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Birth and the First Month of Life: Learn about Jewish customs relating to birth, naming, circumcision, adoption, and redemption of the firstborn.
Current Calendar: The current Jewish calendar, displaying the current three months with holidays and weekly Torah portions.
Jewish Calendar: Learn about the Jewish calendar, its background and history, the numbering of Jewish years, the months of the Jewish year and the days of the Jewish week.
Rosh Chodesh: Learn about the minor festival of Rosh Chodesh, the first day of the new month.
The Jewish Calendar: A Closer Look: A closer look at the mathematics behind the Jewish Calendar, explaining how Hebrew dates are calculated. Provides sample JavaScript code to show how the calculations work.
The Month of Elul and Selichot: Discusses the Jewish month of Elul, a time of repentance, and the recitation of Selichot, prayers for forgiveness and mercy, during that period
The Month of Tishri: Learn about Tishri, the most holiday-intensive month of the Jewish year.

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Adar: The twelfth month of the Jewish year, occurring in February/March. In leap years, an additional month of Adar is added to the calendar. Adar is the month when the holiday of Purim occurs. See Months of the Jewish Year; Jewish Calendar; Purim.
Av: The fifth month of the Jewish year, occurring in July/August. See Months of the Jewish Year.
Aviv (ah-VEEV): Lit. Spring (the season of the year). The Bible frequently speaks of the "month of Aviv," which refers to the month of Nissan, the first month of the Jewish year occurring in early Spring, the month when Passover occurs. You will sometimes see it spelled "Abib" because the letter used for "v" in this word is also used for "b" in other words. See Months of the Jewish Year.
Birth: See Birth and the First Month of Life.
Calendar: Judaism uses a lunar/solar calendar consisting of months that begin at the new moon. Each year has 12 or 13 months, to keep it in sync with the solar year. See Jewish Calendar; The Jewish Calendar: A Closer Look; Current Calendar; Jewish Holidays.
Cheshvan (CHEHSH-vahn): The eighth month of the Jewish year, occurring in October/November. Sometimes called Marcheshvan (bitter Cheshvan) because it is the only month with no holidays. See Months of the Jewish Year.
Elul (eh-LOOL): The sixth month of the Jewish year, a time of repentance in preparation for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. See also Months of the Jewish Year.
Four Parshiyot (pahr-shee-OHT): Four special Torah readings added to the weekly cycle of readings during the month before Pesach (Passover).
Gehinnom (g'hee-NOHM); Gehenna (g'HEHN-uh): A place of spiritual punishment and/or purification for a period of up to 12 months after death. Gehinnom is the Hebrew name; Gehenna is Yiddish.
Hell: The place of spiritual punishment and/or purification for the wicked dead in Judaism is not referred to as Hell, but as Gehinnom or She'ol. According to most sources, the period of punishment or purification is limited to 12 months, after which the soul ascends to Olam Ha-Ba or is destroyed (if it is utterly wicked). See Olam Ha-Ba: The Afterlife.
Iyar (ee-YAHR): The second month of the Jewish year, occurring in April/May. See Months of the Jewish Year.
Kislev: The ninth month of the Jewish year, occurring in November/December. See Months of the Jewish Year.
Leap Year (shah-NAH m'-oo-BEH-reht): A year with an extra month, to realign the Jewish lunar calendar with the solar year. See Jewish Calendar.
Molad (moh-LAHD): Lit. birth. The new moon, which marks the beginning of the month on the Jewish calendar. See The Jewish Calendar: A Closer Look - Calendar Essentials.
Nissan: The first month of the Jewish year, occurring in March/April. This is the month when Pesach (Passover) occurs. See Months of the Jewish Year; Pesach (Passover).
Rosh Chodesh (ROHSH CHOH-desh): Lit. head of the month. The first day of a month, on which the first sliver of the new moon appears. It is a minor festival today, though it was a more significant festival in ancient times. See also Jewish Calendar; The Jewish Calendar: A Closer Look.
Sanhedrin (sahn-HEE-drin): The "Supreme Court" of the ancient Jewish state, in the tradition established in Exodus chapter 18. According to tradition, the Oral Torah was given to Moses and passed on a continuous line to Joshua, then to the elders, then to the prophets then to the Sanhedrin. It decided difficult cases and cases of capital punishment. It also fixed the calendar, taking testimony to determine when a new month began.
Selichot (s'lee-KHOHT; SLI-khus): Prayers for forgiveness, especially those that are added to the liturgy during the month of Elul, as the High Holidays of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur approach.
Shabbat Ha-Chodesh (shah-BAHT hah-CHOH-desh): The sabbath on which we read Parshat Ha-Chodesh, one of the Four Parshiyot, special Torah readings added to the weekly cycle of readings during the month before Pesach (Passover). Parshat Ha-Chodesh establishes the Hebrew calendar.
Shabbat Mevarekhim: Lit. Sabbath of Blessing. The Shabbat before Rosh Chodesh (the beginning of the new month) when the prayer leader at services recites a blessing praying that the new month will be a good one.
Shabbat Parah (shah-BAHT pah-RAH): The sabbath on which we read Parshat Parah, one of the Four Parshiyot, special Torah readings added to the weekly cycle of readings during the month before Pesach (Passover). Parshat Parah explains the procedure for the offering of the Red Heifer (Parah Adumah), a ritual of purification.
Shabbat Sheqalim (shah-BAHT sh'-kah-LEEM): The sabbath on which we read Parshat Sheqalim, one of the Four Parshiyot, special Torah readings added to the weekly cycle of readings during the month before Pesach (Passover). Parshat Sheqalim discusses the census conducted through donations of a half-shekel coin.
Shabbat Zakhor (shah-BAHT zah-KHAWR): The sabbath on which we read Parshat Zakhor, one of the Four Parshiyot, special Torah readings added to the weekly cycle of readings during the month before Pesach (Passover). Parshat Zakhor contains the commandment regarding the tribe of Amalek.
She'ol: A place of spiritual punishment and/or purification for a period of up to 12 months after death. Often referred to as Gehinnom.
Shevat: The eleventh month of the Jewish year, occurring in January/February. See Months of the Jewish Year.
Sivan (see-VAHN): The third month of the Jewish year, occurring in May/June. See Months of the Jewish Year.
Tammuz: The fourth month of the Jewish year, occurring in June/July. See Months of the Jewish Year.
Tekufah (Tekufot, Tekufat): An astronomical turning point (equinox or solstice), or the season associated with that turning point. They are named for the month in which they usually occur: tekufat Nissan (spring equinox), tekufat Tammuz (summer solstice), tekufat Tishri (fall equinox) and tekufat Tevet (winter solstice).
Tevet: The tenth month of the Jewish year, occurring in December/January. See Months of the Jewish Year.
Tisha B'Av (TISH-uh BAHV): Lit. The Ninth of Av. A fast day commemorating the destruction of the First and Second Temples, as well as other tragedies.
Tishri: The seventh month of the Jewish year, during which many important holidays occur. Tishri is the month when the calendar year number changes, on the festival of Rosh Hashanah, though it is actually considered the seventh month of the year. See also Months of the Jewish Year.
Unveiling: It is a custom in many Jewish communities to keep a deceased's tombstone covered for the first twelve months after death, and to ceremonially unveil the tombstone on the first anniversary of the death. See Life, Death and Mourning.
Year: Judaism uses a lunar/solar calendar consisting of months that begin at the new moon. Each year has 12 or 13 months, to keep it in sync with the solar year. Years are counted from the date of Creation. See Jewish Calendar.

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