Adar
| Adar | |
|---|---|
 Hasidic Jews celebratingPurim,the holiday of the deliverance of theJewish peoplein the ancientAchaemenid Empire474 BCE | |
| Native name | אֲדָר(Hebrew) |
| Calendar | Hebrew calendar |
| Month number | 12 |
| Number of days | 29 (30 Adar I and 29 Adar II in leap years) |
| Season | Winter (Northern Hemisphere) |
| Gregorian equivalent | February–March |
| Significant days | |
Adar(Hebrew:אֲדָר,ʾĂdār;fromAkkadianadaru) is the sixth month of the civil year and the twelfth month of the religious year on theHebrew calendar,roughly corresponding to the month ofMarchin the Gregorian calendar. It is a month of 29 days.
Names and leap years
[edit]The month's name, like all the others from the Hebrew calendar, was adopted during theBabylonian captivity.In theBabylonian calendarthe name was Araḫ Addaru or Adār ('Month of Adar').
Inleap years,it is preceded by a 30-dayintercalary monthnamedAdar Aleph(Hebrew:אדר א׳,Alephbeing the first letter of the Hebrew Alpha bet), also known as "Adar Rishon" (First Adar) or "Adar I", and it is then itself calledAdar Bet(Hebrew:אדר ב׳,Betbeing the second letter of the Hebrew Alpha bet), also known asAdar Sheni(Second Adaror "Adar II" ). Occasionally instead of Adar I and Adar II, "Adar" and "Ve'Adar" are used (Ve means 'and' thus: And-Adar). Adar I and II occur during February–March on theGregorian calendar.
Sources disagree as to which of the two Adar months is the "real" Adar, and which is the added leap month.[1]
Customs
[edit]During theSecond Templeperiod, there was a Jewish custom to make a public proclamation on the first day of the lunar month Adar, reminding the people that they are to prepare their annual monetary offering to the Temple treasury, known as thehalf-Shekel.[2]
Based on a line in theMishnahdeclaring that Purim must be celebrated in Adar II in a leap year (Megillah1:4), Adar I is considered the "extra" month. As a result, someone born in Adar during a non leap year would celebrate their birthday in Adar II during a leap year. However, someone born during either Adar in a leap year will celebrate their birthday during Adar in a non-leap year, except that someone born on 30 Adar I will celebrate their birthday on 1 Nisan in a non-leap year because Adar in a non-leap year has only 29 days.
Holidays
[edit]- 7 Adar(IIin leap years) –7th of Adar– some fast on this day in memory of the death of Moses
- 13 Adar(IIin leap years) –Fast of Esther– on 11 Adar when the 13th falls onShabbat–(Fast Day)
- 14 Adar(IIin leap years) –Purim
- 14 Adar I(does not exist in non-leap years;Karaitescelebrate in Adar II) –Purim Katan
- 15 Adar(IIin leap years) –Shushan Purim– celebration of Purim in walled cities existing during the time ofJoshua
- 17 Adar(IIin leap years) – Yom Adar celebration feast[citation needed]
In Jewish history
[edit] | This sectionneeds additional citations forverification.(March 2020) |
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- 1 Adar(circa1313BCE) – Plague of Darkness, theninth plagueupon theEgyptians(Exodus10:23). This started on the 1st of Adar, six weeks before theExodus.[citation needed]
- 1 Adar[II] (1167/4 CE) – Death of theIbn Ezra
- 1 Adar(circa1663) – Death of theShach
- 2 Adar(598BCE) –Jerusalemfalls toNebuchadnezzarandJeconiahis captured.[3]
- 2 Adar(1941 CE) - Death of RabbiYaakov Yehezkiya GreenwaldofPupa
- 3 Adar(515BCE) –Second Templecompleted
- 4 Adar(1307) –Maharam's body ransomed 14 years after his death by Alexander ben Shlomo (Susskind) Wimpfen.
- 4 Adar(1796) – Death ofRabbi Leib Sarah's,a disciple of theRabbi Israel Baal Shem Tov.One of the "hiddentzaddikim,"Rabbi Leib spent his life wandering from place to place to raise money for the ransoming of imprisoned Jews and the support of other hiddentzaddikim.
- 4 Adar[II] (1992 CE) Death ofMenachem Begin
- 5 Adar(1st centuryCE) –Lulianos and Paphosvoluntarily gave themselves up to be killed, in order to save innocent Jewish lives inLaodicea.[4]
- 7 Adar(1393BCE) – Birth ofMoses
- 7 Adar(1273BCE) – Death ofMoses
- 7 Adar(1828) – Death of Rebbe Isaac Taub of Kalov, founder of theKalover Hasidic dynasty,and a student of Rabbi Leib Sarah's.
- 9 Adar(1st centuryBCE) – Academic dissension betweenBeit HillelandBeit Shammai,erupted into a violent and destructive conflict over a vote on 18 legal matters leading to the death of 3,000 students. The day was later declared a fast day by theShulchan Aruch,however, it was never observed as such.
- 11 Adar(18th century) – Death of Reb Eliezer Lipman (Elezer Lippe), father of the prominent Chassidic Rebbes RabbiElimelech of Lizhenskand RabbiZusha of Hanipol.
- 13 Adar(474BCE) – War between Jews and their enemies inPersia(Book of Esther,chapter 9).
- 13 Adar(161BCE) –Yom Nicanor– The Maccabees defeated Greek Syrian generalNicanorat theBattle of Adasaduring theMaccabean Revolt.
- 13 Adar(1895–1986) – Death of RabbiMoshe Feinstein
- 14 Adar(474BCE) –Purimvictory celebrated in the Persian Empire
- 15 Adar(474BCE) –PurimVictory Celebrated inShushan
- 15 Adar(1st centuryCE) – Jerusalem Gate Day –King Agrippa I(circa 21CE) began construction of a gate for the wall ofJerusalem;the day used to be celebrated as a holiday.
- 17 Adar(522BCE) – Yom Adar – the day the Jewish people left Persia following the Purim story[citation needed]
- 18 Adar[1953] - Death ofJosef Stalin;brings to a stop theDoctors' Plot
- 20 Adar(1st centuryBCE) –Choni the Circle Makerprays for rain (Talmud,Taanit23a)
- 20 Adar(1616 CE) – 'Purim Vinz': downfall ofVincenz Fettmilchand triumphant return of the Jews of Frankfurt under Imperial protection. The day was established as a community Purim for generations and to this day the Washington Heights community does not recite Tachanun on this day.[5]
- 20 Adar(1640) – Death of the "Bach"
- 21 Adar(Adar II, 1786) – Death of RabbiElimelech of Lizhensk
- 23 Adar(circa1312BCE) –Mishkanassembled for the first time; "Seven Days of Training" begin.
- 23 Adar(1866) – Death ofYitzchak Meir Alter,firstRebbeofGer
- 24 Adar(1817) – TheBlood Libel,the accusation that Jews murdered Christian children for their blood, declared false byCzar Alexander I.Nevertheless, nearly a hundred years later the accusation was officially leveled againstMendel BeilisinKyiv.
- 25 Adar(561BCE) – Death ofNebuchadnezzar(Jeremiah52:31).
- 25 Adar(1761) – Death of RabbiAbraham Gershon of Kitovthe brother-in-law and leading foe-turned-disciple of theBaal Shem Tov.[6]
- 27 Adar(561BCE) – Death ofZedekiahin Babylonian captivity.Meroduch,Nebuchadnezzar's son and successor, freed him (and his nephew Jeconiah) on the 27th of Adar, but Zedekiah died that same day.
- 28 Adar(from the 2nd century onwards) –Talmudicholiday to commemorate the rescinding of aRomandecree againstTorahstudy, ritualcircumcision,and keeping theShabbat.The decree was revoked through the efforts of RabbiYehudah ben Shamu'aand his colleagues. (Megillat Taanit,abaraitaon this matter can still be found inTa'anit18a andRosh Hashanah19a)
- 28 Adar(1524) – the Jews ofCairowere saved from the plot ofAhmad Pasha,who sought revenge against the Jewish ministerAbraham de Castrowho had informed Selim II of Ahmad's plan to cede from the Ottoman Empire. To this day, Adar 28th is considered thePurimof Cairo, with festivities including a specialMegilahreading.
See also
[edit]- Adar Gandelsman–Miss UniverseIsrael2017
- Adar or Ada isSindarinfor "father".
- Azar or Adhar (Arabic:آذار) is the name for the month of March in theLevant.
- Arabic names of calendar months
- Jewish astrology
References
[edit]- ^Which is the true Adar?
- ^MishnahShekalim1:1
- ^No 24 WA21946, The Babylonian Chronicles, The British Museum
- ^Mordechai Margoliouth (ed.),Halakhot Eretz Yisrael min ha-Genizah,Mossad Harav Kook: Jerusalem 1973, p. 142 (Hebrew). TheScroll of Fastingplaces this event on the 12th day of the lunar month Adar.
- ^"CATHOLIC ENCYCLOPEDIA: Frankfort-on-the-Main".
- ^Rabbi Gershon's gravestone, which lists 25 Adar as his day of passing, was discovered in theMount of Olivescemetery in Jerusalem after theSix-day War.