Tu B'Av: sources for study and celebration on the fifteenth of Av

[Aharon Varady]

Friends,

You know what leads to mixed dancing? Tu B'Av, one of the two most joyous days on the Jewish calendar according to Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel (the other being Yom Kippur) begins tonight! If you're keen to learn how the day is celebrated and what its meaning and valence might be, I collected as many sources as I could find and posted them at the Open Siddur. I'll appreciate any comments and corrections you might have.
http://opensiddur.org/2011/08/tu-bav-sources-for-study-and-celebration-on-the-15th-of-av/

I'm also still curious what other historic and contemporary customs around Tish B'Av were recorded (or have yet to be recorded). Please send them to me.

R' Jill Hammer's graciously shared her reconstruction of the meaning of Tu B'Av along with a creative ritual for the day. (Her work is shared with a CC-BY-SA 3.0 Unported license):
http://opensiddur.org/2011/08/the-fruit-of-tu-bav-explanation-and-ritual-for-the-15th-of-av-by-r-jill-hammer/


Rosh Hashana l'Bheima

I'm also still on the lookout for resources to help better understand and potentially revive the Rosh Hashana l'maaser beheima. Thanks to Naftali Edjelman for sharing a Yiddish song that teaches the mitzvah of tza'ar baalei chayim, and to David Zvi Kalman for his suggestions re: the "koy," an animal that ambiguously straddles the categories of animals that are beheima and chaya.

Shavuah Tov and Happy Tu B'Av!
Aharon