The Jewish Calendar

A means for marking the passage of time has been necessary for  cultures the world over. The Bible states that on several occasions G-d commanded the Israelites to keep precise observances according to the days he instructed. To ensure that G-d’s commandments were followed, it was necessary for the Israelites to create a calendar. The system of keeping time in the Old Testament was based on the cycles of the moon and the sun – a lunisolar calendar. To create their calendar, the Israelites used observation and knowledge of astronomy to calculate the dates.

The Jewish Calendar is still the official calendar of the State of Israel. It is used when determining religious observances, by all official institutions, and by Israeli farmers as an agricultural framework for planting and harvesting.

Nevertheless, for practical reasons most Jewish calendars produced today have both the Jewish and Gregorian dates listed. The Gregorian calendar is the system most commonly used presently to mark time; it is calendar that begins with January 1^st and ends with December 31^st. In Israel, Gregorian dates are more commonly used in every day life for ease of communication with the rest of the world.

The Jewish Calendar and the Gregorian Calendar have similarities and differences. Here is how the two calendars compare:

Jewish Calendar	Gregorian Calendar
Began counting years with creation	Began counting years with the birth of Jesus
Based on Lunar and Solar observations and calculations	Based on Solar calculations
New Year begins with the 7th month of the calendar.	New Year begins with the first month of the calendar.
12 months in a standard year	12 months in a year
Months begin with the new moon and lengths are based on the lunar cycle	Month beginnings have no lunar or solar relationship and lengths are based on Christian events calculations.
Months have 29 or 30 days	Months have between 28 and 31 days
Leap year occurs every 2 or 4 years and adds one more month, Adar Aleph	Leap year occurs every 4 years and adds one day to February
Names of the months are Babylonian and adopted during the time of Ezra after the exile	Names of the months adopted in Ancient Rome from Roman entities
7 days in a week	7 days in a week
Days of the week are numbered except Shabbat	Days of the week are named for celestial bodies
New day begins at sundown	New day begins at mid-night

Who needs a Jewish Calendar...

If you have been thinking about adding or currently enjoy keeping Jewish observations in your spiritual life, a Jewish calendar is a must for your home or office.

Jewish Calendars for the Jewish year 5771 (which will begin in the Gregorian calendar on the evening of September 9th, 2010) are now available.

Jewish calendars from JesusBoat.com are arranged around the corresponding Gregorian calendar.

Supplies are limited, so make sure you are ready for the coming Jewish New Year and the High Holidays and get your new calendar today.

  

More for the Jewish New Year...
Keep your eyes open for specials from JesusBoat.com for the High Holidays. We have some great new items for adults and kids. And as always, we have them at great prices.