The Jewish Calendar: History, Structure, and Traditions

The calendar, according to which the Jewish people live for several thousand years, differs from the calendar, which Europeans have long enjoyed. The Jewish calendar system is considered to be one of the most complicated among all the existing ones and is not similar to other known systems because it is not periodical. At first glance, it’s not easy to understand these calculations, but, nevertheless, it’s possible.

Historical Context and Development

During the first few centuries, the calendar of European peoples who accepted the Christian faith corresponded to the Jewish. Only in 325, at the Nicaea Cathedral, was the conditional date of the chronology from the Nativity of Christ, with which the time of the reformed Christian calendar began. By that time, according to the Jewish calendar, it was already the year 3760. Later, a permanent calendar in the modern form was established by the Jewish Sages in 4119 (approximately 359 AD).

Regarding its ancient roots, the names of the months the Jews adopted from the Babylonians. Before the Babylonian captivity (VI century BC), the Jews wore months just a serial number.

The Lunisolar System

The Jewish calendar is lunisolar. The ordinary Jewish year has 12 months of 29 and 30 days. The holidays of the Torah (the Pentateuch) are connected with the solar cycle, i.e. with the seasons: Passover (the Jewish Passover) is always celebrated in the spring. The Torah speaks of Pesach as a holiday of spring. But if you leave the lunar calendar unchanged, Pesach will move 11 days each time, and in 5 years this holiday would have to be celebrated in winter, and in a few more years - in the autumn. However, all the months mentioned in the calendar are lunar.

Determination of Months by the Sanhedrin

To maintain the calendar, it is necessary to observe the appearance of a new moon and determine the beginning of spring. In the days of the Sanhedrin - the Supreme Religious Court - the beginning of the month was determined precisely by observation. Each calendar month contains 29 days (incomplete month) or 30 days (full month). At sunset, at the end of the 29th day of the month, observers watched whether a new moon would appear.

As soon as they saw the new moon, they went to the Sanhedrin, where they were asked questions about the shape of the month they saw and about its position relative to the sun and the horizon. If the testimony of the witnesses converged, the next day was declared the first day of the new month - Rosh Chodesh. Such decision could only be made by the Sanhedrin. If on the 13th day a new moon did not appear, this meant that the month was full and consisted of 30 days. The 31st day, regardless of observations, was declared the first day of the new month, because on 31 days the new moon certainly would have appeared, even if no one had seen it.

The Additional Month and Leap Years

The question of whether the year consists of 12 months or 13 months was vested in several members of the Sanhedrin, who were guided by the growth and maturation of fruits and grains, the position of the sun and other considerations. The question of an additional month was decided in Adara, the last month of the year, after which Nisan usually goes. If it was admitted that the year consists of 13 months, it was announced before the end of Adar, and the next month after Adar was called not the Nisan, but the second Adar.

Holidays in the Exile

After solving the question of the duration of the month or year, it was necessary to inform all Jews. While all the Jews lived in the Land of Israel, it was not difficult, but with the beginning of the exile, the distances that had to be overcome were substantially increased. Therefore, fearing that the news may linger, the Sages decided that all holidays outside the Land of Israel should be celebrated for two days. The additional day of holidays has survived to this day, despite the replacement of observations by calculations.

The Twelve Zodiac Signs and Tribes

Each month of the Jewish calendar has a zodiac sign, that is, a belt on the celestial sphere, along which the moon, the sun and most planets move. The twelve zodiacal signs were also the emblems of the 12 tribes of Israel, which according to the Bible were descended from the 12 sons of Jacob. The following list correlates the signs of the zodiac with the months:

  • Libra: Tishrei
  • Scorpio: Marcheshwan
  • Sagittarius: Kislev
  • Capricorn: Tevet
  • Aquarius: Shvat
  • Pisces: Adar (the only month that doubles, the name of the sign stands in the plural)
  • Aries: Nisan
  • Taurus: Iyar
  • Gemini: Siwan
  • Cancer: Tammuz
  • Leo: Av
  • Virgo: Elul

Traditions of Creation

According to the Jewish tradition of the 25th Elul (usually in September-October), the Almighty began the creation of the World. The sixth day of creation - 1st Tishrei - is the day when man was created.