Information on 5772 Jewish Calendar (women, Christians)

[Walter Greenspan]

The 5772 Calendar of Jewish Holy & Festival Days follows after the seasonal greeting and my name.


It is long term Jewish practice to begin wishing "A Good New Year" from after Tisha B'Av (depending on the year, this occurs anywhere from mid-July to mid-August on the civil calendar) through Rosh ha Shannah (Lev. 23:23-25) and Yom Kippur (Lev. 16:29-31, 23:26-32), and on into Sukkot (Lev. 23:33-43) and Simchat Torah. (The High Holy Days begin with Rosh ha Shannah and end with Simchat Torah. Christians observe the Festival of Sukkot, or Succos, as Tabernacles.)

Some background:

<> Tisha B'Av is a fast day, and a day of great sorrow. This year, Tisha B'Av ended at sunset tonight, Tuesday, August 9 on the civil calendar.

<> Tisha B'Av (the 9th day of the month of Av) is the day that the Temple in Jerusalem was destroyed twice, the first time by the Babylonians in 421 BCE and 490 years later, by the Romans, in 70 CE.

<> The August 3, 1492 Spanish expulsion of the Jews, who would not convert to Roman Catholicism and who had lived in Spain for more than 1,000 years, took place the day after Tisha B'Av. (Cristobal Colon delayed the departure of his first voyage to the New World because that day was Tisha B'Av, leading to the suspicion that Columbus had Jewish roots; he left Spain the next day, August 3, 1492.)

<> The introspective period that precedes Rosh ha Shannah begins as Tisha B'Av ends.


Rosh ha Shannah (rosh = head, shannah = year) will be here in about 7 weeks and because the Hebrew calendar has a different cyclical pattern than does the Christian-based secular calendar, there arises much confusion as to when Rosh ha Shannah and other Jewish Holy Days & Festival Days may occur. Hence, the following 5771 Calendar of Jewish Holy & Festival Days.


Let me be the first to wish you, "L'Shannah Tovah* & Happy 5772",

Walter Greenspan

* L'Shannah Tovah (li-SHAH-nuh TOH-vuh; li-shah-NAH toh-VAH)
Hebrew. Lit. for a good year. The common greeting during Rosh ha Shannah and the Days of Awe. This is a shortening of "L'Shannah tovah tikatev v'taihatem" (or, to women, "L'Shannah tovah tikatevi v'taihatemi"), which means, "May you be inscribed and sealed for a good year." This year, Rosh ha Shannah will begin at sundown on Wednesday, September 28 on the civil calendar.

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.....................5772 Calendar of Jewish Holy & Festival Days

All Jewish Holy Days and Festival Days begin at sunset on the evening before and end at sundown on the evening of the civil calendar date listed:

Hebrew Year.............................................. ........Civil Year...
....5772..................Holy Day or Festival..............2011 - 2012

..1-2 Tishrei..........Rosh ha Shannah............Sep 29 - Sep 30 (Thu - Fri)

...10 Tishrei..........Yom Kippur.......................Oct 8 (Sat)

15-21 Tishrei........Sukkot............................O ct 13 - Oct 19 (Thu - Wed)

...22 Tishrei...........Shemini Atzeret................Oct 20 (Thu)

...23 Tishrei...........Simchat Torah..................Oct 21 (Fri)

25 Kislev- 2 Tevet...Chanukah....................Dec 21 - Dec 28 (Wed - Wed)

...15 Shvat.............Tu B'Shvat........................Feb 8 (Wed)

...14 Adar* ............Purim............................Mar 8 (Thu)

15-22 Nissan.........Passover.....................Apr 7 - Apr 14 (Sat - Sat)

...27 Nissan**......Yom ha Shoah.................Apr 19 (Thu)

...18 Iyar...............Lag B'Omer.....................May 10 (Thu)

. *** ...................Shavuot.......................M ay 27 – May 28 (Sun - Mon)

...10 Av****........Tisha B'Av........................Jul 29 (Sun)

...15 Av................Tu B'Av............................Aug 3 (Fri)


* In most years, Purim occurs on the 14 day of Adar, but in those years when there is an Adar II, then in those years Purim occurs on the 14 day of Adar II. In either case, those living in a "walled city" celebrate Purim the following day.

** In most years, Yon ha Shoah occurs on the 27 day of Nissan, but in those years when the 27 day of Nissan immediately precedes or follows Shabbat, then in those years Yom ha Shoah occurs on the 26 day or the 28 day of Nissan, respectively.

*** The Festival of Shavuot has no given calendar date; it is to be celebrated 7 weeks after the Second Seder of Passover (this would be 50 days from the First Seder. Fifty in Greek is pentecost and thus the Christian version is called Pentecost.)

**** In most years, Tisha B'Av occurs on the 9 day of Av, but in those years when the 9 day of Av is Shabbat, then in those years Tisha B'Av occurs on the 10 day of Av.

[the-writer-guy]

Happy new year indeed!