The Importance of the Jewish Calendar
Calendars are an important part of everyday life. We use
them to plot most of our daily activities, as well as to plan for future
events. Although the most widely used calendar today is the Gregorian calendar,
many cultures still use other forms to track important dates and holidays, as
well as for other important ceremonial events.
The Jewish faith is one that has its own calendar which has been around for a very long time. This calendar is of a type referred to as a lunisolar calendar, which basically means that it shows both the phases of the moon as well as the date within the solar year. The Jewish calendar helps followers of this faith understand and recognize specific holiday dates. For example, the Jewish holidays in 2012 would fall on different days than this year, so it is important for Jews to know when their holidays occur. This is why the Jewish calendar is still in use today. The way the calendar works is to show 12 lunar months of about 29 or 30 days, with an extra month added 7 times over a period of 19 years (this is due to the fact that there is about an 11 day discrepancy between 12 lunar months and one solar year). The months are added every 2 to 3 years to keep it balanced and on track. Jewish months begin with the new moon. The Hebrew calendar is very important for Jews. There are many holidays where it is forbidden to work, so followers of this faith need to know exactly when holidays fall in order to not work on these days. Since the Jewish Holidays in 2012 will be different than those last year, this year, or next year, it is important to know when they will fall in order to plan for it.
The Jewish faith is one that has its own calendar which has been around for a very long time. This calendar is of a type referred to as a lunisolar calendar, which basically means that it shows both the phases of the moon as well as the date within the solar year. The Jewish calendar helps followers of this faith understand and recognize specific holiday dates. For example, the Jewish holidays in 2012 would fall on different days than this year, so it is important for Jews to know when their holidays occur. This is why the Jewish calendar is still in use today. The way the calendar works is to show 12 lunar months of about 29 or 30 days, with an extra month added 7 times over a period of 19 years (this is due to the fact that there is about an 11 day discrepancy between 12 lunar months and one solar year). The months are added every 2 to 3 years to keep it balanced and on track. Jewish months begin with the new moon. The Hebrew calendar is very important for Jews. There are many holidays where it is forbidden to work, so followers of this faith need to know exactly when holidays fall in order to not work on these days. Since the Jewish Holidays in 2012 will be different than those last year, this year, or next year, it is important to know when they will fall in order to plan for it.
