Hebrew Calendar Tips
Read these 18 Hebrew Calendar Tips tips to make your life smarter, better, faster and wiser. Each tip is approved by our Editors and created by expert writers so great we call them Gurus. LifeTips is the place to go when you need to know about Judaism tips and hundreds of other topics.
Monthly Dates
Iyar is the 2nd month in the Jewish calendar year. It occurs in April-May and consists of 29 days.
Monthly traditions
During the entire month of Elul, the shofar (a hollowed ram's horn) is blown after the morning prayer service, with the exception of the Sabbath and the day before Rosh Hashannah. To learn more about the shofar, go to my tips about Rosh Hashanah. http://judaism.lifetips.com/PPF/scid/72039/TipSC.asp
Counting the Omer
All the days of the month are counted for the Omer, counting down to Shavuot. According to the Torah (the Old Testament), Jews are obligated to count the days from the second night of Passover until the night before Shavuot (7 whole weeks). This period of counting is referred to as The Counting of the Omer.
The Name, Elul
The name of the month (spelled Alef-Lamed-Vav-Lamed) is said to be an acronym of "Ani L'dodi V'dodi Li," "I am my Beloved's and my Beloved is mine," a quote from Song of Songs 6:3, where the Beloved is God and the "I" is the Jewish people.
Monthly Dates
Elul is the 5th month of the Jewish calendar year. It occurs in August-September and consists of 29 days.
Holidays Celebrated
Tishrei is the most holiday intensive month of the Jewish calendar:
Rosh Hashanah (Days of Judgment & The New Year)
The Days of Awe (ten days between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur)
Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement)
Sukkot (Days of Harvest)
Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah
The Month's Holidays
Tisha B'Av (the 9th of Av) is the day of mourning, commemorating the fall of the Jewish Holy Temple in Jerusalem and all the tragedies that have occurred with the Jews over the centuries.
Monthly Dates
Tammuz is the 4th month of the Jewish calendar year. It occurs in June-July and consists of 29 days.
Monthly Dates
Sivan is the 3rd month of the Jewish calendar year. It occurs in May-June and consists of 30 days.
Monthly Dates
Tishrei is the 7th month of the Jewish calendar year. It occurs in September-October and consists of 30 days.
Holidays Celebrated
Pesach (aka Passover) is the holiday celebrated in the month of Nissan.
Elul's Historical Significance
According to tradition, the month of Elul is the time that Moses spent on Mount Sinai preparing the second set of tablets after the incident of the golden calf. (Ex. 32; 34:27-28) He ascended on Rosh Chodesh Elul and descended on the 10th of Tishri, at the end of Yom Kippur, when repentance was complete. Other sources say that Elul is the beginning of a period of 40 days that Moses prayed for G-d to forgive the people after the Golden Calf incident, after which the commandment to prepare the second set of tablets was given.
Monthly Dates
Nissan is the 1st month in the Jewish calendar year. It occurs in March-April and consists of 30 days.
Monthly Dates
Av is the 5th month of the Jewish calendar year. It occurs in July-August and consists of 30 days.
Customs
The month of Elul is a time of repentance, asking God for his forgiveness, in preparation for the High Holidays, Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.
According to Jewish tradition, God cannot forgive any sins done towards other people with first asking for forgiveness for the person who was wronged. (A task easier said than done.)
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