Joanne Sher: Editor/Proofreader : Information on the Hebrew Calendar

The Hebrew calendar has twelve or thirteen months and is lunisolar, unlike the calendar we follow. This means that the months are based on lunar months, but the years on solar years.

Each month has either 29 or 30 days. Most years, the calendar has twelve months, but to make the calendar coordinate with the solar year, an extra "leap month" is added seven times every nineteen years. This is why Jewish holidays fall on different dates (on the Gregorian calendar) each year.

Some of the months are known by different names, and, depending on whether you are talking about the ecclesiastical or civil year, a Hebrew year begins in one of two different Hebrew months.

They also count the years differently - from what the Rabbis consider the beginning of time. On the Hebrew calendar, the current year is 5773 (until September 6, 2013, when it will change to 5774).

Also a day, rather than running from midnight to midnight, goes from sunset to sunset. Therefore, all Jewish holidays (including the Sabbath) run from sunset to sunset on the Gregorian calendar. (Want to know what the Hebrew date is today?)

Check out this link if you'd like more information on the Hebrew calendar.

2 comments:

Crystal A MurrayFebruary 23, 2013
Thanks for a nice, concise post on the Hebrew calendar. In our family, we try to follow what is going on there, and mostly we try to celebrate Sukkot. (There may some pictures of our Sukkah on Facebook where I've also sent you a friend request.) Sukkot is my favorite of the Jewish holidays (and the time I believe the Messiah was born). God showed me my heart for Israel and it completely changed my Christian walk. Note: I found this post from the Purim post you shared with the ACFW loop. Now I'm going back to read that one. :-)