Do some communities still allow more mingling between the sexes on Tu B'Av? I understand that this used to be a custom, in addition to allowance of a more relaxed approach to women's tznius on that day (suggested by the article in the link). Do these customs still exist at all? If so, where, and to what extent?
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3Seems not: http://judaism.stackexchange.com/q/9416/759 – Double AA Feb 13 '12 at 22:31
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3Seems yes: "I know that today, there's no shortage of institutions hosting singles events, shabbatons, etc. around Tu B'Av." – msh210 Feb 13 '12 at 22:43
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do we know exactly how this was permitted in the past and the exact nature of this mingling to the extant that it could be replicated in a way which is in line with halacha? – Laser123 Apr 20 '17 at 20:33
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3the gemara in taanis, which i believe you were referring to , does not mention mingling, only that the single women would go out to the vineyards & single men would go there. There is no inference from there that the men would actually mingle with the women. – Ibber Chochem Feb 16 '18 at 02:12
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The heter to "mingling" is that it is part of the process leading to marriage. Similarly, the Rambam (Issurei Biah ch. 21 IIRC) writes it is a mitzvah for a man to determine if a potential wife is attractive, so that he won't come to reject her afterwards, even though in all other contexts this would be prohibited. So there are heterim for marriage, such as dates, which are not allowed in the charedi world except in the search for a spouse.
In those days the Tu B'av celebration led to marriage, so it was mutar Nowadays, we have different methods, so there would be no heter for Tu B'Av mingling.
N.T.
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