The Hebrew calendar (Hebrew: הלוח העברי‎) or Jewish calendar is a lunisolar calendar used by Jews for predominantly religious purposes. It is used to reckon the Jewish New Year and dates for Jewish holidays, and also to determine appropriate public reading of Torah portions, Yahrzeits (dates to commemorate the death of a relative), and daily Psalm reading, among many ceremonial uses. Originally the Hebrew calendar was used by Jews for all daily purposes, but by the era of the Roman occupation (1st century BCE), Jews followed the imperial civil calendar for all civic matters, such as the payment of taxes and dealings with government officials. A calendar is a system for assigning calendar dates to days. ... A Tunisian calendar showing Gregorian, Islamic and Berber dates // Afghan calendar (Afghan Calendar Project) Armenian calendar Astronomical year numbering Baháí calendar Bengali calendar Berber calendar Buddhist calendar Chinese calendar Coptic calendar Ethiopian calendar Fiscal year Germanic calendar (still in use by Ásatrúar) Gregorian calendar Hebrew calendar Hindu calendars Indian... Astronomical year numbering is based on BCE/CE (or BC/AD) year numbering, but follows normal decimal integer numbering more strictly. ... For the calendar of religious holidays and periods, see liturgical year. ... The Islamic calendar or Muslim calendar (Arabic: التقويم الهجري; at-taqwÄ«m al-hijrÄ«; Persian: تقویم هجري قمری ‎ taqwÄ«m-e hejri-ye qamari; also called the Hijri calendar) is the calendar used to date events in many predominantly Muslim countries, and used by Muslims everywhere to determine the proper day on which to celebrate... The ISO week date system is a leap week calendar system that is part of the ISO 8601 date and time standard. ... A lunisolar calendar is a calendar whose date indicates both the moon phase and the time of the solar year. ... A solar calendar is a calendar whose dates indicate the position of the earth on its revolution around the sun (or equivalently the apparent position of the sun moving on the celestial sphere). ... A lunar calendar is a calendar that is based on cycles of the moon phase. ... The Assyrian calender is a lunar-based calender that begins in the year 4750 BC, marking the finishing of the first temple build by the Assyrians for the God Ashur. ... The Attic calendar is the calendar that was in use in ancient Attica, the ancestral territory of the Athenian polis. ... The sun stone also called the Aztec calendar on display at the National Museum of Anthropology in Mexico City. ... The Tonalpohualli,the day-count in English, is the 260 day sacred calendar of early Mesoamericans. ... The Xiuhpohualli was a calendar cycle constructed from a count of 365 days, used by the Aztecs and other Nahua peoples from the central Mexican region during the Postclassic period of Mesoamerican chronology. ... In the Babylonian calendar a year consisted of 12 lunar months, each beginning when a new crescent moon was first sighted low on the western horizon at sunset. ... The Baháí calendar, also called the Badí‘ calendar, used by the Baháí Faith, is a solar calendar with regular years of 365 days, and leap years of 366 days. ... The Bengali calendar (Bengali: ) or Bangla calendar is a traditional solar calendar used in Bangladesh and Indias eastern states of West Bengal, Assam and Tripura. ... The Berber calendar is the annual calendar used by Berber people in North Africa. ... Bikram Samwat (Bikram Sambat, Devnagari:बिक्रम संवत, abbreviated B.S.) is the calendar established by Indian emperor Vikramaditya. ... The Buddhist calendar is used on mainland southeast Asia in the countries of Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, and Myanmar (formerly Burma) in several related forms. ... The term Celtic calendar is used to refer to a variety of calendars used by Celtic-speaking peoples at different times in history. ... The Coptic calendar, also called the Alexandrian calendar, is used by the Coptic Orthodox Church. ... A French Revolutionary Calendar in the Historical Museum of Lausanne. ... A page from the Hindu calendar 1871-72. ... The Javanese calendar is a calendar used by the Javanese people. ... The Juche Idea (also Juche Sasang or Chuche; pronounced // in Korean, approximately joo-cheh) is the official state ideology of North Korea and the political system based on it. ... The Revised Julian calendar is a calendar that was considered for adoption by the Eastern Orthodox churches at a synod in Istanbul in May 1923. ... Malayalam calendar (also known as Malayalam Era or Kollavarsham) is a solar Sidereal calendar used in the state of Kerala in South India. ... The Maya calendar is a system of distinct calendars and almanacs used by the Maya civilization of pre-Columbian Mesoamerica, and by some modern Maya communities in highland Guatemala. ... Tzolkin (in the revised Guatemala Mayan languages Academy orthography which is now preferred, formerly and commonly tzolkin) is the name bestowed by Mayanist scholars upon the version of the 260-day Mesoamerican calendar which was used by the Maya civilization of pre-Columbian Mesoamerica. ... The Maya Haab calendar is a 365-day solar calendar whose dates indicate the position of the Sun at noon relative to the zenith over the Yucatan peninsula. ... A calendar that commemorates the first year of the Republic as well as the election of Sun Yat-sen as the provisional President. ... The Nanakshahi (Punjabi: , ) calendar is a solar calendar that was adopted by the Shiromani Gurdwara Prabhandak Committee to determine the dates for important Sikh events. ... Nepal Sambat (Nepal Bhasa: नेपाल सम्बत) is a lunar calendar. ... The Pawukon is a 210 day calendar that has its origins in the Hindu religion in Bali, Indonesia. ... The Roman calendar changed its form several times in the time between the foundation of Rome and the fall of the Roman Empire. ... Page of the Soviet revolutionary calendar showing December 12, 1937 The Soviet revolutionary calendar was in use in the USSR from 1929 to 1940. ... The Tamil Calendar is followed by the Tamil speaking state of Tamil Nadu and Kerala in India, and by the Tamil population in Malaysia, Singapore & Sri Lanka. ... The Thai lunar calendar or Patitin Chantarakati (Thai: ปฏิทินจันทรคติ) was replaced by the Patitin Suriyakati (ปฎิทินสุริยคติ) Thai solar calendar in AD 1888 2431 BE for most purposes, but the Chantarakati still determines most Buddhist feast or holy days, as well as a day for the famous Loy Krathong festival. ... The Thai solar, or Suriyakati (สุริยคติ), calendar is used in traditional and official contexts in Thailand, although the Western calendar is sometimes used in business. ... The Tibetan calendar is a lunisolar calendar, that is, the Tibetan year is composed of either 12 or 13 lunar months, each beginning and ending with a new moon. ... Tết display in Ho Chi Minh City Tết Nguyên Đán (Sino-Vietnamese for Feast of the First Morning, derived from Hán nôm 節元旦), more commonly known by its shortened name Tết, is the most important holiday in Vietnam. ... By the traditional Xhosa calendar, the year began in June and ended in May, when Canopus, a large star visible in the Southern Hemisphere, signalled the time for harvesting. ... The Zoroastrian calendar is a religious calendar used by members of the Zoroastrian faith, and it is an approximation of the (tropical) solar calendar. ... The Julian calendar was a reform of the Roman calendar which was introduced by Julius Caesar in 46 BC and came into force in 45 BC (709 ab urbe condita). ... Runic calendar - Norwegian - carved wood. ... The Pre-Columbian people of Mesoamerica kept track of time with calendars which had ritual and religious meaning. ... Long Count redirects here. ... In the Mesoamerican calendars, Calendar Round dates are composed by interlacing the dates of the Tzolkin 260 day period (eg the Tzolkin) with that of the 365 day period (known in the Maya language as the Haab). ... Hebrew redirects here. ... A lunisolar calendar is a calendar whose date indicates both the moon phase and the time of the solar year. ... Languages Historical Jewish languages Hebrew, Yiddish, Ladino, others Liturgical languages: Hebrew and Aramaic Predominant spoken languages: The vernacular language of the home nation in the Diaspora, significantly including English, Hebrew, Yiddish, and Russian Religions Judaism Related ethnic groups Arabs and other Semitic groups For the Jewish religion, see Judaism. ... Jewish holiday, (or Yom Tom or chag or taanit in Hebrew) is a day that is holy to the Jewish people according to Judaism and is usually derived from the Hebrew Bible, specifically the Torah, and in some cases established by the rabbis in later eras. ... Torah reading (Hebrew:  ; Reading [of] the Torah) is a Jewish religious ritual that involves the public reading of a set of passages from a Torah scroll. ... Torah reading (in Hebrew: Kriat HaTorah or Reading [of] the Torah) has followed a steady pattern for the past two thousand years following the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem and is still practiced by Orthodox Judaism and its adherents. ... Yahrzeit or Yohr Tzeit, means Time (of) Year in Yiddish. ... Psalms (Tehilim תהילים, in Hebrew) is a book of the Hebrew Bible or Tanakh, and of the Old Testament of the Christian Bible. ... Iudaea Province in the 1st century Iudaea (Hebrew: יהודה, Standard Yehuda Tiberian , praise God; Greek: Ιουδαία; Latin: Iudaea) was a Roman province that extended over the region of Judea proper, later Palestine. ... The Julian calendar was a reform of the Roman calendar which was introduced by Julius Caesar in 46 BC and came into force in 45 BC (709 ab urbe condita). ...

The principles of the Hebrew calendar are found in the Torah, which contains several calendar-related commandments, including God's commandment during the Exodus from Egypt to fix the month of Nisan as the first month of the year.^[1] The Babylonian exile in the 6th century BCE influenced the calendar, including the adoption of Babylonian names for the months.^[2] Template:Jews and Jewdaism Template:The Holy Book Named TorRah The Torah () is the most valuable Holy Doctrine within Judaism,(and for muslims) revered as the first relenting Word of Ulllah, traditionally thought to have been revealed to Blessed Moosah, An Apostle of Ulllah. ... Mitzvah מצוה is Hebrew for commandment (plural mitzvot; from צוה, tzavah - command). ... This article is about the second book in the Torah. ... Nisan (Hebrew: נִיסָן, Standard Nisan Tiberian Nîsān ; from Akkadian , from Sumerian nisag First fruits) is the first month of the civil year and the seventh month (eighth, in leap year) of the ecclesiastical year on the Hebrew calendar. ... The Babylonian captivity, or Babylonian exile, is the name generally given to the deportation and exile of the Jews of the ancient Kingdom of Judah to Babylon by Nebuchadnezzar. ... For other uses, see Babylon (disambiguation). ...

Before the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 CE, the calendar was observational, with the beginning of each month determined by the testimony of witnesses who had observed a new crescent moon. Between 70 and 1178 CE a rule-based fixed-arithmetic lunisolar calendar system was adopted to achieve the same effect. The principles and rules of the current calendar were fully described by Maimonides in 1178 CE in the Mishneh Torah. Combatants Roman Empire Jews of Judea Commanders Titus Flavius Vespasianus Simon Bar-Giora Yohanan mi-Gush Halav (John of Gischala) Eleazar ben Simon Strength 70,000 men 13,000 men, split among three factions Casualties Unknown 60,000–1,100,000 (mass civilian casualties) The Siege of Jerusalem in the... A stone (2. ... BCE redirects here. ... In astronomy, a phase of the Moon is any of the aspects or appearances presented by the Moon as seen from Earth, determined by the portion of the Moon that is visibly illuminated by the Sun. ... A lunisolar calendar is a calendar whose date indicates both the moon phase and the time of the solar year. ... Commonly used image indicating one artists conception of Maimonidess appearance Maimonides (March 30, 1135 or 1138–December 13, 1204) was a Jewish rabbi, physician, and philosopher in Spain, Morocco and Egypt during the Middle Ages. ... The Mishneh Torah or Yad ha-Chazaka is a code of Jewish law by one of the most important Jewish authorities, Rabbi Moshe ben Maimon, better known as Maimonides or by the Hebrew abbreviation RaMBaM (usually written Rambam in English). ...

Because of the roughly eleven-day difference between twelve lunar months and one solar year, the year lengths of the Hebrew calendar vary in a repeating 19-year Metonic cycle of 235 lunar months, with an intercalary lunar month added every two or three years, for a total of 7 times per 19 years. Seasonal references in the Hebrew calendar reflect its development in the region east of the Mediterranean Sea and the times and climate of the Northern Hemisphere. With respect to the present-day mean solar year, the Hebrew calendar's year is longer by about 6 minutes and 25+²⁵/₅₇ seconds, meaning that every 224 years, the Hebrew calendar will fall a full day behind the modern fixed solar year, and about every 231 years it will fall a full day behind the Gregorian calendar year. This is due to the 0.6 second discrepancy between the calendric "Molad" (lunar conjunction interval), which is fixed by Jewish Law,^[3] and the actual mean lunar conjunction interval, which itself is slowly changing over time.^[4] In lunar calendars, a lunar month is the time between two successive similar syzygies (new moons or full moons). ... Solar year The period of time required for the earth to make one complete revolution around the sun, measured from one vernal equinox to the next. ... The Metonic cycle or Enneadecaeteris in astronomy and calendar studies is a particular approximate common multiple of the year (specifically, the seasonal tropical year) and the synodic month. ... Intercalation is the insertion of an extra day, week or month into some calendar years to make the calendar follow the seasons. ... Mediterranean redirects here. ... Northern hemisphere highlighted in yellow. ... Molad (plural Moladot) is a Hebrew word meaning birth that also generically refers to the time at which the New Moon is born. The word is ambiguous, however, because depending on the context it could refer to the actual or mean astronomical lunar conjunction (calculated by a specified method, for... Halakha (הלכה in Hebrew or Halakhah, Halacha, Halachah) is the collective corpus of Jewish law, custom and tradition regulating all aspects of behavior. ...

The current Jewish calendar year is 5768.

Structure

The Jewish calendar is a lunisolar calendar, or "fixed lunar year," based on twelve lunar months of twenty-nine or thirty days, with an intercalary lunar month added seven times every nineteen years (once every two to three years) to synchronize the twelve lunar cycles with the slightly longer solar year. Each Jewish lunar month starts with the new moon; although originally the new lunar crescent had to be observed and certified by witnesses, the timing of the new moon is now mathematically determined. A lunisolar calendar is a calendar whose date indicates both the moon phase and the time of the solar year. ... In lunar calendars, a lunar month is the time between two successive similar syzygies (new moons or full moons). ... Intercalation is the insertion of an extra day, week or month into some calendar years to make the calendar follow the seasons. ... Solar year The period of time required for the earth to make one complete revolution around the sun, measured from one vernal equinox to the next. ... The lunar phase depends on the Moons position in orbit around Earth. ...

Concurrently there is a weekly cycle of seven days, mirroring the seven day period of the Book of Genesis in which the world is created. The names for the days of the week, like those in the Creation story, are simply the day number within the week, with Shabbat being the seventh day. The Jewish day runs from sunset to the next sunset, and accordingly, standard times and time zones have no place in the Jewish calendar. Genesis (Greek: Γένεσις, having the meanings of birth, creation, cause, beginning, source and origin) is the first book of the Torah (five books of Moses) and hence the first book of the Tanakh, part of the Hebrew Bible; it is also the first book of the Christian Old Testament. ... For other uses, see Sabbath. ... Standard time is the result of synchronizing clocks in different geographical locations within a time zone to the same time rather than using the local meridian as in local mean time or solar time. ... Timezone and TimeZone redirect here. ...

The twelve regular months are: Nisan (30 days), Iyar (29 days), Sivan (30 days), Tammuz (29 days), Av (30 days), Elul (29 days), Tishrei (30 days), Cheshvan (29 or 30 days), Kislev (29 or 30 days), Tevet (29 days), Shevat (30 days), and Adar (29 days). In the leap years an additional month, Adar I (30 days) is added after Shevat, and the regular Adar is referred to as "Adar II". Nisan (Hebrew: נִיסָן, Standard Nisan Tiberian Nîsān ; from Akkadian , from Sumerian nisag First fruits) is the first month of the civil year and the seventh month (eighth, in leap year) of the ecclesiastical year on the Hebrew calendar. ... Iyar (Standard Hebrew אִייָּר Iyyar, Tiberian Hebrew אִיָּר ʾIyyār: from Akkadian ayyaru Rosette; blossom) is the eighth month of the ecclesiastical year and the second month of the civil year on the Hebrew calendar. ... Sivan In Ayyavazhi mythology Sivan is one among the Three Great Godheads or Trimurti in Ayyavazhi mythology and is the Tamil name for Siva. ... Tammuz (תמוז, Standard Hebrew Tammuz, Tiberian Hebrew Tammûz) This is the tenth month of the ecclesiastical year, the seventh month of the Arabic calendar, and the fourth month of the civil year on the Hebrew calendar. ... Av (אָב, Standard Hebrew Av, Tiberian Hebrew ʾĀḇ; from Akkadian abu) is also the eleventh month of the ecclesiastical year and the fifth month of the civil year on the Hebrew calendar. ... Elul (Hebrew: אֱלוּל, Standard Elul Tiberian  ; from Akkadian ) is the twelfth month of the Jewish civil year and the sixth month of the ecclesiastical year on the Hebrew calendar. ... Tishrei (or Tishri) (IPA: ) (Hebrew: תִּשְׁרֵי‎ (תִּשְׁרִי‎) Standard () Tiberian () ; from Akkadian Beginning, from To begin) is the first month of the civil year and the seventh month of the ecclesiastical year in the Hebrew calendar. ... Cheshvan (חֶשְׁוָן, Standard Hebrew ḤeÅ¡van, Tiberian Hebrew ḪeÅ¡wān, ḤeÅ¡wān, short for מַרְחֶשְׁוָן, Standard Hebrew MarḥeÅ¡van, Tiberian Hebrew MarḫeÅ¡wān, MarḥeÅ¡wān: from Akkadian waraḫsamnu, literally eighth month) is the second month of the ecclesiastical year and the eighth month of... Kislev (or Chisleu) (Hebrew: כִּסְלֵו, Standard Kislev Tiberian  ; from Akkadian kislimu) is the third month of the ecclesiastical year and the ninth month of the civil year on the Hebrew calendar. ... Tevet (טֵבֵת, Standard Hebrew Tevet, Tiberian Hebrew Ṭēḇēṯ: from Akkadian ṭebētu) is the fourth month of the ecclesiastical year and the tenth month of the civil year on the Hebrew calendar. ... In the story of Xenogears, Shevat is the name of a country, named after the Hebrew month. ... Adar (אֲדָר, Standard Hebrew Adar, Tiberian Hebrew ʾĂḏār: from Akkadian adaru) is the sixth month of the religious year and the twelfth month of the civil year on the Hebrew calendar. ...

The first month of the year is Nisan. The 14th of Nisan is the start of the festival of Pesach, corresponding to the full moon of Nisan. Though it is not expressly prescribed in these terms, Pesach is a spring festival, so the 14th of Nisan is the first full moon after the vernal equinox. Therefore, from the standpoint of determining the annual calendar cycle, the principal problem is that the lunar month/new moon of Nisan must occur before the spring equinox. Since at least the 12th Century, the Hebrew calendar has determined this time mathematically, but prior to this tradition held that the 1st of Nisan does not start (and an intercalary month would be added) until the barley is ripe. ^[5] This article is about the Jewish holiday. ... For other uses, see Full Moon. ... Illumination of Earth by Sun on the day of equinox The vernal equinox (or spring equinox) marks the beginning of astronomical spring. ... Intercalation is the insertioffn of an extra day, week or month into some calendar years to make the calendar follow the seasons. ...

While the bible designates this month (without calling it Nisan) as the first month of the year, Rosh Hashanah, which is literally "The Head of the Year", meaning "The Beginning of the Year", is actually celebrated on the first of the seventh month, currently called Tishrei, so most Jews today view Tishrei as the de facto beginning of the year. Although there are references to this holiday in the Torah, it was not then regarded as the beginning of the year, but more as a Holiday for reflection and remembrance. Nisan (Hebrew: נִיסָן, Standard Nisan Tiberian Nîsān ; from Akkadian , from Sumerian nisag First fruits) is the first month of the civil year and the seventh month (eighth, in leap year) of the ecclesiastical year on the Hebrew calendar. ... Look up Rosh Hashanah in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Tishrei (or Tishri) (IPA: ) (Hebrew: תִּשְׁרֵי‎ (תִּשְׁרִי‎) Standard () Tiberian () ; from Akkadian Beginning, from To begin) is the first month of the civil year and the seventh month of the ecclesiastical year in the Hebrew calendar. ... Template:Jews and Jewdaism Template:The Holy Book Named TorRah The Torah () is the most valuable Holy Doctrine within Judaism,(and for muslims) revered as the first relenting Word of Ulllah, traditionally thought to have been revealed to Blessed Moosah, An Apostle of Ulllah. ...

Sources and history

The Torah contains several commandments related to the keeping of the calendar and the lunar cycle. Main article: Mitzvah i know year 11 stella girls are looking at this right. ...

Day

The day is the smallest unit in the Jewish calendar. It is modeled on the Creation story and is of no fixed length. Based on the reference to "...there was evening and there was morning..."^[6], the Jewish day runs from sunset (start of "the evening") to the next sunset. There is no clock in the Jewish scheme, so that a civil clock is used. Though the civil clock incorporates conventions such as time zones, standard times and daylight saving, these have no place in the Jewish scheme. The civil clock is used only as a reference point - in expressions such as: "Shabbat starts at ...". The steady progression of sunset around the world and seasonal changes results in gradual time changes from one day to the next based on observable astronomical phenomena (the sunset) and not on man-made laws and conventions. Instead of the international date line convention, the antimeridian of Jerusalem is used. (Jerusalem is just over 35° east of the prime meridian). This article is about the biblical text. ... Timezone and TimeZone redirect here. ... Standard time is the result of synchronizing clocks in different geographical locations within a time zone to the same time rather than using the local meridian as in local mean time or solar time. ... Daylight saving time (also called DST, or Summer Time) is the local time a region is designated for a portion of the year, usually an hour forward from its standard official time. ... “Date line” redirects here. ... Location of the Prime Meridian Image:Prime Meridian. ...

Weeks

A bronze Shabbat candlestick holder made in Israel in the 1940s.

The Hebrew calendar follows a seven-day weekly cycle, which runs concurrently but independently of the monthly and annual cycles. The names for the days of the week are simply the day number within the week. In Hebrew, these names may be abbreviated using the numerical value of the Hebrew letters, for example יום א׳ (Day 1, or Yom Rishon (Hebrew: יום ראשון): Image File history File links Maurice_Ascalon_Shabbat_Candle_Sticks. ... Image File history File links Maurice_Ascalon_Shabbat_Candle_Sticks. ... The system of Hebrew numerals is a quasi-decimal alphabetic numeral system using the letters of the Hebrew alphabet. ... The word Hebrew most likely means to cross over, referring to the Semitic people crossing over the Euphrates River. ...

Yom Rishon (Hebrew: יום ראשון), abbreviated יום א׳ = "first day" = Sunday
Yom Sheni (יום שני), abbr. יום ב׳ = "second day" = Monday
Yom Shlishi (יום שלישי), abbr. יום ג׳ = "third day" = Tuesday
Yom Reviʻi (יום רבעי), abbr. יום ד׳ = "fourth day" = Wednesday
Yom Ḥamishi (יום חמישי), abbr. יום ה׳ = "fifth day" = Thursday
Yom Shishi (יום ששי), abbr. יום ו׳ = "sixth day" = Friday
Yom Shabbat (יום שבת or more usually שבת - Shabbat), abbr. יום ש׳ = "Sabbath day (Rest day)" = Saturday The word Hebrew most likely means to cross over, referring to the Semitic people crossing over the Euphrates River. ...

The names of the days of the week are modeled on the seven days mentioned in the Creation story. For example, Gen 1:5 "... And there was evening and there was morning, one day". "One day" also translates to "first day" or "day one". Similarly, Gen 1:8, Gen 1:13, Gen 1:19, Gen 1:23, Gen 1:31 and Gen 2.2. This article is about the biblical text. ...

The Jewish Shabbat has a special place in the Jewish weekly cycle. There are many special rules which relate to the Shabbat, discussed more fully in the Talmudic tractate "Shabbat". For other uses, see Sabbath. ... Moed (Festivals) is the second Order of the Mishnah (also the Tosefta and Talmud), Of the six orders of the Mishna, Moed is the third shortest. ...

In Hebrew, the word "Shabbat" (שַׁבָּת) can also mean "(Talmudic) week",^[7] so that in ritual liturgy a phrase like "Yom Reviʻi bəShabbat" means "the fourth day in the week".^[8]

Importance of Lunar Months

Num 10:10 stresses the importance of the new moon and consequently lunar months, "... in your new moons, ye shall blow with the trumpets over your burnt-offerings,"^[9]. Similarly in Num 28:11.

In his work Mishneh Torah, of 1178, Maimonides included a chapter "Sanctification of the New Moon," in which he discusses the calendrical rules and their scriptural basis. He notes, The Mishneh Torah or Yad ha-Chazaka is a code of Jewish law by one of the most important Jewish authorities, Rabbi Moshe ben Maimon, better known as Maimonides or by the Hebrew abbreviation RaMBaM (usually written Rambam in English). ...

"By how much does the solar year exceed the lunar year? By approximately 11 days. Therefore, whenever this excess accumulates to about 30 days, or a little more or less, one month is added and the particular year is made to consist of 13 months, and this is the so-called embolismic (intercalated) year. For the year could not consist of twelve months plus so-and-so many days, since it is said: throughout the months of the year (Num 28:14), which implies that we should count the year by months and not by days."^[10]

Months

Mosaic pavement of a zodiac in the 6th century synagogue at Beit Alpha, Israel.

Biblical references to the pre-Jewish calendar include ten months identified by number rather than by name. In parts of the Torah portion Noach (Noah) (specifically, Gen 7:11, Gen 8:4-5, Gen 8:13-14) it is implied that the months are thirty days long.^[11] There is no indication as to the total number of months in the annual cycle. Image File history File links Beit_Alpha. ... Image File history File links Beit_Alpha. ... Torah reading (in Hebrew: Kriat HaTorah or Reading [of] the Torah) has followed a steady pattern for the past two thousand years following the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem and is still practiced by Orthodox Judaism and its adherents. ... Noah or Nóach (Rest, Standard Hebrew נוֹחַ Nóaḥ, Tiberian Hebrew נֹחַ Nōªḥ; Arabic نوح Nūḥ) is a character from the Book of Genesis who builds an ark to save his family and the worlds animals from the Deluge, the universal flood. ...

In the parts of the Tanakh (the Hebrew Bible) prior to the Babylonian exile, only four months are named: Aviv (first; literally "spring", which originally probably meant "the ripening of barley"), Ziv (second; literally "light"), Ethanim (literally "strong" in plural, perhaps referring to strong rains) I Kings 6:38: seventh month; and Bul I Kings 6:38: eighth month. All of these are Canaanite names, and at least two are Phoenician (Northern Canaanite). For the musical collective, see Tanakh (band). ... This article is about the term Hebrew Bible. For the Jewish scriptures see Tanakh. ... Nisan (Hebrew: נִיסָן, Standard Nisan Tiberian Nîsān ; from Akkadian , from Sumerian nisag First fruits) is the first month of the civil year and the seventh month (eighth, in leap year) of the ecclesiastical year on the Hebrew calendar. ... This article is about the eight month of the civil year of the Hebrew Calendar. ... Tishrei or Tishri (תִּשְׁרִי, תִּשְׁרֵי, Standard Hebrew Tišri, Tišre, Tiberian Hebrew Tišrî, Tišrê: from Akkadian tašrītu Beginning, from šurrû To begin) is the first month of the ecclesiastical year and the seventh month of the civil year on the Hebrew calendar. ... The Books of Kings (also known as [The Book of] Kings in Hebrew: Sefer Melachim מלכים) is a part of Judaisms Tanakh, the Hebrew Bible. ... Bulgarian is an Indo-European language, a member of the Southern branch of the Slavic languages. ... The Books of Kings (also known as [The Book of] Kings in Hebrew: Sefer Melachim מלכים) is a part of Judaisms Tanakh, the Hebrew Bible. ... Map of Canaan For other uses, see Canaan (disambiguation). ... Phoenicia (or Phenicia ,[1] from Biblical Phenice [1]) was an ancient civilization centered in the north of ancient Canaan, with its heartland along the coast of modern day Lebanon and Syria. ...

According to the Book of Exodus, the first commandment the Jewish people received as a nation was to determine the new moon: Exodus 12:2 states, "This month [Nisan] is for you the first of months." Deut 16:1 refers to a specific month: "Observe the month of Aviv (HE: spring), and keep the passover unto the LORD thy God; for in the month of Aviv the LORD thy God brought thee forth out of Egypt by night." This article is about the second book in the Torah. ... The lunar phase depends on the Moons position in orbit around Earth. ...

During the Babylonian exile, which started in 586 BCE, Jews adopted Babylonian names for the months, which are still in use. The Babylonian calendar also used a lunisolar calendar, derived from the Sumerian calendar. The Babylonian captivity, or Babylonian exile, is the name generally given to the deportation and exile of the Jews of the ancient Kingdom of Judah to Babylon by Nebuchadnezzar. ... For other uses, see Babylon (disambiguation). ... In the Babylonian calendar a year consisted of 12 lunar months, each beginning when a new crescent moon was first sighted low on the western horizon at sunset. ... The Babylonian calendar was a lunisolar calendar with years consisting of 12 lunar months, each beginning when a new crescent moon was first sighted low on the western horizon at sunset, plus an intercalary month inserted as needed by decree. ...

Hebrew names and romanized transliteration may somewhat differ, as they do for כסלו / Kislev or חשוון / Marheshvan: the Hebrew words shown here are those commonly indicated e.g. in newspapers.

In a short (chaser) year, both Kislev and Cheshvan have 29 days. In a regular (kesidran) year, Kislev has 29 days and Cheshvan has 30 days. In a full (maleh) year, both Kislev and Cheshvan have 30 days. Tiberian Hebrew is an oral tradition of pronunciation for ancient forms of Hebrew, especially the Hebrew of the Tanakh, that was given written form by masoretic scholars in the Jewish community at Tiberias in the early Middle Ages, beginning in the 8th century. ... The Academy of the Hebrew Language (האקדמיה ללשון העברית) is the Supreme Foundation for the Science of the Hebrew Language, that was founded by the Israeli Government in 1953. ... Nisan (Hebrew: נִיסָן, Standard Nisan Tiberian Nîsān ; from Akkadian , from Sumerian nisag First fruits) is the first month of the civil year and the seventh month (eighth, in leap year) of the ecclesiastical year on the Hebrew calendar. ... Iyar (Standard Hebrew אִייָּר Iyyar, Tiberian Hebrew אִיָּר ʾIyyār: from Akkadian ayyaru Rosette; blossom) is the eighth month of the ecclesiastical year and the second month of the civil year on the Hebrew calendar. ... Sivan In Ayyavazhi mythology Sivan is one among the Three Great Godheads or Trimurti in Ayyavazhi mythology and is the Tamil name for Siva. ... Tammuz (תמוז, Standard Hebrew Tammuz, Tiberian Hebrew Tammûz) This is the tenth month of the ecclesiastical year, the seventh month of the Arabic calendar, and the fourth month of the civil year on the Hebrew calendar. ... Av (אָב, Standard Hebrew Av, Tiberian Hebrew ʾĀḇ; from Akkadian abu) is also the eleventh month of the ecclesiastical year and the fifth month of the civil year on the Hebrew calendar. ... Elul (Hebrew: אֱלוּל, Standard Elul Tiberian  ; from Akkadian ) is the twelfth month of the Jewish civil year and the sixth month of the ecclesiastical year on the Hebrew calendar. ... Tishrei (or Tishri) (IPA: ) (Hebrew: תִּשְׁרֵי‎ (תִּשְׁרִי‎) Standard () Tiberian () ; from Akkadian Beginning, from To begin) is the first month of the civil year and the seventh month of the ecclesiastical year in the Hebrew calendar. ... This article is about the Jewish holiday of Rosh Hashanah. ... Cheshvan (חֶשְׁוָן, Standard Hebrew Ḥešvan, Tiberian Hebrew Ḫešwān, Ḥešwān, short for מַרְחֶשְׁוָן, Standard Hebrew Marḥešvan, Tiberian Hebrew Marḫešwān, Marḥešwān: from Akkadian waraḫsamnu) is the second month of the ecclesiastical year and the eighth month of the civil year on the Hebrew calendar. ... Kislev (or Chisleu) (Hebrew: כִּסְלֵו, Standard Kislev Tiberian  ; from Akkadian kislimu) is the third month of the ecclesiastical year and the ninth month of the civil year on the Hebrew calendar. ... Tevet (טֵבֵת, Standard Hebrew Tevet, Tiberian Hebrew Ṭēḇēṯ: from Akkadian ṭebētu) is the fourth month of the ecclesiastical year and the tenth month of the civil year on the Hebrew calendar. ... In the story of Xenogears, Shevat is the name of a country, named after the Hebrew month. ... Adar (אֲדָר, Standard Hebrew Adar, Tiberian Hebrew ʾĂḏār: from Akkadian adaru) is the sixth month of the religious year and the twelfth month of the civil year on the Hebrew calendar. ... Adar (אֲדָר, Standard Hebrew Adar, Tiberian Hebrew ʾĂḏār: from Akkadian adaru) is the sixth month of the religious year and the twelfth month of the civil year on the Hebrew calendar. ... Adar (אֲדָר, Standard Hebrew Adar, Tiberian Hebrew ʾĂḏār: from Akkadian adaru) is the sixth month of the religious year and the twelfth month of the civil year on the Hebrew calendar. ...

The calendar rules have been designed to ensure that Rosh Hashanah does not fall on a Sunday, Wednesday or Friday. This is to ensure that Yom Kippur does not directly precede or follow Shabbat, which would create practical difficulties, and that Hoshana Rabbah is not on a Shabbat, in which case certain ceremonies would be lost for a year. Yom Kippur (Hebrew:יוֹם כִּפּוּר , IPA: ), also known in English as the Day of Atonement, is the most solemn of the Jewish holidays. ... For other uses, see Sabbath. ... The seventh day of the Jewish holiday of Sukkot, 21st day of Tishrei, is known as Hoshana Rabba (הושענא רבא, in Aramaic, Great Hoshana/ Supplication). ...

Leap months

Detail of the Ishtar Gate of Babylon, dating from the era of the Babylonian captivity.

Due to the difference in length between twelve lunar months and a solar year, a purely lunar calendar cycle would have resulted in the gradual shifting of the Hebrew calendar independently of the seasons. However, the Torah requires that certain festivals take place during certain seasons. This implies that a system of reconciling lunar months in the context of solar years and consequently seasons was in use. The Bible does not directly mention the addition of an "embolismic" or intercalary month that would prevent the drifting of the calendar year. Detail of the Ishtar Gate (Pergamon Museum, Berlin. ... Detail of the Ishtar Gate (Pergamon Museum, Berlin. ... The reconstructed Ishtar Gate in the Pergamon Museum in Berlin A detail from the reconstructed gate. ... This article or section is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. ... Intercalation is the insertioffn of an extra day, week or month into some calendar years to make the calendar follow the seasons. ...

Whether or not an embolismic month was announced after the "last month" (Adar) depended on whether "the barley was ripe".^{[citation needed]} It may be noted that in the Bible the name of the first month, Aviv, literally means "spring" but originally it probably meant "the ripening of barley". Thus, if Adar was over and the barley was not yet ripe, an additional month was observed. However, according to some traditions, the announcement of the month of Aviv could also be postponed depending on the condition of roads used by families to come to Jerusalem for Passover, adequate numbers of lambs to be sacrificed at the Temple, and on the ripeness of the barley that was needed for the first fruits ceremony.^{[citation needed]} Adar (אֲדָר, Standard Hebrew Adar, Tiberian Hebrew ʾĂḏār: from Akkadian adaru) is the sixth month of the religious year and the twelfth month of the civil year on the Hebrew calendar. ... Nisan (Hebrew: נִיסָן, Standard Nisan Tiberian Nîsān ; from Akkadian , from Sumerian nisag First fruits) is the first month of the civil year and the seventh month (eighth, in leap year) of the ecclesiastical year on the Hebrew calendar. ... Nisan (Hebrew: נִיסָן, Standard Nisan Tiberian Nîsān ; from Akkadian , from Sumerian nisag First fruits) is the first month of the civil year and the seventh month (eighth, in leap year) of the ecclesiastical year on the Hebrew calendar. ... This article is about the Jewish holiday. ... For other uses, see Barley (disambiguation). ...

Under the codified rules, the Jewish calendar is based on the Metonic cycle of 19 years, of which 12 are common years (12 months) and 7 leap years (13 months). The leap years are years 3, 6, 8, 11, 14, 17, and 19 of the Metonic cycle. Year 19 (there is no year 0) of the Metonic cycle is a year exactly divisible by 19 (when the Jewish year number, when divided by 19, has no remainder). In the same manner, the remainder of the division indicates the year in the Metonic cycle (years 1 to 18) the year is in. The Metonic cycle or Enneadecaeteris in astronomy and calendar studies is a particular approximate common multiple of the year (specifically, the seasonal tropical year) and the synodic month. ...

During leap years a month, Adar II, is added before Nisan. During leap years Adar I (or Adar Aleph — "first Adar") is actually considered to be the extra month, and has 30 days. Adar II (or Adar Bet — "second Adar") is the "real" Adar, and has the usual 29 days. For this reason, during a leap year, holidays such as Purim are observed in Adar II, not Adar I. Adar (אֲדָר, Standard Hebrew Adar, Tiberian Hebrew ʾĂḏār: from Akkadian adaru) is the sixth month of the religious year and the twelfth month of the civil year on the Hebrew calendar. ... For the 1921 film starring Fatty Arbuckle, see Leap Year (film). ... Aleph ‎ is the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet, together with Arabic descended from Phoenician . Its original sound value was a glottal stop. ... Bet or Beth is the second letter of the Phoenician alphabet, the Hebrew alphabet, and the Aramaic alphabet. ... Purim (Hebrew: פורים Pûrîm lots, related to Akkadian pÅ«ru) is a Jewish holiday that commemorates the deliverance of the Jewish people of the ancient Persian Empire from Hamans plot to annihilate them, as recorded in the Biblical Book of Esther (Megillat Esther). ...

New year

A shofar made from a ram's horn is traditionally blown in observance of Rosh Hashana, the beginning of the Jewish civic year.

The Jewish year has four distinct starting points, according to the Mishnah, Rosh Hashanah 1:1: Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (841x585, 96 KB) A small Ashkenazi style shofar made from a ram’s horn. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (841x585, 96 KB) A small Ashkenazi style shofar made from a ram’s horn. ... A shofar made from the horn of a kudu, in the Yemenite Jewish style. ... This article is about the Jewish holiday of Rosh Hashanah. ... The Mishnah (Hebrew משנה, repetition) is a major source of rabbinic Judaisms religious texts. ...

The day most commonly referred to as the "New Year" is the first of Tishrei, when the formal New Year festival, Rosh Hashanah ("head of the year") is observed. (see Ezekiel 40:1, which uses the phrase "beginning of the year".) This is the beginning of the civil year, and the point at which the year number advances. Certain agricultural practices are also marked from this date.^[12] Look up Rosh Hashanah in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

However, the first month of the year as prescribed in Exodus 12:2 is Nisan: "This month shall be to you the beginning of months". This means that the civil new year, Rosh Hashanah, actually begins in the seventh month of the year. Nisan (Hebrew: נִיסָן, Standard Nisan Tiberian Nîsān ; from Akkadian , from Sumerian nisag First fruits) is the first month of the civil year and the seventh month (eighth, in leap year) of the ecclesiastical year on the Hebrew calendar. ...

The month of Elul is the new year for counting animal tithes (ma'aser). Tu Bishvat ("the 15th of Shevat") marks the new year for trees (and agricultural tithes). Elul (Hebrew: אֱלוּל, Standard Elul Tiberian  ; from Akkadian ) is the twelfth month of the Jewish civil year and the sixth month of the ecclesiastical year on the Hebrew calendar. ... The Maaser Rishon (first tithe) or Levite Tithe, also known simply Maaser, based on the Hebrew word eser (tenth), was the tithe of produce due the Levites from produce grown in the land of Israel. ... Tu Bishvat (or Tu BiShevat) (טו בשבט) is a minor Jewish holiday (meaning there are no restrictions on working) and one of the four Rosh Hashanahs (New Years) mentioned in the Mishnah, the basis of the Talmud. ... In the story of Xenogears, Shevat is the name of a country, named after the Hebrew month. ...

There may be an echo here of a controversy in the Talmud about whether the world was created in Tishrei or Nisan; it was decided that the answer is Tishrei, and this is now reflected in the prayers on Rosh Hashanah.^[13] The Talmud (Hebrew: ) is a record of rabbinic discussions pertaining to Jewish law, ethics, customs, and history. ...

Epoch

The Jewish calendar uses a calendar era anno mundi ("in the year of the world"), abbreviated AM. Interestingly, the beginning of "year 1" is not Creation, but about one year before Creation. This caused the new moon of its first month (Tishrei) to be called molad tohu (the mean new moon of chaos or nothing). A calendar era is the year numbering system used by a calendar. ... Anno Mundi (AM, in the year of the world) refers to a Calendar era counting from the creation of the world. ... Look up creation in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

The Jewish calendar's epoch (reference date), 1 Tishrei 1 anno mundi, is equivalent to Monday, October 7 3761 BCE in the proleptic Julian calendar, the equivalent tabular date (same daylight period) and is about one year before the traditional Jewish date of Creation on 25 Elul AM 1, based upon the Seder Olam Rabbah of Rabbi Yossi ben Halafta, a second century CE sage.^[14] Thus, adding 3760 or 3761^[15] to any Julian/Gregorian year number after 1 CE will yield the Hebrew year. For earlier years there may be a discrepancy (see: "Missing Years" in the Hebrew Calendar). In chronology, an epoch (or epochal date, or epochal event) means an instant in time chosen as the origin of a particular era. ... Anno Mundi (AM, in the year of the world) refers to a Calendar era counting from the creation of the world. ... is the 280th day of the year (281st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... The proleptic Julian calendar is produced by extending the Julian calendar to dates preceding its official introduction in 45 BC. Historians since Bede have traditionally represented the years preceding AD 1 as 1 BC, 2 BC, etc. ... Cultures throughout history have believed the world formed or was formed at some time in the past, so methods of dating Creation have involved analysing scriptures and some physical data. ... Seder Olam Rabbah (Hebrew: סדר עולם רבה) is the earliest post-exilic chronicle preserved in the Hebrew language. ... Jose ben Halafta or Yose ben Halafta (Hebrew: יוסי בן חלפתא) was a Tanna of the fourth generation (2nd century CE). ... The missing years in the Hebrew calendar refer to a discrepancy of some 165 years between the traditional Hebrew dating for the destruction of the First Temple (3338 AM) and the modern secular dating for it (586 BCE) that results if the traditional date is interpreted according to the standard...

Karaite interpretation

For several centuries, many Karaites, especially those outside Israel, followed the calculated Rabbinical calendar used by most Jews for the sake of convenience. However, in recent years most Karaites have chosen to again follow the observational method. Karaite Judaism is a Jewish denomination characterized by reliance on the Tanakh as the sole scripture, and rejection of the Oral Law (the Mishnah and the Talmuds) as halakha (Legally Binding, i. ...

Karaites use the lunar month and the solar year, but the Karaite calendar differs from the Rabbinical calendar in two ways: the determination of the first day of each month (Rosh Chodesh), and the determination of the first month of the year (called aviv), which is the month in which Passover falls. Rosh Chodesh (Hebrew: Head/Beginning [of the Hebrew] Month) is the name for the first day of every month in the [[Hebrew calendar]]. Although Rosh Chodesh is not considered a religious holiday, it is observed with additional [[Jewish prayer]]s, including the Psalms of Hallel (praise) in all Orthodox and... This entry incorporates text from Eastons Bible Dictionary, 1897, with some modernisation. ...

For Karaites, the beginning of each month, the Rosh Chodesh, can be calculated, but is confirmed by the observation in Israel of the first sightings of the new moon. This may result in an occasional variation of a maximum of one day, depending on the inability to observe the new moon. The day is usually "picked up" in the next month. Rosh Chodesh (Hebrew: Head/Beginning [of the Hebrew] Month) is the name for the first day of every month in the [[Hebrew calendar]]. Although Rosh Chodesh is not considered a religious holiday, it is observed with additional [[Jewish prayer]]s, including the Psalms of Hallel (praise) in all Orthodox and...

The addition of the leap month (Adar II) is determined by observing in Israel the ripening of barley (called abib), rather than using the calculated and fixed calendar of Rabbinic Judaism. The four rules of postponement are not applied, as they are not found in the Tanakh. Occasionally this results in Karaites being one month ahead of Jews using the calculated Rabbinic calendar. The "lost" month would be "picked up" in the next cycle when Karaites would observe a leap month while other Jews would not. Abib, also spelled Aviv, has three meanings in Hebrew: The stage in the growth of grain when the seeds have reached full size and are filling with starch, but have not dried yet. ... Rabbinic Judaism (or in Hebrew Yahadut Rabanit - יהדות רבנית) is a Jewish denomination characterized by reliance on the written Torah as well as the Oral Law (the Mishnah, Talmuds and subsequent rabbinic decisions) as halakha (Legally Binding, i. ... For the musical collective, see Tanakh (band). ...

Change to a calculated calendar

Observational principles