Rabbi's Week in Review Blog

This past Sunday evening into Monday was Tu B’Av, the 15th day of the month of Av. It is a lesser known, post-biblical celebration, reflecting a time in Jewish history celebrating the beginning of the grape harvest and, of greater prominence, a day of love and connection. For easy reference and understanding, it is characterized by some as a Jewish Valentine’s Day.

There is no specific ritual connected to Tu B’Av other than omitting prayers of supplication. You can see Tu B’Av in its celebration of joyous love as the antidote to Tisha B’Av. It balances the remembrance of sorrowful times in our history against a backdrop of unreserved joy.

I often make reference to Jewish theology as behavior-based theology. We are instructed in great detail on how to act in all facets of life. It does not necessarily dictate feelings. However, like all things Jewish, there is always a caveat. We may not legislate feelings, but we certainly must honor and make space for our expressions of emotion. In its lack of specific ritual observance, Tu B’Av leaves for us a wonderful opportunity to experience joyful expression.

I thought about this in the context of our present electoral politics. While my own strong preference is to evaluate candidates for political office based on their policy positions — as well as their ability to govern in a way that can achieve what is promised to us, the electorate — present politics lean hard toward emotional appeal. The present shifts in momentum between candidates reflects an emotional appeal far outweighing any discussion of policy.

I could simply decry the way in which I see the electorate drawing from their emotional reservoir, and not from a reasoned evaluation of preferred policy positions and administrative acumen. Yet, for better or worse, we do connect to people, including the people we seek out to lead us, via our emotional compass; we see someone as one we can relate to or as one we cannot relate to, via how we feel about that person.

The recent groundswell of support that has shifted from Trump to Vice President Harris has been described by some political commentators as a movement. It presents as an expression of joyful emotion, often described as a shifting emotion from fear and despair to one of joy.  

Regarding the divisiveness within our Jewish community over Israel-Palestine and the best path forward, my own non-empirical observation is that the vehemence of positions held comes from a place of gut emotion over a reasoned evaluation of the best path toward a just peace — bringing home the hostages and ending the Palestinian humanitarian crisis. 

Rather than dismiss how people we differ with respond emotionally, a better course may possibly be to make space to express those emotions, to be listeners first. I say all this with the understanding that some people are simply unmoved, will not let go of a viewpoint that makes no room for anyone who may hold differing perspectives. Yet I still believe that for many, allowing for space to express themselves from an emotional place can lead to a more reasoned, respectful disagreement (machloket l’shem shamayim — argument for the sake of Heaven), and possibly finding areas of agreement. 

So, in honoring Tu B’Av, let us give space for our own positive emotional expression and that of others. That even during these contentious times, we find ways to connect to our better, more positive emotions of joy and love.