Et Tu B'Av?

Shabbat Table Talk from the desk of Rabbi Alexander Seinfeld

August 8-9, 2025 • 15 Av 5785 • V'eschanan (Deut 3-7).

Tonight is the full moon of our 5th lunar month, the month of Av.

This event is called Tu B’Av.

The moon symbolizes the Jewish People - the "small light" reflecting the "great light" (Bereishis/Gen 1:16).

The moon symbolizes Jewish history - waxing and waning. And even when it looks like we're gone, we always come back. 

It's the pinnacle of the month of the lion, which is Yehudah (Judah) which is the origin of the word "Jew" — the tribe that symbolizes leadership achieved through gratitude and honesty.

(As opposed to leadership achieved through power or money.)

If you happen to be near a beach, you can experience a reminder of that power by seeing a high tide tonight and a low tide tomorrow mid-day.

The moon symbolizes the Jewish woman, who maintains her steady power whether or not she exerts it visibly. 

Fun fact: the highest high tide and lowest low tide are specifically when the moon is invisible. 

The Midrash says that the sun and the moon were once the same size, but then the moon shrank. And that one day the moon will be restored to its original size. 

These are symbolic statements and must be interpreted.

Question for your table: Based on the above moon symbolisms, what's your interpretation?

Shabbat Shalom

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