The holiday of Tu B'Av, seven days from Tisha B'Av, is one of the less known holidays in the Jewish calendar. Yet, in the Mishna it is described as one of the most joyous days of the year. In this class we delve into the historical and mystical aspects of this joyous holiday.

The fast day of Tisha B'Av, the 9th of Av, is one of the two 24-hour fast days in the Jewish calendar, the other being Yom Kippur. In a sense it is the "low point" of the Jewish year. Despite this, the tradition is that Mashiach is born on Tisha B'Av. Therefore, turning the tragic events of Tisha B'Av into ultimately a day of hope, prayer and anticipation for redemption and rectification.

This class highlights one of the greatest luminaries of the Kabbalah was the Arizal, who lived in Tsfat in the 1500's during the golden age of Kabbalah in that mystical city. His yartziet is the 5th day of Av. On this day thousands visit his gravesite in Tsfat.