Hebrew Date Today
Today's date in the Hebrew (Jewish) calendar — computed live using the standard lunisolar algorithm. Year 5786 AM is currently in progress.
Hebrew ↔ Gregorian Converter
Convert Gregorian ↔ Hebrew dates for any day.
The Hebrew calendar
The Hebrew calendar (also called the Jewish calendar) is a lunisolar calendar. Months follow the moon — each month begins at the new moon — but the year is periodically adjusted with a leap month to stay aligned with the solar seasons, so that Passover always falls in spring and Sukkot in autumn.
Years in the Hebrew calendar are counted from the traditional date of creation in Jewish tradition, known as Anno Mundi (AM) — "the year of the world." The year 5786 AM began at sundown on 22 September 2025 (1 Tishrei).
The 12 (or 13) Hebrew months
| Month | Length | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Nisan | 30 | Passover begins on the 15th. |
| Iyar | 29 | — |
| Sivan | 30 | Shavuot on the 6th. |
| Tammuz | 29 | — |
| Av | 30 | Tisha B'Av on the 9th. |
| Elul | 29 | — |
| Tishrei | 30 | Rosh Hashanah (1st), Yom Kippur (10th), Sukkot (15th). |
| Cheshvan | 29 or 30 | Variable. |
| Kislev | 29 or 30 | Hanukkah begins 25 Kislev. |
| Tevet | 29 | — |
| Shevat | 30 | Tu BiShvat on the 15th. |
| Adar (Adar I in leap years) | 30 | Leap month in 7 of every 19 years. |
| Adar II (leap years only) | 29 | Purim observed in Adar II during leap years. |
Why are there sometimes 13 months?
Because 12 lunar months total only about 354 days — 11 days shorter than a solar year — the Hebrew calendar inserts a leap month (Adar I) in 7 out of every 19 years. This keeps religious festivals anchored to the correct seasons.
The 19-year cycle is called the Metonic cycle, named after the Greek astronomer Meton who described it around 432 BCE, though the Hebrew calendar has used it for over two millennia.
When does a Hebrew day begin?
A Hebrew day begins at sundown, not at midnight. This is why Jewish holidays are often described as starting "the evening of" a given Gregorian date — that evening is already the start of the Hebrew date that follows.
When does a new Hebrew day begin?
A Hebrew day runs from sunset to sunset, not midnight to midnight. This is why Shabbat starts on Friday evening rather than Saturday morning — by the Hebrew reckoning, Saturday begins on Friday at sunset. Our calculator uses the civil-day convention (Gregorian midnight = Hebrew midnight on the same day) for convenience, but for religious observance, remember the real transition is at dusk.
The 19-year Metonic cycle
To keep lunar months aligned with solar seasons, the Hebrew calendar follows a 19-year cycle with 7 leap years. The leap years in the cycle are numbered 3, 6, 8, 11, 14, 17, and 19. In leap years, the 13th month Adar I is inserted before the normal Adar (renamed Adar II). This keeps Passover anchored in spring — a requirement set out in the Torah.
The Metonic cycle works because 235 lunar months (the 19-year total with 7 leap months) is nearly exactly 19 solar years. The system was known to the Greek astronomer Meton of Athens in 432 BCE, but Hebrew calendar-makers had already been using it for centuries.
Why Rosh Hashanah falls when it does
Rosh Hashanah (Hebrew New Year) falls on 1 Tishrei — but the Hebrew calendar has four "New Years". Tishrei 1 is the civil new year; Nisan 1 is the religious new year (anchor for months); Elul 1 is the new year for tithing animals; and Shevat 15 is the new year for trees (Tu BiShvat). Rosh Hashanah as we know it — shofar, sweet apples and honey, two days of solemn celebration — is Tishrei 1, the civil reckoning used for year numbering.
Major holidays in 5786
- Rosh Hashanah — 22–23 September 2025 (1–2 Tishrei 5786)
- Yom Kippur — 1 October 2025 (10 Tishrei)
- Sukkot — 6–12 October 2025 (15–21 Tishrei)
- Hanukkah — 14–22 December 2025 (25 Kislev – 2 Tevet)
- Tu BiShvat — 2 February 2026 (15 Shevat)
- Purim — 2 March 2026 (14 Adar)
- Passover — 1–8 April 2026 (15–22 Nisan)
- Shavuot — 21–22 May 2026 (6–7 Sivan)
- Tisha B'Av — 22 July 2026 (9 Av)