1. What Is the Hebrew Calendar?

The Hebrew calendar is a lunisolar calendar used in Jewish religious observances. It has 12 months in a common year and 13 months in a leap year, with months alternating between 29 and 30 days.

2. How Does the Conversion Work?

The calculator uses PHP's IntlDateFormatter to convert between Gregorian and Hebrew dates. The Hebrew calendar is based on complex calculations involving moon cycles and seasonal adjustments.

3. Importance of Hebrew Dates

Details: Hebrew dates are essential for determining Jewish holidays, bar/bat mitzvah dates, yahrzeits (anniversaries of deaths), and other religious observances.

4. Using the Calculator

Tips: Enter the day, month, and year, then select conversion direction. For Gregorian to Hebrew conversion, enter a date between 1000-9999 CE.

5. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q1: Why does the Hebrew year sometimes have 13 months?
A: To keep the lunar calendar aligned with solar years, an extra month (Adar II) is added 7 times in a 19-year cycle.

Q2: When does the Hebrew day begin?
A: The Hebrew day begins at sunset, following the biblical "there was evening and there was morning."

Q3: Why do Hebrew months have different lengths?
A: The calendar alternates between 29 and 30 day months to match the lunar cycle of ~29.5 days.

Q4: What year is it in the Hebrew calendar?
A: The Hebrew year count starts from creation (Anno Mundi). For example, 2023 CE is 5783-5784 AM.

Q5: Can I calculate future Hebrew dates?
A: Yes, but note that the Hebrew calendar is calculated in advance, not observed, so future dates are certain.