This Shabbat is known by its Haftarah, which begins with the word “Nachamu.” It promises comfort to the Jewish people who are in exile after the temple is destroyed. The theme of comfort continues into Sunday with the celebration of fifteenth of Av, which is more commonly known as Tu b’Av. The Mishnah in Tractate Ta’anit remarks that Tu b’Av is one of the two happiest days of the Jewish calendar, on which the unmarried Jewish women would dance in the fields wearing white garments. Eligible men would select brides among the dancing maidens. Commenting on the Mishnah, the Talmud asks why Tu b’Av is considered such a happy day. Among the reasons are that it is the day the Jews in the desert realized that no more people would die annually on the night of Tisha b’Av, the day that the Israelites in the desert were given permission to marry other tribes, and the day that Jews were allowed by the Roman government to bury their dead in the city of Beitar. King Yeravam of the northern kingdom of Israel also allowed his subjects to descend to Jerusalem on this day.

At first, these reasons might not seem that significant. Certainly being allowed to burry one’s dead does not seem like a cause for celebration. These events might not appear dance-inspiring in and of themselves, but they all point to a larger motif. In these and other cases cited by the Talmud we first find death and prohibition. For instance, idolatry and lack of fertility caused by an inability to marry are often symbolized by death. These examples of death are followed by life and permission. The Jewish people can marry other tribes and are able to worship God rather than Yeravam’s idols. The suggested message is that after loss we are better able to appreciate gain; after death, we can put greater value on life.

Tu b’Av also demonstrates God’s eternal love for us, even in bleak times. While certain times can seem dark, they can lead to light. We are shown that God never really abandons us, even when He appears to do so.

We also discover that death often leads to life. Tu b’Av falls on the fifteenth of the Jewish month, the day on which the moon is full. It is often quoted that the moon represents the cyclical life of the Jewish people. Just as the moon becomes full, then shrinking before growing full again, our difficult periods lead to better times. Death, symbolized by the partial moon, comes before fertility, symbolized by the full moon.

For these reasons, Tu b’Av must follow Tisha b’Av, the saddest day on the Jewish calendar. As a day that lives in infamy, Tisha b’Av serves as the ultimate expression of death, tragedy, and God’s absence. Tu b’Av illustrates that after mourning there is yet hope for celebration.  Were they not preceded by Tisha b’Av, Tu b’Av and Shabbat Nachamu would lose their meaning.

While the arrivals of Shabbat Nachamu and Tu b’Av might not lead us to dance in the fields like our ancestors, they should inspire profound joy nonetheless.