “Remember, O Lord, against the sons of Edom the day of Jerusalem.”

The zodiac sign for this month is Leo, the lion — symbolizing both destruction (the lion that destroyed the Temple) and future redemption (the Lion of Yehuda who will rebuild it).

The Significance of Rosh Chodesh Av

Rosh Chodesh Av marks the passing of Aaron the High Priest, the only yahrzeit explicitly mentioned in the Torah: “And Aaron the priest went up to Mount Hor at the command of the Lord, and he died there… in the fifth month, on the first of the month” (Bamidbar 33:38).

For this reason, Rosh Chodesh Av is considered a minor fast day for the righteous. Even those who do not fast observe it with a sense of mourning.

Five Tragic Events in the Month of Av

1. The decree that the generation of the wilderness would not enter the Land of Israel.

2. The destruction of the First Temple.

3. The destruction of the Second Temple.

4. The fall of the great city of Beitar.

5. The plowing of Jerusalem by the wicked Roman general Turnus Rufus.

Our sages taught that the First Temple was destroyed because of idolatry, immorality, and bloodshed. The Second Temple, however, was destroyed because of baseless hatred (sinat chinam). Even though people studied Torah and observed mitzvot, they failed in love and respect for one another.

Both Temples were destroyed on the same day of Tisha B’Av, nearly 490 years apart.

From Destruction to Hope

The Book of Eicha opens with Yirmiyahu's lament: “She weeps bitterly in the night, and her tears are upon her cheeks” —
referring to two tears for the two destructions.

During the Three Weeks of Mourning, observant Jews refrain from celebrations and take on practices that emphasize national grief. Yet even within mourning, there is hope. As Eicha concludes: “Return us to You, O Lord, and we shall return; renew our days as of old.”

The prophet’s final words hint that redemption will come, that our suffering will end and Jerusalem will once again shine with divine glory.

From Tisha B’Av to Tu B’Av – The Journey from Sorrow to Joy

The Shabbat after Tisha B’Av is called Shabbat Nachamu — “the Sabbath of Comfort” — from the haftarah: “Be comforted, be comforted, My people.” It begins seven weeks of prophetic readings of consolation leading up to Rosh Hashanah.

The 15th of Av (Tu B’Av) is one of the happiest days in the Jewish calendar. The Talmud states: “There were no days as joyful for Israel as the fifteenth of Av and Yom Kippur.”

Several joyous events occurred on this day:

• The decree that the desert generation would die ended.

• The tribes of Israel were once again permitted to intermarry.

• The tribe of Binyamin was reinstated into the nation after the incident of the concubine in Giv’ah.

• King Hoshea ben Elah removed Yeravam's roadblocks, allowing Israelites to return to Jerusalem.

• It marked the final day of woodcutting for the Temple altar.

• The slain of Beitar were finally brought to burial.

In ancient times, the daughters of Jerusalem would go out to the vineyards dressed in white and call out to the young men: “Lift up your eyes and see whom you will choose. Do not look at beauty — look at family. Charm is deceitful and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised.”

Tu B’Av thus became a celebration of love, renewal, and unity — the mirror image of Tisha B’Av’s sorrow.