What is important about having a Jewish calendar?

Answer 1

The calendar that is used today (civil calendar) is based off the Jewish calendar. A Jewish calendar is based off of three astrological facts. Those facts are the rotation of the earth on its axes, the time it takes for the moon to make a complete rotation around the earth, and the time it takes for the earth to complete an full rotation around the sun. It takes right at twenty-four hours for the earth to make one complete rotation on its axes. The moon takes about twenty-nine and half days to rotate around the earth. And then the earth takes about three hundred and sixty-five and a quarter days to rotate around the sun. This all happens independent of each other and there is no direct connection between them. The civil calendar has abandoned the correlation between all these cycles. There is a good reason why the civil calendar is followed over the Jewish calendar. When it is all added up it makes the number of months in a year to be twelve point four months. Because of this fact the Jewish calendar will throw in a thirteenth month every three years which makes it very confusing.

Answer 2

Rosh Hashanah is the first two days of the month of Tishrei, and is the Jewish New Year. Our traditions state that at that time the world is judged for the coming year (Talmud, Rosh Hashanah 16a); and we read the Torah and say prayers which ask for a good year and which declare God's kingship over the world. The shofar (ram's horn) is blown (Leviticus 23:24; Talmud, Rosh Hashanah 33b-34a), symbolically heralding God's kingship, and calling to mind the covenant of Isaac (see Genesis ch.22). Festive meals are held in the home, and traditional foods (such as the well-known apple dipped in honey) are eaten to symbolize a sweet year.

Answer 3

The Jewish religion is important to the Jews. We don't ask or seek anyone to convert (though those who want to are able and are accepted).

Judaism is important to us because it is our lifeblood; our soul. It provides Jewish law, belief, history, outlook, customs and more.

To the Western world, Judaism is important in an indirect way, because the long, rich history of Judaism has given the Western world much of its shape today. Many laws, traditions, culture and values are directly attributable to Judaism.

1) The Jews' monotheistic religious tradition shaped the Western beliefs about God.

2) The 7-day week, including a day of rest for everyone.

3) The concept of morality was also the work of the Hebrews, including the dignity and value of a person (whereas idolatry had tended to go hand in hand with cruel, licentious and excessive behavior, since the caprices which were narrated concerning the idols were adopted as an excuse to imitate those types of behavior).

Women's rights also were carefully maintained in Judaism. Israelite women could own property, could initiate court cases, could have their own servants, and could own fields and businesses; and the Torah specifies marital rights for women (Exodus 21:10).

4) Under Israelite law, everyone had recourse to the courts. A child, widow, wife, etc., could initiate legal action against any citizen to redress perpetrated harm. Compare this to those societies in which only mature, land-owning males had any legal status.

5) What is customary to be eaten in Western society is a reflection of much of the Judaic dietary law. With the exception of the pig, Western society does not eat species not contained in kosher law. Owls, mice, insects, rats, snakes, cats and dogs are not eaten by most Westerners and it is a direct result of Jewish culture.

6) Parents are responsible for teaching children. Illiteracy among Israelites, in every generation, was rare. Universal education in the Western world is taken for granted today, yet this is a recent development. In Judaism, however, it goes back 3300 years. Judaism has always maintained that education is the highest goal of man in his pursuit of Godliness. This tradition has now been passed on to Western culture.

7) Infants are to be protected and cared for, whether or not they turned out to be the gender you were hoping for. Compare this to societies in which unhealthy babies, or females, were killed.

8) Cruelty to animals is not acceptable.

9) Government is accountable to a higher authority. In other ancient societies, the monarch was all-powerful. Among the Israelites, however, the king was under the constant scrutiny of the Divinely-informed prophets, who didn't hesitate to castigate him publicly for any misstep in the sight of God. And, other than for the crime of rebellion, the king couldn't punish any citizen by his own decision. He was obligated by the Torah-procedures like everyone else (Talmud, Sanhedrin 19a).

10) A robber repays double to his victim, or works it off. Cutting off the hands of a robber is a punishable crime. Debtors are not imprisoned or harmed. They are made to sell property and/or work to repay what they owe. Compare this to the Roman practice by which anyone could accuse a man of owing them money and the debtor could be killed.

Western jurisprudence in general is based in part upon Judaic Torah observance. A quick look at the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20) and the laws that follow (Exodus ch.21-23) gives a very good summary of most modern law.

11) It is the responsibility of the community to support the widow, the orphan, the poor, and the stranger passing through.

It is important to note that every one of the above was instituted among the Hebrews (a.k.a. the Israelites) thousands of years earlier than in other nations. Here's just one example: Aristotle, who was among the greatest of the Greeks, and Seneca, the famous Roman, both write that killing one's young babies is perfectly acceptable. Professor and former President of the American Historical Association, William L. Langer (in The History of Childhood): "Children, being physically unable to resist aggression, were the victims of forces over which they had no control, and they were abused in almost unimaginable ways."

Answer 4

Because many sausage fests start at Jewish festivals!

Answer 5

Every Hebrew month has at least one holiday except for Heshvan, which occurs in November or December.

Answer 6

why is your new year important to you?

Answer 7

because its in there religion.

Answer 8

Jews, Christians, Muslims, Hindus and others each have their own calendars to determine the dates of their holy days. The modern civil calendar, the Gregorian calendar, was set by Pope Gregory, so it tracks most Christian holy days (except those connected to Easter). There is a compelling reason for the whole world to agree to use the same civil calendar for commercial transactions, but there is no compelling reason for other religions to agree to use a Christian calendar for their holy days. The Jewish, Islamic and Hindu calendars follow different systems and as a result, their holy days are not fixed on the civil calendar. In a sense, they all bounce around like Easter, changing their dates from year to year. The Jewish calendar, in particular, is a lunar-solar calendar. All the months begin with the new moon, and leap years involve adding an extra month in order to keep the months in their proper seasons.