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XXIV. And Abraham was old with days, and the Word of the Lord had blessed Abraham with every kind of blessing. And Abraham said to Eliezer his servant, the senior of his house, who had rule over all his property, Put now thy hand upon the section of my circumcision. [JERUSALEM. And Abraham said to his servant, the ruler who had rule over all that was his, Put now thy hand under the thigh of my covenant.] And swear to me in the name of the Word of the Lord God, whose habitation is in heaven on high, the God whose dominion is over the earth, that thou wilt not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Kenaanites among whom I dwell; but that thou wilt go to the land and the house of my kindred, and take a wife for my son, for Izhak. And the domestic said to him,e the woman may not be willing to come after me to this land; shall I, returning make thy son return to the land from whence thou camest? And Abraham said to him, Beware, lest thou make my some return thither! The Lord God, whose seat is in heaven on high, who took me from my father's house, and from the land of my birth; and who spake to me, and sware to me, saying, To thy son will I give this land; He will seasonably send His angel, and thou shalt take a wife for my sone from thence. But if the woman be not willing to come after thee, thou shalt be innocent from this my oath; only make not my son return thither. And the servant put his hand upon the circumcised part of Abraham his lord, and sware to him according to this thing.

And the servant took ten camels from the camels of his lord, and went: for all the goodly treasures of his lord were in his hand; and he arose and went unto Aram, which was by the Pherat, to the city of Nachor. [JERUSALEM. And all the goodly treasures of his lord were in his hand; and he arose and went to Aram, which is by Pherat Naharaim.] And he made the camels lie down without the city by the fountain of waters, at the time of evening, the time when the fillers (of water) come forth. And he said, Lord God of my master Abraham, prepare thou a proper woman before me to-day, and deal graciously with my master Abraham. Behold I stand at the well of waters, and the daughters of the men of the city are coming forth to fill waters. Let the damsel to whom I say, Reach me now thy pitcher, that I may drink, and she say, Drink, and I will also make my camels drink, be she whom thou hast provided to go to thy servant Izhak; and herein shall I know that Thou hast dealt graciously with my master. And it was in that little hour, while he had not ceased to speak, that, behold, Rivekah came forth, who was born to Bethuel, son of Milcha, the wife of Nachor, the brother of Abraham, and her pitcher was upon her shoulder. And the damsel was a virgin, very beautiful to behold, and she descended to the fountain and filled her pitcher, and came up. And the servant ran to meet her, and said, Let me taste now a little water from thy pitcher. And she said, Drink, my lord; and hastened to let down her pitcher upon her hand, and gave him drink. And she finished giving him drink, and said, Also for thy camels I will fill until they be satisfied with drinking. And she hastened and emptied the pitcher into the canal, the place of drinking, and ran again to the well to fill; and she filled for all his camels. [JERUSALEM. And she made haste, and poured out her vase into the midst of the trough, and filled, and gave drink to all the camels.] But the man waited, and was silent, to know whether the Lord had prospered his way or not. And it was when the camels had been satisfied with drink, that the man took an earring of gold, of a drachma in weight, the counterpart of the drachma of the head (money) which her children presented for the work of the sanctuary; and he set two golden bracelets upon her hands, in weight ten sileen of gold; the sum of their weight being the counterpart of the two tables on which were inscribed the Ten Words. And he said, Whose daughter art thou? Tell me now, if in thy father's house there be room for us to lodge. And she said, I am the daughter of Bethuel the son of Milcha, whom she bare to Nachor. And she told him, saying, There is also straw and provender in plenty with us, as also proper room to lodge. And the man bowed and worshipped before the Lord, who had thus prepared before him a suitable wife. And he said, Blessed be the Name of the Lord, the God of my master Abraham, who hath not restrained His mercy and His truth from my master; for the sake of his righteousness in the right way hath the Lord led me to the house of my master's brother.

And Rivekah had a brother whose name was Laban. And Laban ran towards the man without at the fountain. And when Lamban saw the ring and the bracelets upon the hands of his sister, and heard the words of Rivekah his sister, saying, Thus hath the man spoken with me; he came to the man, and behold, he stood by the camels at the fountain. And Laban thought that this was Abraham, and said, Come in, thou blessed of the Lord: wherefore standest thou without, when I have purified the house from strange worship, and have prepared a place for the camels?

And the man entered the house, and Laban undid the gear of the camels, and gave the camels straw and provender; and water (to Eliezer) to wash his feet, and the feet of the men who were with him. And he set in order before him to eat, prepared food in which was poison to kill; but he objected to it, and said, I will not eat, until I have spoken my words. And he said, Speak. And he said, I am the servant of Abraham. And the Lord hath blessed my master greatly, and hath increased, and given him sheep and oxen, silver and gold, servants and handmaids, and camels and asses. And Sarah; my master's wife, bare a son after she was old, and he hath given to him all that he hath. And my master made me swear, saying, Thou shalt not take a wife for my son from the daughers of the Kenaanites in whose land I dwell, but shall go to my kindred, and take a wife for my son. But I said to my master, Perhaps the woman will not come after me. And he said to me, The Lord before whom I worship will appoint His angel to be with thee, and will prosper thy way; and thou shalt take a wife for my son from my household, from the race of my father's house. Then shalt thou be free from my oath: if, when thou art come to the house of my kindred, they give not to thee, thou shalt be free from thy oath.

Ashlamatah:

Yeshayahu (Isaiah) 51:2-11

1 ¶ Hearken to me, you that follow after righteousness, you that seek Adonai: look unto the rock whence ye are hewn, and to the hole of the pit whence ye are dug.

2 Look unto Abraham your father, and unto Sarah that bare you: for I called him alone, and blessed him, and increased him.

3 For Adonai shall comfort Zion: he will comfort all her waste places; and he will make her wilderness like Eden, and her desert like the garden of Adonai; joy and gladness shall be found therein, thanksgiving, and the voice of melody.

4 ¶ Hearken unto me, my people; and give ear unto me, O my nation: for a law shall proceed from me, and I will make my judgment to rest for a light of the people.

5 My righteousness is near; my salvation is gone forth, and mine arms shall judge the people; the isles shall wait upon me, and on mine arm shall they trust.

6 Lift up your eyes to the heavens, and look upon the earth beneath: for the heavens shall vanish away like smoke, and the earth shall wax old like a garment, and they that dwell therein shall die in like manner: but my salvation shall be for ever, and my righteousness shall not be abolished.

7 Hearken unto me, you that know righteousness, the people in whose heart is my law; fear not the reproach of men, neither you be afraid of their revilings.

8 For the moth shall eat them up like a garment, and the worm shall eat them like wool: but My righteousness shall be for ever, and My salvation from generation to generation.

9 ¶ Awake, awake, put on strength, O arm of Adonai; awake, as in the ancient days, in the generations of old. Are you not it that has cut Rahab, and wounded the dragon?

10 Are you not it which has dried the sea, the waters of the great deep; that had made the depths of the sea a way for the ransomed to pass over?

11 Therefore the redeemed of Adonai shall return, and come with singing unto Zion; and everlasting joy shall be upon their head: they shall obtain gladness and joy; and sorrow and mourning shall flee away.

Special Ashlamatah for Shabbat “Nachamu 1” – Isaiah 40:1-26

1 ¶ Comfort, comfort My people, says your God.

2 Speak comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned: for she has received of Adonai’s hand double for all her sins.

3 ¶ The voice of him that cries in the wilderness, Prepare the way of Adonai, make straight in the desert a highway for our God.

4 Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low: and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain:

5 And the glory of Adonai shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together: for the mouth of Adonai has spoken it.

6 The voice said, Cry. And he said, What shall I cry? All flesh is grass, and all the goodliness thereof is as the flower of the field:

7 The grass withers, the flower fades: because the spirit of Adonai blows upon it: surely the people is grass.

8 The grass withers the flower fades: but the word of our God shall stand for ever.

9 ¶ O Zion, that brings good tidings, get yourself up into the high mountain; O Jerusalem, that brings good tidings, lift up your voice with strength; lift it up, be not afraid; say unto the cities of Judah, Behold your God!

10 Behold, Adonai GOD will come with strong hand, and His arm shall rule for Him: behold, His reward is with Him, and His work before Him.

11 He shall feed His flock like a shepherd: He shall gather the lambs with His arm, and carry them in His bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young.

12 ¶ Who has measured the waters in the hollow of His hand, and meted out heaven with the span, and comprehended the dust of the earth in a measure, and weighed the mountains in scales, and the hills in a balance?

13 Who has directed the Spirit of Adonai, or being His counselor has taught Him?

14 With whom took He counsel, and who instructed Him, and taught Him in the path of judgment, and taught Him knowledge, and showed to Him the way of understanding?

15 Behold, the Gentiles are as a drop of a bucket, and are counted as the small dust of the balance: behold, He takes up the isles as a very little thing.

16 And Lebanon is not sufficient to burn, nor the beasts thereof sufficient for a burnt offering.

17 All the Gentiles before him are as nothing; and they are counted to Him less than nothing, and vanity.

18 ¶ To whom then will you liken God? Or what likeness will you compare unto Him?

19 The workman melts a graven image, and the goldsmith spreads it over with gold, and casts silver chains.

20 He that is so impoverished that he has no oblation chooses a tree that will not rot; he seeks unto him a cunning workman to prepare a graven image, that shall not be moved.

21 Have you not known? Have you not heard? Has it not been told you from the beginning? Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth?

22 It is He that sits upon the circle of the earth, and the inhabitants thereof are as grasshoppers; that stretches out the heavens as a curtain, and spreads them out as a tent to dwell in:

23 That brings the princes to nothing; he makes the judges of the earth as vanity.

24 Yea, they shall not be planted; yea, they shall not be sown: yea, their stock shall not take root in the earth: and He shall also blow upon them, and they shall wither, and the whirlwind shall take them away as stubble.

25 To whom then will you liken me, or shall I be equal? says the Holy One.

26 Lift up your eyes on high, and behold who hath created these things, that brings out their host by number: he calls them all by names by the greatness of His might, for that He is strong in power; not one fails.

Ketubim

Targum Psalm 17

1. ¶ A prayer of David. Accept, O Lord, my entreaty; in righteousness hear my praise; you will incline your ear to my prayer, since my lips are without guile.

2. From Your presence my judgment shall come forth; Your eyes will behold honesty.

3. You have tested my heart; you have visited me at night; You have purified me and not found corruption. [If] I thought of evil, it has not passed my mouth.

4. Truly You have rebuked the deeds of the sons of men by the word of Your lips; I have kept [myself from] the ways of audacity.

5. Support my steps in Your path, lest my feet be shaken.

6. I have called You because You will receive my prayer, O God; incline Your ear, receive my prayer.

7. Display Your goodness, O redeemer of those who hope; from those who rise up against them by Your right hand.

8. ¶ Guard me like the circle that is in the middle of the eye; in the shadow of Your presence You will hide me.

9. From the presence of the wicked, those who harm me; my enemies, in the desire of their soul, surround me.

10. Their wealth has increased, their fat covers [them], their mouth has spoken arrogantly.

11. Our steps now have surrounded us; their eyes are fixed to extend throughout the land.

12. He resembles a lion who yearns to tear, or a jungle-cat that dwells in secret places.

13. Arise, O Lord, forestall him, strike him down; deliver my soul from the wicked man who deserves death by Your sword.

14. And the righteous who hand over their souls on Your account, O Lord, to death in the land, their portion is in eternal life, and their bellies will be filled with your good store; children will be satisfied, and they will leave their surplus to their children.

15. I in truth will see Your countenance, I will be satisfied at the time that I awake, from the glory of Your face.

Midrash of Matityahu

(Matthew) 3:13-17

13. ¶ Then Yeshua came from the Galil to Yochanan the Immerser at the Jordan river to consummate immersion.

14 But Yochanan the Immerser tried to prevent him, saying, I need to be immersed in response to your call, and do you come to me?

15 In replying Yeshua said to him, Permit it to be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all tzedakah (righteousness/charity). Then he allowed him.

16 And when he had immersed, Yeshua went up immediately unto the bank from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he was struck with awe and saw the Spirit of Elohim coming down like a dove and it filled him.

17 Then behold, out of the heavens a daughter of a voice saying, “This is My Son, My firstborn, My chosen, in whom My soul has taken pleasure.

Pirqe Abot

“All Israel have a share in the World to Come, as it is stated: And your people are all righteous; they shall inherit the land forever; they are the branch of My planting, the work of My hands, in which to glorify Me” (Isaiah 60:21).

Pirqe Abot II:7-8

MISHNAH 7. He used to say: "Increasing flesh increases worms [in the grave]; increasing possessions increases worry; increasing [the number of] wives increases sorcery; increasing maid-servants increases lewdness; increasing man-servants increases thievery. [But] increasing Torah increases life; increasing assiduous study increases wisdom; increasing counsel increases understanding; and increasing charity increases peace. One who has acquired a good name has acquired it for himself; one who has acquired for himself Torah knowledge has acquired for himself life in the World to Come."

QUESTION: What kind of peace is made by giving charity?

ANSWER: On the verse, "Do not glorify a destitute person in his grievance" (Exodus 23:3), the Or Hachaim asks, "What is the grievance of the poor man?" He answers, often the poor man is grieved about his economic situation and may express his frustration and anger against Ha-Shem: "Why does He take care of everyone and forsake me?" When one extends tzedakah (charity) to the needy, he refutes the contention of the poor man. Now that his situation is alleviated, his complaining will cease and he will be at peace with Ha-Shem.

Alternatively, in our prayers we beseech, “Ose Shalom Bimromav, Hu Ya’ase Shalom Alenu” ("He who makes peace in His heights, may He make peace for us") What is the analogy? Ha-Shem called the heavens "shamayim" because they consist of two components: esh – fire, and mayim - water. These are two rivals, since water extinguishes fire and fire can evaporate water, and Ha-Shem made peace between them (Chagigah 12a).

The physical body consists of four elements: fire, water, air, and earth. A healthy person's body must have a specific amount of heat, and the water cools the body. If the body temperature is too high, one can expire due to hypothermia, and if it is too low, one can expire due to hypothermia. Our prayer to Ha-Shem is that just as He makes peace in the heights - between fire and water so that the heaven can exist, likewise - may He make peace upon us so that there will be an equilibrium between the fire and water in our body.

King Shlomo (Solomon) says, "Tzedakah tatzil mimavet" - "Charity saves from death" (Proverbs 10:12). Thus, through tzedakah (charity) the peace between the fire and the water in the body is maintained.

QUESTION: In the statement: "One who has acquired for himself Torah knowledge has acquired for himself life in the world to come" The first "lo" - for himself - seems extra?

ANSWER: A story is told of a great scholar who was unfortunately lacking much in his inter-personal relationships. Once, someone praised him to a Torah Master, saying, "He learned the entire (Talmud).” The Torah Master retorted, "He may have learned the entire Talmud, but what did the Talmud teach him?" There are people who learn very much, but unfortunately their learning does not have an effect on their character. With the word "lo" the sage is emphasizing, "If one has learned Torah and truly internalized it and this has made him into a better person, then he has acquired for himself the world to come."

MISHNAH 8. Rabban Yochanan ben Zakkai received [the oral tradition] from Hillel and Shammai. He used to say: "If you have studied much Torah, do not claim special credit for yourself; for, for this very purpose were you created."

QUESTION: Instead of "Al tachazik tovah le'atzmach" - "do not ascribe merit to yourself' - why doesn't it say "Al tehei ba'al ga'avah " - "Do not be a conceited person"?

ANSWER: Our sages teach that true good is only Torah, as it is stated, "Ki lekach tov natati lachem Torati al ta'azovu," - "I have given you a good teaching; do not forsake My Torah" (Pirqe Abot 6:3). Unfortunately, there are many who learn much Torah, but do not share their knowledge with others. The saying teaches: "Im lamadeta Torah harbe" - "if you have learned much Torah" - "al tachazik tovah le'atzmach" - "do not keep this good thing, i.e. your Torah knowledge, for yourself but teach and share your learning with others." This is the very purpose for which a Jew was created - to learn Torah and teach it to others.

QUESTION: In the statement: "Since for this very purpose were you created [formed]" instead of "notzarta" - "you were created [formed]" - it should have said "noladeta" - "you were born"?

ANSWER: The Talmud (Niddah 30b) says that during the time that the embryo is being formed in the mother's womb, an angel teaches him the entire Torah. As he comes out to the world, an angel causes him to forget it all. The advantage of learning and forgetting over never having learned at all is that the material is learned over again much more easily than material learned for the first time. "Thus," the Mishnah is saying, "if you learned much Torah, do not take the credit for yourself since it is not a thing you accomplished on your own. When you were being formed and being prepared to make an entry into the world, the entire Torah was taught to you and this facilitated your present success in study."

Alternatively, the Talmud (Niddah 16b) says that prior to the formation of the child, the angel in charge of pregnancy takes the "putrid drop" before Ha-Shem and asks, "Will it be wise or foolish, rich or poor, strong or weak?" A decision for all these things is made in heaven. The only thing which is not predestined is whether it will be righteous or wicked. Thus, if one becomes wise and learned in Torah, it was predestined prior to the formation of the embryo. Consequently, the Mishnah says that one who has studied much Torah should not take the credit for himself since, "lekach notzarta" - this is how it was decided that he should be "formed," and thus it is not the person's doing but a quality with which Ha-Shem endowed him.

Commentary

Picking on the theme of Tu B’Ab, the Midrash Tanchuma Yelammedenu comments on the starting verse for our Seder this Shabbat: “And Abraham was old, well stricken in age …” (Genesis 24:1), as follows:

R. Joshua the son of Nachmani said: Men become old prematurely because of four things: fear, grief caused by children, a wicked wife and wars. We learn about fear from David, as it is written: But David would not go before it to inquire of G-d; for he was terrified because of the sword of the angel of the Lord (I Chronicles 21:30), and that is followed by the verse: And David was old (ibid. v.31). The consequences of grief brought on by children we learn from Eli. It is written: Now Eli was very old; and he heard all that his sons did to all Israel (I Samuel 2:21). The effect of wars is recorded in what happened to Joshua after he fought with thirty-one kings: And Joshua was old, well stricken with years (Joshua 23:1). We read about what transpires because of a wicked wife, in the verse: It came to pass when Solomon was old, that his wives turned away his heart after other gods (1 Kings 11:4). However, Abraham’s wife honored him and called him My Lord as it is said: And my Lord is old (Genesis 18:12). Concerning Sarah, Scripture states: A virtuous woman is a crown to her husband (Proverbs 12:4). Hence, it is written of him: And the Lord had blessed Abraham in all things (Genesis 24:1).

Then the Yelammedenu continues this theme in homily # 4 by stating:

“Scripture states elsewhere in reference to this verse (And Abraham was old and well stricken in years): A virtuous woman is a crown to her husband (Proverbs 12:4). This verse alludes to Abraham, who mourned for Sarah, for it was written previously: And Sarah died (Genesis 23:2). Abraham began to weep for her, saying: A woman of valor who can find? For her price is above rubies. The heart of her husband does safely trust in her (Proverbs 31:10). When did he demonstrate his trust in her? When he said to her: Say, I pray, that you are my sister (Genesis 12:13). She does him good and not evil all the days of her life (Proverbs 31:12). She seeks between wool and flax (v.13) alludes to her decision to separate Isaac and Ishmael when she said to her husband: Cast out this bondwoman and her son (Genesis 21:10). She is like the merchant ships (Proverbs 31:14); For the woman was taken to Pharaoh’s house (Genesis 22:15), and later Abimelech sent her away. She rises also while it is yet night (Proverbs 31:15). When did that happen? At the time Abraham arose early in the morning (Genesis 22:3). She considers a field and buys it (Proverbs 31:16). She thought about the field of Machpelah and acquired it. Ultimately she was buried there, as it is said: And after this, Abraham buried Sarah, his wife (Genesis 23:19). She girds her loins with strength (for the birth of Isaac) (Proverbs 31:17). When was that? When the angels appeared as it is said: And Abraham went into the tent unto Sarah (Genesis 18:6).

Who perceives that her merchandise is good (Proverbs 31:18). That was when the kings attacked them, as it is written: And he divided himself against them by night (Genesis 14:15). She stretches out her hand to the poor (Proverbs 31:19), by giving good food to passers-by. Yes, she reaches forth her hand to the needy (ibid. v.20); for she gave much charity and clothed the naked. She is not afraid of the snow for her household (ibid. v.21); that is she did not fear Gehenna. And why not? Because her entire household possessed garments (SHANIM pun on Shnayim = two – that is Sabbath and Circumcision). She makes for herself coverlets (ibid. v. 22): These were priestly garments. From the fruit of her hand she planted a vineyard (ibid. v.16). This refers to Israel, as it is said: For a vineyard of the Lord of Hosts is the house of Israel (Isiah 5:7). Her husband is known in the gates (Proverbs 31:23); that is, when he pleaded with the sons of Seth: Give me a possession of a burial place (Genesis 23:4). She makes linen garments (Proverbs 31:24) refers to the circumcision that took place, as it is said: The counsel of the Lord is with them that fear Him (Psalms 25:14). Strength and dignity are her clothing (Proverbs 31:25) alludes to the clouds of glory that encircled her tent. She opens her mouth with wisdom (Proverbs 31:26). When was that? When she said to Abraham: Go, I pray, unto your hand-maid (Genesis 16:2). She looks well to the ways of her household (Proverbs 31:27) indicates that she watched every day for the return of the angel who had informed her: I will certainly return unto you (Genesis 18:10).

Her children rise up, and call her blessed (Proverbs 31:28); And she said: Who would have said unto Abraham that Sarah should give children suck? For I have born him a son in his old age (Genesis 21:7). Many daughters have done valiantly (Proverbs 31:29) refers to the Gentiles, But you excel them all alludes to Sarah, as it is said: Look unto Abraham your father, and to Sarah that bore you (Isaiah 51:2). Give her of the fruit of her hand (Proverbs 31:31), for it is said: And the life of Sarah was a hundred and twenty and seven years (Genesis 23:1).

After her death, Abraham aged rapidly, for it is written: And Abraham was old, and it is also written: the hoary head is a crown of glory (Proverbs 16:31). Why was this crown of glory bestowed upon Abraham? Because he performed acts of charity. Therefore, it is written: And Abraham was old. The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him: It is sufficient for a servant to be like his master. This may be compared to a king who has a dear friend, to whom he says: “What present can I give you? You have silver, gold, male servants, handmaidens, fields and vineyards. I will give you the crown that is on my head, and place it upon your head.” Similarly, the Holy One, blessed be He, said to Abraham: Silver and gold I have given you, as it is said: And Abraham was very rich in cattle, in silver and in gold (Genesis 13:1); now what can I give you beside the crown that is on My head? When Daniel beheld Him, he said: And the hair of his head like pure wool (Daniel 7:9). And therefore, it is written: And Abraham was old, and well stricken in age (Genesis 24:1).

It is written that after Sarah’s death, the Holy One blessed be He, blessed Abraham. Why did He do that? Lest future generations declare that Abraham was blessed only because of Sarah. (And so, He said to Himself:) I will bless him after her death. Hence it is written: And the Lord had blessed Abraham. Whence do we know that Sarah was already dead when He blessed him? It is said: When he was but one, I called him, and I blessed him (Isaiah 51:2). And the Lord blessed Abraham in all things (Genesis 24:1). What merit had he acquired? He set aside tithes from all his possessions, as it is said: And he gave him a tenth of all (Genesis 14:20). Hence it is written: And the Lord blessed Abraham in all things.

Thus, our Midrash ties in the qualities of a good woman with the life of Sarah and with the qualities needed of the future wife for his son Isaac, whom Eliezer (Abraham’s servant) is entrusted to find in the house of Laban as we read in our Torah Seder this week. Thus, on this Shabbat of Tu B’Ab we are impressed upon our heart the vital importance of G-dly and valiant women of noble manners and full of Torah wisdom to ennoble the house of Israel through their deeds and children. May this so be with us and all Yisrael, amen ve amen!

Shalom Shabbat!

Hakham Dr. Yosef ben Haggai

"There were no holidays as joyous for the Jewish People as the fifteenth of Av and Yom Kippur …" (Mishnah, Taanit)

(Much of the material in this section is adapted from the

Book of Our Heritage

by Rabbi Eliyahu Kitov.)

"Tu B'Ab" - The Fifteenth of Av

Nowadays, on the Fifteenth of Av, we observe a partial holiday; we don't say "Tachanun," a daily plea for Divine mercy, on the day itself, nor even in the Afternoon Service of the day preceding the fifteenth, similar to a full-scale holiday. Bride and groom also do not fast if the fifteenth is the day of their marriage.

These customs commemorate many happy events which occurred at various times over the history of the Jewish People. Some of these events were associated with the Temple; in the present temporary absence of the Temple, the degree of observance is (temporarily) somewhat diminished. A partial listing follows:

The last Mishnah in Masechet Taanit says, "There were no holidays so joyous for the Jewish People as the Fifteenth of Av and Yom HaKippurim, for on those days, daughters of Yerushalayim would go out dressed in borrowed white clothing (so that they would all look the same). The King's daughters would borrow from those of the High Priest. Daughters of the High Priest would borrow from the Assistant High Priest's daughters; daughters of the Assistant would borrow from the daughters of the Priest designated to lead the People in times of War, the Kohen Anointed for War's daughters would borrow from the daughters of the Ordinary Priest. And the daughters of the rest of the Jewish People would borrow from each other, so as not to embarrass those who didn't have."

"And the daughters of Jerusalem would go out and dance in the vineyards located on the outskirts of the city. And everyone who didn't have a wife would go there." (Notice the relative lack of concern about controlling the situation when the opposite sexes are mixed, perhaps because the recent fast (in the case of Tu B'Ab) and the fast on that very day in the case of Yom Kippur, have triggered a sense of self-control, which would not ordinarily necessarily be present.)

"And what would they say?" "Young man, lift up your eyes and choose wisely. Don't look only at physical beauty - look rather at the family - 'For charm is false, and beauty is vanity. A G-d - fearing woman is the one to be praised...' ("Mishle"/Proverbs 31:30)"

This focus on women and on marriage in the celebration of the day is based on two enactments which were made on the Fifteenth of Ab, in favor of women:

The Torah tells us in Parshat Pinchas of the complaint to Mosheh of the daughters of one Tzelafchad regarding the seeming inequality in Jewish Law, in the case where a man dies without sons, that his daughters seem to be bypassed in the chain of inheritance with regard to acquiring property in the Land of Israel (Some commentators suggest, based on this complaint, that if the "Meraglim" (Male Spies) had been "Meraglot" (Female Spies) there would have been no problem, because women have a greater love for the Land of Israel than men, and would never have slandered it). Ha-Shem "steps in," so to speak, and informs Mosheh that the daughters should not be excluded in favor of the sons, but that the daughters must be required to marry within their tribe. This limitation on the marital prospects of Jewish woman was lifted once the Jewish People actually were settled in Israel; and it was lifted on the Fifteenth of Ab.

Another case where a limitation on Jewish women was lifted on the Fifteenth of Ab came in the Period of the Judges, in the wake of a punishment directed against the Tribe of Benjamin. The last chapters of the Book of Judges, which deals with the period of time approximately 1395 B.C.E. (Before the Common Era) - 1060 B.C.E.), the earliest period in the settlement of the Jewish People in the Land of Israel, described in that Book as basically a period of weak central control, when "there was not yet a king in Israel" (Judges 19:1), and "a person would and could do whatever he wanted to do."

An account is found there of the Tribe of Benjamin acting in accordance with the description assigned it by the father Yaakov as a "wolf which tears its prey" (Beresheet 49:7; this is certainly not a complete description of the characteristics of that Tribe, because it was in their section of the Land of Israel (along with the Tribe of Yehudah) where the Holy Temple would be built). In any case, a man and a woman traveling in the area of Benjamin were taken in as a neighborly gesture by an elderly man. The Binyaminites acted in a manner indistinguishable from the manner in which the residents of Sodom greeted the guests of Lot, (Beresheet 19:1-10) except that in this case, the victims were defenseless human beings and not angels, with super- powers. In short, the woman was abused and killed by the men of the Tribe of Benjamin.

The reaction of the other Tribes was to make Civil War against Benjamin, and to enact that none of their daughters would be allowed to marry a man from that tribe. But the enactment which prohibited a Jewish girl from marrying a man from the Tribe of Binyamin, like the earlier enactment against the orphan daughter of a man who died without sons marrying outside her own tribe, was cancelled at a later time, on the Fifteenth of Ab.

Shabbat:	Torah Reading:	Weekday Torah Reading:
ואברהם זקן
“V’Avraham Zaqen”	Reader 1 – B’resheet 24:1-9	Reader 1 – B’resheet 24:42-44
“And Abraham was old”	Reader 2 – B’resheet 24:10-14	Reader 2 – B’resheet 24:45-47
“Y Abraham era ya anciano”	Reader 3 – B’resheet 24:15-18	Reader 3 – B’resheet 24:48-51
B’resheet (Genesis) 24:1-41	Reader 4 – B’resheet 24:19-21
Isaiah 51:2-11	Reader 5 – B’resheet 24:22-26
Special: Isaiah 40:1-26	Reader 6 – B’resheet 24:27-33	Reader 1 – B’resheet 24:52-56
Psalm 17	Reader 7 – B’resheet 24:34-41	Reader 2 – B’resheet 24:57-61
Pirke Abot II:7-8	Maftir – B’resheet 24: 39-41	Reader 3 – B’resheet 24:62-67
N.C.: Matityahu 3:13-17	Isaiah 40:1-26