Hebrew calendar

The Jewish calendar (Hebrew הלוח העברי ha - ha - Ivri lu'ach ) is a lunisolar calendar. The months are aligned as in simple lunar calendar to the lunar phases. In addition to a normal year with 12 lunar months ( 354 days tidy long) there are leap years of 13 lunar months ( 384 days tidy long) to align with the solar year. The calendar exception rules can lead to an extension or shortening of the regular annual lengths by one day.

The Jewish year begins today in the autumn of Nisan, which is the month according to the Jewish view in which mankind was created. In biblical times, the year began with Nisan in the spring. The Nisan is the month of redemption, in which the Jewish ancestors went out from Egypt. The fact of salvation is still rated higher than that of creation by continuing but considered as a first, the first of Tishri as the seventh month of the year in the religious use of Nisan in the Jewish calendar.

The month names are Chaldean and come from the Babylonian exile.

• 2.2.1 beginning of the month
• 2.2.2 calendrical exception rules
• 2.2.3 name of the month

• 2.3.1 Simplified tempo
• 2.3.2 name of the Jewish weekdays
• 2.3.3 Creation

Origin and backgrounds

The Jewish calendar has been in its development by our own, Israelite traditions and influenced by elements of foreign cultures, especially during the Babylonian exile. The scheme of the present Jewish calendar is based essentially on determinations of the patriarch Hillel II in the year 359, but has - especially for counting the years - enforced only from the 11th century. He is currently arranged in a circle. It always begins in September or October.

Each Hebrew month begins today about a new moon. In ancient times, the beginning of the month was determined by the visible evidence of the "Birth of the Moon" by witnesses. The patriarch Hillel II established the valid to date calendar, lest the Romans by tracking and obstruction of dishes endangered Jewish life. On the basis of this calendar everyone knows in advance which month has 29 and which 30 days.

The Jewish calendar calculates the day from evening to evening ("and there was evening and there was morning, one day ," Gen. 1.5 ). The day ended in the former Jewish calendar, when at least three " intermediate" stars were visible, which could be connected to a sky triangle, where the term "average " refers to stars of the first and second size.

Met the messengers of the court in Jerusalem does not log in the diaspora of the Jews to tell them the exact date of the month beginning this every mentioned in the Torah festival celebrated on the safety for two days instead of just one, because they did not know yes whether the previous month had 29 or 30 days. To prevent the error and go to the hard not to desecrate, they introduced this holiday. This is the " second holiday in the Diaspora " has become a custom that has survived to this day.

Only the Day of Atonement is observed on a single day, as it took into account that it is difficult for the people to fast after another 48 hours. The New Year festival lasts for two days in the land of Israel, because even there, did not always know whether the month of Tishri would start after 29 or 30 days. For safety, the people stopped at the end of 29 Elul to work and " doing holy" as on an ordinary holiday. To any errors excluded at the outset, the Jewish leaders finally ordered the two-day duration of the festival. Despite the later exactly specific calendar you still celebrating in the Diaspora to " Boxing Day ", on the grounds that it was " custom of the ancestors ."

Structure of the calendar

The Jewish calendar is divided into years, months and days. Since it is a lunisolar calendar, so oriented to both the lunar year as well as the solar year, the Jewish calendar requires a switching regulation to compensate for both the lunar and the solar year. The basis for the switching rule, the division of the day into hours and moments. In order to compensate for the longer of 11 days of sun a year (in contrast to Islam, the festivals because of the pure lunar calendar sometimes in the summer and sometimes fall in the winter), is in a cycle of 19 years, seven times a thirty -day intercalary month before the actual Adar added. During the leap month in that year takes the name Adar, receives the 29 days comprehensive real Adar the name We- Adar ( "nor Adar "). As a leap year, the 3rd, 6th, 8th, 11th, 14th, 17th and 19th year are determined. The Jewish festivals are closely associated with the season, they hang together with their symbols and have natural events or agricultural practices to the content that each hard lend its special character.

The year

The Jewish calendar counts the years from the time of the Biblical creation of the world, the Hillel II after the Biblical chronicles to the year 3761 calculated BC. As a result, the Jewish calendar is already in the sixth millennium. Occasionally Jewish year figures are given but only three digits, here the Jewish millennium is assumed to be known.

The Jewish New Year ( with the next higher year) begins in the fall with the first day of the seventh month of Tishri, Rosh Hashanah ( " head of the year " ) is called. This day can only fall on a Monday, Tuesday, Thursday or Saturday. As the first month of the year, however, the spring month of Nisan is according to biblical tradition with the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt numbered (Ex 12:2). According to historians, this unusual arrangement goes back to the adoption of the Babylonian month names by the Israelites. In the Babylonian calendar was the Nisannu the first month. The discrepancy between the month and the beginning of the year count follows from the connection between these strangers and their own traditions of Israel. This would also explain why the Samaritans celebrate up to the present day New Year with the start of the first month.

Lunar year

The length of a lunar cycle - the average time from one new moon to the next - lasts exactly 29 days, 12 hours and 44 minutes ( according to Jewish time counting 29 days, 12 Scha'a and 793 Halakim - see section The Day ). This month period between 29 and 30 days has a lunar year 354 days when the last months alternately 30 and 29 days. Such a year is called " regular year." However, it is against the Lunar Year of eight hours, 48 ​​minutes and 40 seconds ( eight Sha'a 870 khalakim ) too short. Therefore, every three years to the month of Cheshvan added a tag that year then has 355 days and is called "excessive". It is also the month of Kislev deducted in other years, a day so that it counts only 29 days. Such a year is called " reduced ". Through these measures, which have been identified through lists of solar and lunar eclipses, resulting in an average of only deviations of 0.42 seconds compared to the actual month period.

Solar year

Since the solar year with a duration of the time average of 365.2422 days does not coincide with the lunar year, which takes an average of 354.3671 days, the balance must be created by a switching control. 19 solar years as so-called Metonic period are almost exactly 235 lunar months. Therefore, in the Jewish calendar within 19 years, the Years 3, 6, 8, 11, 14, 17 and 19 leap years, each with one extra month of 30 days. This switching - month is inserted before the month of Adar. The actual Adar is then ( " And - Adar " ) called " We- Adar ", " Adar Sheni - " ("second Adar " ) or simply " Adar II". The result is twelve common years, each with twelve months (144 months) and seven leap years of 13 months (91 months), all of which in turn " regular" can be " reduced " "excessive" or after the firing rule of the lunar year. Thus the calendar is adjusted so that it changes only slightly for movement of the sun and the seasons. The calendar year has an average length of 365.2468 days (365 days, 5 hours, 55 minutes and 25 seconds). A one-day deviation from the solar year of 365.2422 days occurs after 219 years.

The Karaites reject the rule-based insertion of the intercalary month and decide after the ripening of the barley in Israel, in a literal interpretation alone of the written Torah and the oral Torah rejection.

The month

Beginning of the month

The beginning of each month, as with most lunar -based calendars, determined by the first appearance of the crescent moon after the new moon, the so-called Neulicht ( Moled ). However, the months are based not always accurate to the phases of the moon: If by the so- determined beginning of the month for Rosh Hashanah a series of several days with labor ban (see Sabbath ) would result in the beginning of the year will be postponed by one or two days to to avoid this hardness ( because God wants according to Jewish understanding of people's lives through his commandments, not worse, but better do ). There are five rules for shift start of the year, which are based both on the calendar needs from solar and lunar year and are responsive to cultic needs of the holiday and Sabbath -order.

Calendrical exception rules

Does the Neulicht of Tishri until after 18.00 clock Jewish time, so Rosh Hashanah is to move on the following day. This occurs in about two of five.

If the Neulicht of Tishri on a Wednesday, Friday or Sunday, Rosh Hashanah is also to be laid on the following day. This usually takes place in about three out of seven years of implementation.

Would fall on a Wednesday, Friday or Sunday after application of Jach rule Rosh Hashanah, the rule Adu must also be applied, the New Year will also be moved to another day.

Does the Neulicht of Tishri of a common year on a Tuesday not before 9 clock and 204 Jewish Halakim time (see hour division ), then Rosh Hashanah to be postponed for two days. This rule applies in about three of 100 years.

If the Neulicht of Tishri in the year following a leap year, on a Monday not before 15 o `clock and 589 Jewish Halakim time, so Rosh Hashanah is postponed to the following day. This very rare case occurs only about once in every 200 years. Applied the next time again until the year 6013: Finally, the rule in 5766 was (2005/2006 Gregorian ) (Gregorian: 2252/2253 ). The rules Jach and Adu have religious reasons, the other three are required to maintain the rules. Only about 39% of all years actually begin on the day of Neulichtes, thus exceptions to the beginning of the year are more likely than the rule.

In practice, the shift of Rosh Hashanah is accomplished by adding one day to the month of Cheshvan or subtracting a day of the month of Kislev in the respective preceding year. This provides for Cheshvan Kislev and a total duration of 58, 59 or 60 days.

Taking into account the five exemptions, therefore, result in six different lengths Years: A common year is 353, have 354 or 355 days a leap year 383, 384 or 385 days. A distinction is therefore not only common and leap years, but also decreased ( 353/383 days), regular ( 354/384 days) and excessive ( 355/385 days) years.

Month names

The following table provides the names of the months with their approximate position in the Gregorian calendar. The assignment to the zodiac signs based on Jewish tradition and is an ideal type. It does not consider the exceptions and therefore does not agree with astronomical calculations exact match.

The day

A day of the lunisolar Jewish calendar begins with the preceding evening, otherwise, the word of the Bible " And there was evening and morning - a day " ( first book of Moses ) not to be construed. From the creation story of the Jewish Bible is therefore clear that each day is also a " pre- dinner " (Hebrew ערב Erev ) has.

The Jewish day has no fixed length. It runs from the beginning of the evening until the next evening. In places higher latitudes in the summer, for example, where the sun does not sink below the horizon, a day from a peak in the sun, local noon, counted noon the next day. In places higher latitudes in winter, for example, where the sun never rises above the horizon, a day from the date of the lowest state of the sun on their sky train, local midnight, counted the next midnight. These local and varying day lengths during the year must also be considered, for example, for the calculations of the Jewish prayer times.

Instead of using the international date line, there are various Jewish views on where the day goes. A point represents the use of the 180 ° anti - meridian of Jerusalem. Jerusalem is situated on the 35th meridian east ( geographical location: 35 ° 13 ' east longitude ) so the anti - meridian of the 144th meridian west is (144 ° 47' west longitude, passes through Alaska).

Simplified tempo

The Jewish day begins as a simplified measure of time, regardless of the sunset, at 18.00 clock in the evening. Therefore correspond to 24 or 0 clock bourgeois period, 6 clock Jewish time. Is divided the day into 24 hours ( Sha'a, pl. Sha'ot ). The division of the hour takes place in 1080 parts ( khalakim ). A portion ( Chelek, with the unit 1 P) thus takes 3 1/3 seconds, and is the shortest Babylonian unit of time digiti. The international time stamp clock 10:30 (morning) corresponds to 16 H 540 P according to the Jewish calendar. These times are also found in Israeli public life.

Names of the Jewish weekdays

The names of the Jewish day of the week are:

• Yom Rishon ( יום ראשון, literally " First Day " )
• Yom Sheni ( יום שני, literally " Second Day " )
• Yom Shlishi ( יום שלישי, literally " Third Day " )
• Yom Revi'i ( יום רביעי, literally " Day Four " )
• Yom Chamischi ( יום חמישי, literally " Fifth Day " )
• Yom Shishi ( יום שישי, literally " Sixth Day " )
• Shabbat ( שבת, literally meaning " peace " )

Creation

With regard to the first day of the created world, Annus Mundi, translated Jewish researcher October 6, 3761 BCE fixed. A reverse calculation, according to the biblical tradition, must BCE, 23 clock be 11 minutes became 20 seconds, the biblical word of God to creation (Gen 1.3 EU) directly with Yom Rishon, 6 October 3761: "Let there be light, and there was light. "

Use

The Jewish calendar is quite normal application in Israel. Not only the religious Jewish festivals, but also the secular are based on Jewish and not on the Gregorian calendar. Since at the international level as well as in tourism of the Gregorian calendar is determinative, the Israelis use both calendars in parallel in everyday life.

The festival, celebration and observances with a fixed date in the Jewish calendar are:

• Yom Kippur on the 10th of Tishri
• Sukkot from 15 to 21 ( 22 ) of Tishri
• Simchat Torah on 22 and 23 Tishri
• Hanukkah 25 Kislev Tevet to 2
• Tu biSchevat on 15 Schevat
• Purim on the 14th ( and 15th ) Adar
• Passover from 15 to 22 Nisan
• Yom haScho'a on 28 Nisan
• Yom Hazikaron on 4 Iyar
• Yom haAtzma'ut on 5 Iyar
• Yom Yerushalayim on 28 Iyar
• Shavuot on Sivan 6

On the 15th of Nisan the Passover at least the 10th century is celebrated, regardless of the actual full moon. This day is one of the most important Jewish holidays dar. Even the death of Jesus of Nazareth is directly related to the Passover, it is unclear whether it is around the 14th of Nisan ( the so-called preparation day ) or the 15th of Nisan ( Passover itself) acted. Therefore, the Christian Easter festival is usually held also in this month if it does not fall because of the Jewish leap year in an Adar II.

On the 10th of Tishri is Yom Kippur, one of the most important Jewish holidays.

In leap years the festival of Purim in Adar II takes place.

The data of the Jewish holidays for the years 2010-2015

The above listed daily data from the Gregorian calendar always denote the day of (0.00 clock ) of the corresponding Jewish day begins at midnight. According to the Jewish calendar, the festival actually begins, however, already at sunset of the previous day; the evening of the previous day is the " eve " of the festival.