Life eternal will be better when we dance TB Taanit 31

With today’s daf TB Taanit 31 we finish our massekhet. Starting with TB Taanit 30b, the Gemara gives six different reasons why Tu B’Av (ט"ו באב-the 15^th day of Av) is such a happy day in the calendar year. Today’s daf describes it as the Jewish Sadie Hawkins Day when “The mishna also stated that the daughters of the Jewish people would go out and dance in the vineyards. A tanna taught: One who did not have a wife would turn to there to find one.” (Sefaria.org translation) Since the Gemara was written by men, I have to admit that what each category woman said is quite sexist by our standards.

Because the women went out and danced, the Gemara ends with the righteous dancing around the Holy One Blessed be He. “Ulla of the city of Bira’a said that Rabbi Elazar said: In the future, in the end of days, the Holy One, Blessed be He, will arrange a dance of the righteous, and He will be sitting among them in the Garden of Eden, and each and every one of the righteous will point to God with his finger (מַרְאֶה בְּאֶצְבָּעוֹ), as it is stated: “And it shall be said on that day: Behold, this is our God, for whom we waited, that He might save us. This is the Lord; for whom we waited. We will be glad and rejoice in His salvation” (Isaiah 25:9). God will be revealed, so that every righteous individual will be able to say: This is our God, as though they were pointing at Him with a finger.” (Sefaria.org translation)

Different commentators explained the symbolism of the righteous dancing in a circle around God in the middle. Rebeinu Bekhya writes that the dance in the form of a circle symbolizes that there is no end hinting of the blessed abundance that will come to the righteous in the future. The Ashlikh writesthat at this time the righteous will all merit the gift of Revelation for that is the idea behind each person being able to point his finger to the revealed God in the center of the circle. The Kaftor Uferakh writes this verse hints to the revelation of the secrets of Torah (which I understand to be the mystical understanding of Torah) based on מַרְאֶה בְּאֶצְבָּעוֹ of the baraita which the righteous will merit to know. The Maharal writes this will be the fulfillment of Jeremiah’s prophecy, “Then shall maidens dance gaily,Young men and old alike. I will turn their mourning to joy, I will comfort them and cheer them in their grief.”

 

Tomorrow we begin Megilah and learn all about Purim.