Identity Card
Av is the eleventh month in the Hebrew calendar, beginning in the month of Tishrei and being the fifth month in the year that starts in the month of Nissan. The month of Av always consists of 30 days.
Its name, like the names of other months, is of Babylonian origin. Its source is the Akkadian word “abu” (meaning “father”). According to researchers, during this month, people used to harvest reeds for various purposes. In the Temple as well, the month of Av marked the end of the time when trees were cut for the altar arrangement.
In Babylonian, the meaning of the name is “fire,” which is an additional significance for the month’s name, as it is called after the intense heat prevailing during this time of the year.
The month of Av is also called “Menachem Av” (Comforting Av), due to the request for comfort over the fact that this month is considered a month of calamity and mourning in the Hebrew calendar, culminating in the destruction of the Temple on the ninth of Av.
Events of the Month:
- Rosh Chodesh Av until the ninth of Av – the nine days that conclude the period of the “Three Weeks.”
- The Shabbat before the ninth of Av is called “Shabbat Chazon” (Shabbat of Vision).
- The Fast of the Ninth of Av – a day of fasting in memory of the destruction of the First and Second Temples.
- The Shabbat after the ninth of Av is called “Shabbat Nachamu” (Shabbat of Comfort).
- The Fifteenth of Av – “There were no better days for the people of Israel than the fifteenth of Av.”
