Questions tagged [calendar]
Questions about calendars. The Jewish calendar is a lunisolar calendar that determines the dates of Jewish festivals.
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What is the significance of the fact that every month that has a Biblical holiday in it is a 30-day month?
Rosh HaShanah, Yom Kippur, and Sukkos are all in Tishrei, which has 30 days.
Pesach is in Nissan, which has 30 days.
Shavuos is in Sivan, which has 30 days.
What is the significance of this fact,...
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5 Iyar vs. 10 Adar
In Jewish tradition, we generally commemorate the ends of wars rather than their beginnings (e.g./i.e. Chanuka, Purim). The commemoration of the rebirth of Israel as the Jewish homeland in the past ...
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Cutting nails before Yom Tov
BSD
I know that it says in Shulchan Aruch one shouldn't cut one's nails on Thursday (really two days before Shabbat) in deference to the Shabbos.
Does this apply to Yom Tov as well? Meaning, should ...
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July 4th in relation to the Jewish calendar
I was wondering if anyone has any sources that discuss the fact that July 4th, 1776 was 17 Tamuz 5536. Is there any correlation between the Declaration of Independence and the Destruction of Jerusalem?...
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What if two communities had two different Shabbat days?
Imagine this: One community, A, keeps Shabbat on what we identify as Saturday. However, another community, B, for whatever reason, actually keeps Shabbat on what we identify as Sunday. These two ...
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Yakkov living in Egypt 17 years - connection to 210 years of servitude
Parshas Vayechi starts off that Yaakov lived in Egypt for 17 years. I was thinking that 17 years x 12 months = 204 months. Usually in 17 years there are 6 leap years which would increase the total ...
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Could the Jewish Calendar be changed because of climate change?
It seems that certain parts of the Jewish calendar are based on specific observations.
I found this on Wikipedia, about the old observational methods to adding leap months and it made me wonder if ...
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Apparent contradiction if Elul was made full when necessary
The Gemara Rosh Hashanah 19b says:
והאמר רבי חיננא בר כהנא א"ר מימות עזרא ואילך לא מצינו אלול מעובר
לא מצינו דלא איצטריך הא איצטריך מעברינן ליה
Didn’t Rabbi Chinana bar Kahana say that Rav said: ...
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Video course on Jewish Calendar
I made an (elementary) video on the Jewish Calendar, which goes through the basic principles from beginning to end, and actually uses them to calculate the full calendar for 5780. It came in just ...
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Where does Ramchal's idea of circulating calendar come from?
I am in search of any source preceding Derech Hashem, 4:7:6 (Sefaria Translation):
חגיגת החגים הזמניים: ואולם מלבד הקידוש הזה הנשער במדריגותיו כפי מדריגת קדושת הימים יש עוד ענינים פרטיים מיוחדים לכל ...
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Why are Creation and the Mabul not commemorated independently?
Our calendar marks days and dates important to our existence but they all start from the Exodus from Mitzrayim which makes sense because
A -- that's when we started fixing a calendar that related to ...
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For how long was there confusion about the date of a holiday?
The second day of Yom Tov outside of Israel was caused either by the length of time it took messengers to get to far away communities and tell them when the new month was declared or the confusion ...
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Why are agricultural requests based on holiday timing?
There are a few changes to the amida which reflect the changes in the seasons -- we add (or change to) mashiv haru'ach umorid hagashem (or geshem) at Shmini Atzeret (and back at Pesach) and switch TO ...
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Does the proclamation of the New Moon by Beis Din have an effect on nature?
I found in this celebratory volume, p 172 (haoros.com/download.asp?kovetzID=1086&ext=pdf)
והנה הרא"ה בספר בדק הבית שלו הובא בש"ך יור"ד סי' קפ"ט סקי"ג
הסכים עם קושיית הרמב"ן, ולפיכך כתב שיש ...
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Is there a reference that explains the literal meaning and etymology of the names of the Hebrew months?
Is there a reference that explains the literal meaning and etymology of the names of the Hebrew months? I am looking for something that explains both the common Babylonian names as well as the Tana"ch ...
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The connection between Tishrei and Tevet
Can anyone steer me towards resources which explore a connection or relationship between Tishrei and Tevet (I assume, on a mystical level). Both months have a fast day on the 10th day and the full ...
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Shemonei Esrei regarding the seasons in Divine Might
Every time I pray the Amidah, I get very hesitant regarding what season is appropriate for me to pray. I live in the southern hemisphere in a tropical climate. Therefore, we have one season dry and ...
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What is the date ending the 700 years mentioned in these midrashim?
Based on this answer I was able to have some extra fun reading over Shabbat.
First, I would like to say, that I was amazed as to how much of the material I was allready familiar with, mostly from ...
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What was done with the orders of the cohanim during a leap year?
In 1 Chronicles chapter 24 David set out orders for the cohanim to serve in the Beis Hamikdash. What he established is intuitive for a 12 month year, but what was done in a 13 month year? If possible, ...
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Why Kaddish for a parent is said for eleven months?
This answer cites a source which explains that Kaddish for a parent is customarily not said for 12 months so as not to imply a parent's status as that of "wicked."
Not wanting to label a parent ...
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System of counting months in Noach
Going through Noach with the help of Rashi, there are 3 different systems of counting months.
From (Tishrei|Nisan) 1 2 3
From (Kisleiv|Sivan) when the rain stopped
From (Cheshvan|Iyar) when the rain ...
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Why doesn't our decrease of joy extend beyond Tish'a B'Av?
Citing from here
There is a famous Mishnah that is cited towards the end of Masechet
Ta’anit (4:6) that states:
“Mishenichnas Av, Mema’atin Besimcha”
“When the month of Av arrives, we ...
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Did the people who followed the triennial cycle celebrate "Simchat Torah" in the same manner as those who followed the annual cycle?
I noticed this related question that briefly discusses Simchat Torah, but it mainly answers those that follow the annual cycle.
People following the annual cycle clebrate Simchat Torah on a Yom Tov (...
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Did Brit with rainbow happen in Kislev?
I read on torahvort.com in their article on Kislev that the Brit with Noach about the rainbow happened in Kislev. We know from the end of Ber 8:27 that Noach left the ark on the 27th of the 2nd month, ...
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Why are the daily tehilim divided as they are?
How were the daily starting and ending points for weekly and monthly readings of all of tehilim chosen? Are they just chosen to make them all approximately the same length, or are there specific ...
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If a Beis Din Makes a Mistake When Calculating Kiddush HaChodesh, Does it Count?
On one hand, the Rambam says (in 2:10)
Once the court sanctifies the new month, it remains sanctified regardless of whether they erred unwittingly, they were led astray [by false witnesses], or they ...
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Why is there no Ta'anit Esther Katan?
In a leap year, Purim is marked in the second Adar. In the first Adar, the 14th is noted as Purim Katan and the day after, as Shushan Purim Katan. The implications are limited (basically) to slight ...
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Bracha on Kiddush Hachodesh
Did the beit din make a bracha each month on the mitzvah of kiddush hachodesh in the times of the Sanhedrin? If yes, what was the language of the bracha?
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Are there any opinions of a deadline for Moshiach later than the year 6000?
As discussed on this question, there are Talmudic opinions (e.g. in Rosh Hashana 31a and Sanhedrin 97a) that Moshiach must be here by the year 6000 AM (whether stated explicitly about Moshiach or ...
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When was the first Jewish leap year?
What number year within the 19-year cycle was the year of Yetziyat Mitzrayim -- if that was the mechanism used in the midbar to keep Pesach in the Spring
and alternatively, if the cycle wasn't what ...
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Torah confusion between "daylight" and "a day"
The Torah uses the same word יום in the same verse to denote both "daylight" and "24 hours":
וַיִּקְרָא אֱלֹהִים לָאוֹר יוֹם וְלַחֹשֶׁךְ קָרָא לָיְלָה
וַיְהִי־עֶרֶב וַיְהִי־בֹקֶר יוֹם אֶחָד׃
...
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Are anniversaries celebrated in Adar I or Adar II?
For those who celebrate anniversaries, or for calculating the end of Shanah Rishonah, if a couple gets married in Adar of a non-leap-year, when is the anniversary celebrated in a leap year? Is it in ...
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The story of the Minim and Boethusians; trying to fix the festival of Shavuot on Sunday
I've found different sources like the Mishnah, Babylonian Talmud (tractate Rosh HaShanah), Jerusalem Talmud, Tosefta etc., talking about the Minim and the Boethusians who wanted to fix the festival of ...
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What factors were used for determining leap years while the Israelites were in the desert?
I am trying to "co-ordinate" Rambam"s explanation of how to determine Judaic leap years with a key verse in the Torah.
Ranbam states in Mishneh Torah, Sanctification of the New Month 4:2:
Mishneh ...
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Looking for a computer program or method to list all weekday / Shabbat no-El_Maleh days
My shul has asked me to compile an annual list of all days when "El Maleh" (prayer said for yahrtzeit) is omitted.
People in my shul know that it is said any day the Torah is read, meaning Mon., ...
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Menorah with uneven spacing
The following assumes lighting an additional candle for each day of Chanukkah:
Two may light in a single Menorah for the first three days of Chanukkah; each in his end of the Menorah. This does not ...
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Not making a wedding on the first 3 days of a month
I've heard there is a custom (practiced in various kehillas, I heard Belz is one of them) to not make a wedding on the first 3 days of a month (meaning alef, beis, or gimmel of a particular month.) ...
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Is there somewhere I can find a list of just Rosh Chodesh for the year in Gregorian with one and two-day RC?
It would be convenient if I could find a list of RC for the year, such as
5781 2020/2021:
Rosh Chodesh Sh'vat 1/14 Th
Rosh Chodesh Adar 2/12-13 F S
...
But this is what I've found:
https://...
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Why not say Shir Shel Yom in the evening?
I took a look at two questions:
One, which focused on WHY we say Shir Shel Yom included the claim of the Chashukei Chemed in the answer, that "אבל הוא הדבר אשר דברתי דמה שאנו אומרים שיר של יום אינו ...
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Are there any halachic sources that discuss the Qumran calendar?
As a Torah reader, I was fascinated when I visited Heichal Hasefer - "Shrine of the Book" and read about the Qumran society and their calendar. As far as I know, there doesn't seem to be much, if ...
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Time as a Spiral
@PixelArtDragon asked what rabbi originated the idea that time is a spiral. @PixelArtDragon said that the earliest they've found is Rav Natan Breslov who lived from 1780-1844 - can anyone locate that ...
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What verses in Na"ch describe the details of Jewish calendar like Kidush HaChodesh and Ibbur Hashanah?
The Gemmorah in Jerusalem Rosh Hashana 6a explains the process of adopting the Babylonian names instead of Biblical ones.
דא"ר חנינה שמות חדשים עלו בידם מבבל
R'Hanina said: the names of the ...
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Will the day of the final salvation be celebrated every year in the days of the Moshiach?
Following "what-berachos-should-be-made-when-moshiach-comes", I wondered, for all the great events that G-d did to us we set (in the Torah or Rabbinically) a yearly festive - celebrating the date - ...
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Colours for months
According inner.org, each month of the year has a corresponding colour to it. This does not seem to be in Sefer Yetzirah. What is the source for this and what is the significance with regards to each ...
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What calendar-dependent laws must non-Jews follow?
While the calendar is vastly important in Judaism, it seems like it is barely applicable to non-Jews. The "big seven" Noahide laws seem to be perenially applicable; they dictate general rules for life ...
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