The Hebrew Calendar and Jewish Holy Days
Judaism, with its rich history and intricate network of traditions, offers an array of holidays, each serving a distinct purpose and promoting a unique set of practices. These holidays can be broadly classified into Key Holy Days, Major Holy Days, and Minor Holy Days. This classification primarily hinges on the religious, historical, and cultural significance these occasions hold within the Jewish community, but it's crucial to note that the categorizations can differ depending on the specific Jewish community.
Key Holy Days
The Key Holy Days are the most significant holidays in the Jewish calendar and are marked by stringent observances and restrictions akin to the Sabbath.
1. Pesach (Passover) - Commemorating the Israelites' exodus from Egypt, Pesach is observed from the 15th to the 22nd of Nisan, typically in March or April. The historical event is recorded in Exodus 12:1-14. The holiday is celebrated with a ritual meal, the Seder, which includes the recitation of the Exodus story. Passover is closely connected with the Christian holiday of Easter, as the Last Supper was a Passover Seder.
2. Shavuot (Feast of Weeks) - Celebrated on the 6th and 7th of Sivan, around late May or early June, Shavuot marks the wheat harvest and the anniversary of the Torah's gifting at Mount Sinai, as mentioned in Exodus 34:22 and Leviticus 23:15-21. Nowadays, it is observed by studying the Torah, attending synagogue services, eating dairy foods, and festooning homes and synagogues with plants.
3. Rosh Hashanah (Jewish New Year) - Falling on the 1st and 2nd of Tishri, generally in September or October, Rosh Hashanah signals the inception of the Jewish High Holy Days and the ten-day period of repentance culminating in Yom Kippur. The day, referred to as a memorial of blowing of trumpets in Leviticus 23:23-25, is marked by synagogue services, personal introspection, and festive meals.
4. Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement) - Occurring on the 10th of Tishri, Yom Kippur is a day of fasting, prayer, and repentance. Biblically, it was the only day the High Priest could enter the Holy of Holies and make atonement for the sins of Israel, as detailed in Leviticus 16:29-34 and 23:27-32. The Yom Kippur War in 1973 began on this holy day.
5. Sukkot (Feast of Tabernacles) - Celebrated from the 15th to the 22nd of Tishri, Sukkot sees Jews living in temporary shelters or 'sukkot' to recall the Israelites' wilderness wanderings. The commandment to build these shelters is mentioned in Leviticus 23:34-43. It's one of the three pilgrimage festivals in Judaism.
Major Holy Days
The Major Holy Days hold significant religious and cultural importance, though not as profound as the Key Holy Days.
6. Purim - Celebrated on the 14th of Adar, typically in March, Purim is a joyous holiday commemorating the deliverance of the Jewish people from destruction in the Persian Empire, as recorded in the Book of Esther. The day is marked with public readings of the Book of Esther, charity, feasting, and merriment.
7. Hanukkah (Festival of Lights) - Celebrated from 25 Kislev to 2 or 3 Tevet, typically late November to late December, Hanukkah is not mentioned in the Old Testament. It commemorates the Second Temple's rededication in Jerusalem and the miracle of the oil that lasted eight days. Celebrations include lighting a menorah, playing a game with a dreidel, enjoying fried foods, and giving gifts.
8. Simchat Torah (Rejoicing of the Torah) - Celebrated on the 22nd and 23rd of Tishri, typically in October, this holiday marks the conclusion of the annual cycle of Torah readings and the commencement of a new one. The joyous event often includes processions with the Torah scrolls and dancing.
9. The Three Weeks and Tisha B'Av (The Ninth of Av) - This period from the 17th of Tammuz to the 9th of Av, typically in July and/or August, is a time of mourning for the destruction of both the First and Second Temples in Jerusalem. It culminates with Tisha B'Av, a fast day commemorating these destructions.
Minor Holy Days
The Minor Holy Days range from fasts to more modern celebrations. They possess unique customs and traditions, but their observance is not as extensive as the Major or Key Holy Days. These include Tu B'Shevat (New Year for Trees), Fast of Esther, Pesach Sheni (Second Passover), Lag BaOmer, Tu B'Av (Day of Love), Fast of Gedaliah, Fast of Tevet, and Fast of Tammuz.
The Hebrew Calendar
The Jewish calendar's wealth and spanersity reflect the religion's complex history and its deep connection to both religious scripture and historical events. As these holidays are observed using the lunar Jewish calendar, their exact dates can vary from year to year on the Gregorian calendar. Please also note that the significance of each holiday can vary significantly among different Jewish communities and inspaniduals.
The Hebrew or Jewish calendar is a lunisolar calendar, meaning it's based on the cycles of both the sun and the moon. It's used to determine the dates for Jewish holidays and for religious purposes such as counting the Omer and determining the correct reading of the Torah.
The year consists of 12 or sometimes 13 months to keep in sync with the solar year. The months, along with their approximate correspondence to the Gregorian calendar and main holidays, are as follows:
1. Nisan (March-April) - Passover, Yom HaShoah
2. Iyar (April-May) - Yom Hazikaron, Yom Haatzmaut, Lag BaOmer
3. Sivan (May-June) - Shavuot
4. Tammuz (June-July) - Seventeenth of Tammuz (Fast day)
5. Av (July-August) - Tisha B'Av (Fast day), Tu B'Av
6. Elul (August-September) - Selichot
7. Tishrei (September-October) - Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Sukkot, Shemini Atzeret, Simchat Torah
8. Cheshvan or Marcheshvan (October-November) - No major holidays
9. Kislev (November-December) - Hanukkah
10. Tevet (December-January) - Tenth of Tevet (Fast day)
11. Shevat (January-February) - Tu B'Shevat
12. Adar (February-March) - Purim.
13. In a leap year, there's an additional month called Adar II
The start year of the Hebrew calendar is based on what is called the Molad of Tohu or the birth of the moon, which is a traditional date for the creation of the world. This date is calculated to be 3761BC in the Gregorian calendar. As of 2023AD in the Gregorian calendar, the year in the Hebrew calendar is 5783 or 5784, depending on the specific date (as the Hebrew New Year, Rosh Hashanah, typically falls in September).
Molad of Tohu refers to the birth or the new moon closest to the beginning of creation in Jewish tradition. Tohu itself means chaos or void in Hebrew, referring to the state of the universe before creation. This date, often cited as 3761 BCE, is not based on any historical or astronomical event that we can pinpoint. Instead, it's a result of rabbinical calculations based on generations and lifespans as described in the Bible, from Adam to the destruction of the First Temple and beyond, as well as certain assumptions about the length of lunar cycles and years.
The Jewish Sages established a month to be 29.53059 days long, which is impressively close to our modern scientific measurement of the length of a lunar month: 29.530588 days!