Today, Israel is celebrating Tu B’Av, a holiday of love, even though it is a later tradition. In reality, it is a celebration of warriors-winners who were faithful to God no matter what. Tu B’Av is a double holiday of God’s grace, love, and victory. Rarely does a holiday reveal that the best is yet to come despite any tragedies, problems, and past defeats. Rarely does a holiday reveal it in such a powerful way as the 15^th of Av does. 

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The 15^th of Av is a festival of victory over godless movements. Above all, it is a holiday of two servants of God – Yehoshua Ben Nun (Joshua) and Caleb. According to tradition, on the night of the 15^th of Av not a single Jew died in the desert. Before this day, Jews were dying every night until all generation passed away that refused to go into the Promised Land and fight for God’s victory. Only two people, Yehoshua Ben Nun and Caleb, were faithful to the plan of God, His will, and guidance. And they knew that the Lord, who promised to give them this land, would most assuredly give it, and nothing would be able to stand in His way.

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It is a holiday of the minority backed by God, who follow God, and who are not afraid to go against the grain. In Numbers 26:63-65, we read that those who didn’t want to fight and refused to believe that the Lord was leading them into a victorious and triumphal battle, instead of certain death, were the ones to die. 

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Friends, we must understand that we are celebrating the victory of those who were not afraid to fight. The 15^th of Av is a festival of those who didn’t want to go back to Egypt, who knew that the past was in the past, who didn’t make any compromise with it, but believed that a glorious victory was ahead. And any glorious victory lies through a triumphal combat ascent. And we will not battle with our own strength but with the strength of God!

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Boris Grisenko, the senior rabbi of KJMC