Tu B’Av 2026, the 15th of the Hebrew month of Av, begins at sunset on Tuesday, July 28, and concludes at nightfall on Wednesday, July 29. This unique and lesser-known Jewish holiday celebrates couples and romantic love, for Judaism’s very own Love Day.
The earliest known mention of Tu B’Av in Jewish sources can be found in the Mishnah (the older part of the Talmud), which describes the 15th of Av as “the only festive holiday in the Jewish calendar that is as joyful as Yom Kippur.”
Considering the lofty significance of Yom Kippur as both the holiest day and the happiest day of the year, this statement might be surprising, but the Sages offer the following explanation: The reason why the Mishnah equates the joyfulness of Tu B’Av with the gladness of Yom Kippur is that both holidays notably share a theme of atonement.
The earliest tradition behind Tu B'Av reaches back to the Israelites' forty years in the wilderness. After the Sin of the Spies, God decreed that the generation that had left Egypt would die in the desert.
According to the Talmud, every year on the Ninth of Av, the Israelites slept in freshly dug graves, and thousands did not wake up.
In the fortieth year, however, no one died. Unsure whether they had miscalculated the date, they waited until the full moon of the 15th of Av. Only then did they realize that God's decree had ended.
Tu B'Av thus became a day celebrating forgiveness and new beginnings.
Another tradition behind Tu B'Av follows one of the darkest episodes in the Book of Judges. After the horrific abuse and murder of a Levite's concubine in Gibeah, the tribe of Benjamin refused to hand over the guilty men, triggering a devastating civil war. When the fighting ended, only 600 Benjaminite men remained alive. In their anger, the other tribes had sworn never to give their daughters in marriage to Benjamin, leaving the tribe on the brink of extinction.
The elders searched for a way to save Benjamin without breaking their oath. As the annual grape harvest festival approached in Shiloh, in the neighboring territory of Ephraim, they instructed the surviving Benjaminites to hide in the vineyards. When the young women came out to dance, the men emerged and took wives for themselves, technically avoiding the wording of the vow.
According to the Talmud (Ta'anit 30b), this reconciliation took place on Tu B'Av. The tribe of Benjamin was saved, and the fractured nation could begin to heal.
By the Second Temple period, Tu B'Av had become one of the happiest days of the Jewish year. Under the light of the midsummer full moon, unmarried women gathered to dance in the vineyards around Jerusalem, while young men came in search of a bride.
The Mishnah describes a remarkable custom: every woman wore a borrowed white dress. The wealthy borrowed from the poor, and even the daughters of prominent families wore borrowed garments, ensuring that no one was embarrassed or judged by her clothing. The focus was not on wealth or social status, but on character. To this day, Tu B'Av celebrates a love that transcends appearances and heals divisions.
For many centuries after the Jews' exile from the Land of Israel, very little was done to celebrate Tu B’Av, apart from omitting certain sadder prayers during services; however, this all changed with the re-establishment of Jewish independence in the State of Israel. The return of Jews to the Holy Land inspired a social movement focused on reviving forgotten aspects of ancient Jewish culture, including the celebration of “lost” biblical holidays like Tu B’Av.
Because of these efforts, over the past few decades Tu B’Av has been reborn as a modern holiday for celebrating love and romance, with many Israelis using the 15th of Av as an opportunity for a romantic night out or a chance to shower their significant others with romantic gifts symbolizing their commitment and love.
In some circles, the holiday has also taken on a feminist theme as a celebration of Jewish womanhood. Inspired by the dancing Israelite women of Temple times, Jewish women in some communities have been gathering in nature on Tu B’Av to dance and celebrate since at least early 20th century Europe.
While not everyone in more Orthodox circles has embraced Tu B’Av’s modern incarnation, a growing number of Israelis from the secular-to-modern Jewish communities have expressed enthusiasm for wider acceptance of this ancient-turned-modern holiday of love. It’s also growing in popularity in diaspora Jewish communities outside Israel, with an increasing number of Jews interested in both the romantic and the feminine aspects, and the holiday may eventually become even more popular than it is today!
Happy Tu B’Av from all of us at Judaica WebStore in Jerusalem!
Why not surprise your beloved with a special, romantic gift from Israel? Check out our Top 14 Romantic Gifts that Say “I Love You”, or our entire collection of gifts for loved ones here!
