Jewish calendar

It received its present fixed form from Hillel II. about 360 a. d. The present names of the months, which are Babylonian-Assyrian in origin, replaced older ones, Abib, Bul, etc., at the time of the Babylonian Exile. Nineteen years constitute a lunar cycle, of which the 3d, 6th, 8th, 11th, 14th, 17th, and 19th years are leap years. The year 5663 [1902-3 a. d.] was the first year of the 299th lunar cycle. The common year is said to be defective, regular, or perfect (or abundant) according as it has 353, 354, or 355 days. The leap year has an intercalary month, and a total of 383 (defective), 384 (regular), or 385 (perfect, or abundant) days. The calendar is complicated by various rules providing for the harmonious arrangement of festivals, etc., so that no simple perpetual calendar can be constructed. The following table gives the months in order, with the number of days assigned to each. Only three months vary in length. They are: Heshvan, which has 30 days in perfect years; Kislev, which has 30 days in regular and perfect years; and Adar, which has 30 days in leap years. The ecclesiastical year commences with Nisan and the civil year with Tishri. The date of the first of Tishri, or the Jewish New Year, is also given for the Jewish years 5661-5696 (1900- 1935 a. d.). From these tables it is possible to transform any Jewish date into Christian, or vice versa, for the years 1900-1935 a. d.

Months of the Jewish Year.

  1 Tishri . . . . . . 30
  2 Heshvan . . . . .  29 (r. *** d.)
                                 or 30 (p.)
  3 Kislev . . . . . . 29 (d.) or
                                    30 (r. & p.)
  4 Tebet . . . . . .  29
  5 Shebat . . . . . . 30
  6 Adar . . . . . . . 29 or
                                    30 (l.)
  -- Veadar . . . . .  29
     (occuring only in leap years)
  7 Nisan . . . . . . .30
  8 Ivar . . . . . . ..29
  9 Sivan . . . . . . .30
 10 Tammux . . . . . . 29
 11 Ab . . . . . . . . 30
 12 Elul . . . . . . ..29

 
 
Jewish Year                   a. d.
 
 
5661 p.     begins     Sept.  24, 1900
 5662 d.l.    "      "   14, 1901
 5663 p.      "      Oct.    2, 1902
 5664 r.      "      Sept.  22, 1903
 5665 p.l.    "      "   10, 1904
 5666 p.      "      "   30, 1905
 5667 r.      "      "   20, 1906
 5668 d.l.    "      "    6, 1907
 5669 p.      "      "   26, 1908
 5670 d.l.    "      "   16, 1909
 5671 r.      "      Oct.    4, 1910
 5672 p.      "      Sept.  23, 1911
 5673 p.l.    "      "   12, 1912
 5674 r.      "      Oct.    2, 1913
 5675 d.      "      Sept.  21, 1914
 5676 p.l.    "      "    9, 1915
 5677 r.      "      "   28, 1916
 5678 p.      "      "   17, 1917
 5679 d.l.   begins     Sept.   7, 1918
 5680 r.      "      "   25, 1919
 5681 p.l.    "      "   13, 1920
 5682 p.      "      Oct.    3, 1921
 5683 d.      "      Sept.  23, 1922
 5684 r.l.    "      "   11, 1923
 5685 p.      "      "   29, 1924
 5686 p.      "      "   19, 1925
 5687 d.l.    "      "    9, 1926
 5688 r.      "      "   27, 1927
 5689 p.l.    "      "   15, 1928
 5690 d.      "      Oct.    5, 1929
 5691 r.      "      Sept.  23, 1930
 5692 p.l.    "      "   12, 1931
 5693 p.      "      Oct.    1, 1932
 5694 r.      "      Sept.  23, 1933
 5695 d.l.    "      "   10, 1934
 5696 p.      "      "   28, 1935
 

d. = defective year] d.l. = defective leap year; p. = perfect year; p.l. = perfect leap year; r. = regular year; r.l. = regular leap year.