The Hebrew calendar and the feasts of Israel
The twelve months of the sacred year, beginning with Nisan in spring, with their seasons, and the appointed feasts with their dates and passages in the Old and New Testaments.
The months
| # | Month | Modern | Season | Passage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nisan Abib | March–April | Latter rains end; barley harvest | Esther 3:7, Exodus 13:4 |
| 2 | Iyyar Zif | April–May | Barley harvest; dry season begins | 1 Kings 6:1 |
| 3 | Sivan | May–June | Wheat harvest | Esther 8:9 |
| 4 | Tammuz the fourth month | June–July | Grape harvest begins | Jeremiah 39:2 |
| 5 | Av the fifth month | July–August | Summer fruit; the temple burned | 2 Kings 25:8 |
| 6 | Elul | August–September | Dates and summer figs | Nehemiah 6:15 |
| 7 | Tishri Ethanim | September–October | Early rains begin; ploughing | 1 Kings 8:2 |
| 8 | Marcheshvan Bul | October–November | Sowing wheat and barley | 1 Kings 6:38 |
| 9 | Kislev Chisleu | November–December | Winter rains | Nehemiah 1:1 |
| 10 | Tevet Tebeth | December–January | Coldest, rainiest month | Esther 2:16 |
| 11 | Shevat Sebat | January–February | Almond trees blossom | Zechariah 1:7 |
| 12 | Adar | February–March | Citrus harvest; latter rains | Esther 3:7 |
The feasts
| Feast | Date | Meaning | Passages |
|---|---|---|---|
| Passover Pesach | 14 Nisan | Remembers the night the LORD passed over Israel’s houses in Egypt; the lamb was killed at evening. Jesus’ last supper and death took place at Passover. | Leviticus 23:5, 1 Corinthians 5:7 |
| Unleavened Bread Matzot | 15–21 Nisan | Seven days without leaven, remembering the haste of the Exodus. | Leviticus 23:6, Luke 22:1 |
| Firstfruits Reshit | 16 Nisan | The first sheaf of the barley harvest waved before the LORD “on the morrow after the sabbath”; Paul calls the risen Christ the firstfruits. | Leviticus 23:10, 1 Corinthians 15:20 |
| Weeks (Pentecost) Shavuot | 6 Sivan | Fifty days after Firstfruits, at the end of the wheat harvest; the Spirit was poured out at Pentecost. | Leviticus 23:16, Acts 2:1 |
| Trumpets Yom Teruah | 1 Tishri | A day of rest announced with trumpet blasts at the start of the seventh month; later kept as Rosh Hashanah, the civil new year. | Leviticus 23:24 |
| Day of Atonement Yom Kippur | 10 Tishri | The one day the high priest entered the most holy place, for the sins of the people; a day of fasting (“the fast”, Acts 27:9). | Leviticus 23:27, Hebrews 9:7 |
| Tabernacles (Booths) Sukkot | 15–22 Tishri | Seven days living in booths, remembering the wilderness, at the end of the grape and olive harvest, with a solemn eighth day. | Leviticus 23:34, John 7:2 |
| Dedication (Hanukkah) Hanukkah | 25–32 Kislev | Remembers the rededication of the temple in 164 BC after its desecration by Antiochus IV; not commanded in the Old Testament. | John 10:22 |
| Purim Purim | 14–15 Adar | Celebrates the deliverance of the Jews in Persia in the days of Esther. | Esther 9:26 |
Other appointed times
- Sabbath: The seventh day of every week, a day of rest. (Exodus 20:8)
- New moon: The first day of each month, marked with trumpets and offerings. (Numbers 10:10)
- Sabbath year: Every seventh year the land lay fallow and debts were released (Deuteronomy 15:1). (Leviticus 25:4)
- Jubilee: Every fiftieth year land returned to its families and slaves went free. (Leviticus 25:10)
Months are lunar, so their modern equivalents move from year to year. Compiled for Tiqvah from the biblical text.