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I'm trying to write down some of my friends' Hebrew birthdates, and because there's a bunch of them, I'm doing it in short. So 8 Tishrei 5763 would convert to 1/8/63 or ח׳ א׳ תשס״ג. (I think; I'm not entirely sure.) My question is how does this interact with the two Adars? So in a normal year, my friend who is born on Purim would be born on 6/14/62, but in a leap year, would that shift to 7/14? Or would the days stack so that it's written as 6/44? Or is there some other rule I don't know about? Thanks so much!!

(Note: here I'm using civil as opposed to religious dates, so Rosh haShanah would be on 1/1 instead of 7/1.)

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    Nissan is traditionally Month #1, not Tishrei. I don't know if there is a traditional way to write dates shorthand.
    – Double AA
    Jun 23, 2021 at 22:01
  • @DoubleAA ach that's on me; I used the civil dates instead of the religious ones. Thanks! Jun 24, 2021 at 0:57
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    While not proof, it is instructive that Microsoft Word's "Insert Date" feature will only allow you to have the hebrew month as a word rather than a number. Jun 24, 2021 at 2:37
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    Welcome to MiYodeya and thanks for this first question. Great to have you learn with us!
    – mbloch
    Jun 24, 2021 at 3:21
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    The new year starts on 1 Tishrei, however Tishrei is the seventh month. An analogy is used of the difference between the fiscal year and the calendar year. That is why originally the fiscal year of the United States started in July, but now starts on October 1 even though the calendar year starts in January. Jun 24, 2021 at 15:51

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I wouldn't recommend all-numeric Hebrew dates because of the potential confusion between Biblical (from Nisan) and civil (from Tishrei) numbering systems.

You could try abbreviating the month names. The first two letters of each month name (in either Hebrew or Latin script) will suffice to disambiguate them. I'd use “(C)heshvan” instead of “Marcheshvan” to avoid any confusion with the Roman month of March.

There's still the issue of distinguishing the two Adars. Perhaps you could notate them as A1 and A2. Or, if it's just for personal use, use an entirely different name (e.g., תוספת/Tosefet) for Adar I.

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  • "civil (from Tishrei) numbering system" I've never heard of this system. In what context is it used?
    – Double AA
    Jul 30, 2021 at 17:00
  • @DoubleAA: That's just what Wikipedia calls it. Jul 30, 2021 at 17:06

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