On the Fifteenth of Av Benjamin Was Allowed to Marry In

Yalkut Shimoni on Nach 76:4

Curated by Arthur·Told by Maggid·

"Cursed be he who gives his daughter to Benjamin" (Judges 21:18). On the fifteenth of Av, the tribe of Benjamin was permitted to enter the congregation [to intermarry with the other tribes], for it is written, "Cursed be he who gives his daughter to Benjamin" -- they read it as a verse and distanced him, and they read it as a verse and drew him near. They read it as a verse and distanced him: "Cursed be he who gives." They read it as a verse and drew him near: "Ephraim and Manasseh shall be mine like Reuben and Simeon" (Genesis 48:5); they read it as a verse and drew near, for it is written, "a nation and a company of nations shall come from you" (Genesis 35:11) -- and Benjamin had not yet been born [so the promise of tribes must include marrying into Benjamin].

Themes

TribesMarriageHolidays

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