Debora Landman, Rosh Chinuch of the Zionist Youth Center B’Argentina
The history of the Jewish people tells that before entering the Land of Israel after the
departure from Egypt, twelve spies were sent to observe the situation, the territory and
the people who inhabited the area at that time. Of those twelve spies, ten returned with
bad news, provoking panic and terror among the people. God became angry at them, and
that is when He decided that those Jews, who had experienced slavery, were not ready to
enter Eretz Canaan. Every ninth of Av for thirty-nine years, many Jews died because of
this punishment imposed by God. In the fortieth year, on the ninth of Av, the last
representatives of the “old generation” expected their death, as it had happened in
previous years. But nothing happened. The Jewish people then thought that perhaps they
miscounted the days and waited day after day for the right date to arrive. After a long
wait came Tu B’Av (the fifteenth day). When Am Israel saw the full moon, they
understood that the ninth day had already passed, that they were all alive, and that God
had forgiven them.
This is one of the reasons why Tu B’Av is a festive day for the Jewish people. Throughout
the years, this holiday has been modernized, and new meanings to celebrate this day have
been created. Today, it is celebrated as “the holiday of love”, and many couples choose
this date as their wedding day.
I believe that for us as educators, it is important in this chag to highlight and reflect on
the values of friendship, union and the creating of social connections, mainly between our
tnuot, our communities and the Jewish people. Moreover, an example of the
implementation of the values previously mentioned is Hanoar Hatzioni’s Family. Through
the different platforms that the tnua offers (machanot, machonim continentals, Shnat
Hachshara, etc.), we have learned to focus on those elements that unite us and make us a
family, rather than on those that differentiate us. Based on companionship and friendship,
we have proved that Hanoar Hatzioni’s Family is a great example of the union that
strengthens us.
May we keep going! Chag Sameach!
