Av (also Menachem Av, ; from Akkadian ''ʾAbū'' "

father A father is the male parent of a child. Besides the paternal bonds of a father to his children, the father may have a parental, legal, and social relationship with the child that carries with it certain rights and obligations. An adoptive fathe ...

") is the eleventh month of the civil year and the fifth month of the ecclesiastical year on the

Hebrew calendar The Hebrew calendar ( he, הַלּוּחַ הָעִבְרִי, translit=HaLuah HaIvri), also called the Jewish calendar, is a lunisolar calendar used today for Jewish religious observance, and as an official calendar of the state of Israel. ...

. The name comes from Araḫ Abu, "month of Abu", from the

Babylonian calendar The Babylonian calendar was a lunisolar calendar with years consisting of 12 lunar months, each beginning when a new crescent moon was first sighted low on the western horizon at sunset, plus an intercalary month inserted as needed by decree. Th ...

. The name ''Ab'' ( ar, آﺏ) also appears in the Arabic language for the month of August in the

Levant The Levant () is an approximate historical geographical term referring to a large area in the Eastern Mediterranean region of Western Asia. In its narrowest sense, which is in use today in archaeology and other cultural contexts, it is ...

(see Arabic names of calendar months).The name first appears in Second Temple literature, such as

Megillat Taanit ''Megillat Taanit'' (Hebrew: ), lit. ''"the Scroll of Fasting,"'' is an ancient text, in the form of a chronicle, which enumerates 35 eventful days on which the Jewish nation either performed glorious deeds or witnessed joyful events. These days ...

. It is one of several months which are not explicitly named in the

Hebrew Bible The Hebrew Bible or Tanakh (;"Tanach"
'' Gregorian calendar The Gregorian calendar is the calendar used in most parts of the world. It was introduced in October 1582 by Pope Gregory XIII as a modification of, and replacement for, the Julian calendar. The principal change was to space leap years dif ...

. The

Babylonian Talmud The Talmud (; he, , Talmūḏ) is the central text of Rabbinic Judaism and the primary source of Jewish religious law (''halakha'') and Jewish theology. Until the advent of modernity, in nearly all Jewish communities, the Talmud was the cent ...

, Taanit 29a, states that "when we enter he month of''Av'', our joy is diminished". This is because the darkest events in Jewish history occurred during the first week and a half of this month, particularly

the Nine Days The Nine Days of Av are a time of commemoration and spiritual observance in Judaism during the first nine days of the Jewish month of Av (corresponding to July/August). The Nine Days begin on Rosh Chodesh Av ("First of Av") and culminates on ...

which culminate in ''

Tisha B'Av Tisha B'Av ( he, תִּשְׁעָה בְּאָב ''Tīšʿā Bəʾāv''; , ) is an annual fast day in Judaism, on which a number of disasters in Jewish history occurred, primarily the destruction of both Solomon's Temple by the Neo-Babylonian E ...

'', the 9th of ''Av''. However, there is a minor and largely unknown holiday during the full moon of the month called ''

Tu B'Av Tu B'Av () is a minor Jewish holiday. In modern-day Israel, it is celebrated as a holiday of love ( ). It has been said to be an auspicious day for weddings. Historical significance According to the Mishna, Tu B'Av was a joyous holiday in the day ...

'' which was, in ancient times, one of the happiest days of the year.

Holidays in Av

* Av 9 – ''

'' * Av 15 – ''

Av in Jewish history

* 1 ''Av'' ( circa 1273 BCE) – Death of high priest Aaron * 1 ''Av'' (513 BCE) –

Ezra Ezra (; he, עֶזְרָא, '; fl. 480–440 BCE), also called Ezra the Scribe (, ') and Ezra the Priest in the Book of Ezra, was a Jewish scribe ('' sofer'') and priest (''kohen''). In Greco-Latin Ezra is called Esdras ( grc-gre, Ἔσδρα ...

and his followers arrive in

Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

* 5 ''Av'' (1572 CE) – Hillula of the Arizal * 7 ''Av'' (586 BCE) –

First Temple Solomon's Temple, also known as the First Temple (, , ), was the Temple in Jerusalem between the 10th century BC and . According to the Hebrew Bible, it was commissioned by Solomon in the United Kingdom of Israel before being inherited by th ...

invaded by King Nebuchadnezzar * 7 ''Av'' (67 CE) –

Civil war A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

breaks out in besieged

Jerusalem Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...

; one group set fire to the city's food stores, which is said to have quickened starvation. * 7 ''Av'' (1492 CE) – Jews of

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

expelled by King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella. * 7 ''Av'' (1853) - Death of Rabbi

Moshe Greenwald Moshe Greenwald (1853–1910), also spelled Grunwald, a rabbi in Hungary at the end of the 19th century. He was the rabbi of Chust, Hungary and progenitor of the Pupa Hasidic dynasty through his son Yaakov Yechezkiya. He was also the author of ...

, Rav of

Khust Khust ( uk, Хуст; hu, Huszt) is a city located on the Khustets River in Zakarpattia Oblast ( province) in western Ukraine. It is near the сonfluence of the Tisa and Rika Rivers. Serving as the administrative center of Khust Raion (distr ...

and author of ''Arugath Habosem'' * 9 ''Av'' (586 BCE and 70 CE) –

Holy Temple The Temple in Jerusalem, or alternatively the Holy Temple (; , ), refers to the two now-destroyed religious structures that served as the central places of worship for Israelites and Jews on the modern-day Temple Mount in the Old City of Jer ...

s destroyed by the

Babylonians Babylonia (; Akkadian: , ''māt Akkadī'') was an ancient Akkadian-speaking state and cultural area based in the city of Babylon in central-southern Mesopotamia (present-day Iraq and parts of Syria). It emerged as an Amorite-ruled state c. 1 ...

and

Romans Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy * Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

respectively. * 9 ''Av'' (133 CE) – Fall of Betar to the Romans, ending

Bar Kochba Simon ben Koseba or Cosiba ( he, שִׁמְעוֹן בַּר כֹסֵבָא, translit= Šīmʾōn bar Ḵōsēḇaʾ‎ ; died 135 CE), commonly known as Bar Kokhba ( he, שִׁמְעוֹן בַּר כּוֹכְבָא‎, translit=Šīmʾōn bar ...

's rebellion. * 9 ''Av'' (1290 CE) – Jews are expelled from England by

King Edward I Edward I (17/18 June 1239 – 7 July 1307), also known as Edward Longshanks and the Hammer of the Scots, was King of England and Lord of Ireland from 1272 to 1307. Concurrently, he ruled the duchies of Aquitaine and Gascony as a vassal ...

and not permitted to legally return for 350 years. * 10 ''Av'' (70 CE) – The

, set on fire the previous day, finishes burning. * 12 ''Av'' (1263) –

Disputation of Barcelona The Disputation of Barcelona (July 20–24, 1263) was a formal ordered medieval debate between representatives of Christianity and Judaism regarding whether or not Jesus was the Messiah. It was held at the royal palace of King James I of Aragon i ...

between Nachmanides and Pablo Christiani. * 13 ''Av'' (1984) - Death of Rabbi

Yosef Greenwald Yosef Greenwald ( he, יוסף גרינוואלד 1903 – Brooklyn 1984) was the second Rebbe of the Pupa Hasidic dynasty, and the charismatic leader of all the Pupa Hasidim. Prior to World War II, he was a rabbi and rosh yeshiva in Pápa, Hun ...

Rebbe A Rebbe ( yi, רבי, translit=rebe) or Admor ( he, אדמו״ר) is the spiritual leader in the Hasidic movement, and the personalities of its dynasties.Heilman, Samuel"The Rebbe and the Resurgence of Orthodox Judaism."''Religion and Spiritua ...

Pupa A pupa ( la, pupa, "doll"; plural: ''pupae'') is the life stage of some insects undergoing transformation between immature and mature stages. Insects that go through a pupal stage are holometabolous: they go through four distinct stages in thei ...

and author of ''Vaychi Yosef'' * 15 ''Av'' (148 CE) – Betar dead buried, 15 years after the fall of the fortress. * 15 ''Av'' – The Day of the Breaking of the Ax – when the

existed, the cutting of firewood for the altar was completed on this date every year. The event was celebrated by feasting, rejoicing, and the ceremonial breaking of the axes. * 17 ''Av'' (1929) – 67 Jews are killed in the Hebron Massacre. * 24 ''Av'' ( circa 100 BCE) – A Hasmonean holiday commemorates the reinstatement of Jewish civil law in place of

Hellenist Classics or classical studies is the study of classical antiquity. In the Western world, classics traditionally refers to the study of Classical Greek and Roman literature and their related original languages, Ancient Greek and Latin. Classics ...

secular Secularity, also the secular or secularness (from Latin ''saeculum'', "worldly" or "of a generation"), is the state of being unrelated or neutral in regards to religion. Anything that does not have an explicit reference to religion, either negativ ...

law on this day.

References

External links

Resources on the Month of Av

Hebrew Month of Av

This Month in Jewish History

A Chodesh Av Perspective
* {{Jewish and Israeli holidays Months of the Hebrew calendar

Holidays in Av

Av in Jewish history

See also

References

External links