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The 15th of Av in the Jewish calendar, or Tu B'Av, is set apart for engagements and marriages, according
to Jewish tradition. Although the day has been secularized to a degree, it has been rooted in Jewish tradition for more
than three thousand years.
The Rabbis explains that on this day, Jewish maidens used to go out to the fields
wearing borrowed white clothing and said "Young man, lift up your eyes and appreciate whom you are choosing to marry."
Tradition
teaches that on this day the Israelites who had entered the Land of Israel were permitted to marry outside their own tribes.
Many years later on this same day, the ban on marrying into the tribe of Benjamin (see Judges chapters 19, 20 and 21)
was rescinded. Both of these marriage related rulings were cause for great joy among the people of Israel.
The secularization
of this day and its having become "Love Day" shows that people want to love. This striving for love, goodness and giving to
others, is something that we should all try to develop, in a pure and holy manner.
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