Hebrew Birthday Calculator
Find your birthday on the traditional Jewish calendar.
Your Hebrew Birthday
Your Hebrew Birthday Is
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Your Next Hebrew Birthday Is On
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This tool is for informational purposes. For official religious observances, consult a rabbi or a trusted Jewish calendar.
About the Hebrew Birthday Calculator
This calculator allows you to find your birthday according to the traditional Hebrew calendar. In Jewish tradition, this date is highly significant and is used to mark important life cycle events like a Bar or Bat Mitzvah and the Yahrzeit (anniversary of a death). This tool makes it easy to convert any Gregorian date to its Hebrew equivalent.
Formula Explained
Converting between the Gregorian and Hebrew calendars is a complex process due to their different structures. The calculator uses an algorithm based on the principles of the lunisolar Hebrew calendar:
- Convert to Julian Day Number: The Gregorian date is first converted into a Julian Day Number, which is a continuous count of days since a remote epoch.
- Apply Conversion Algorithm: A complex mathematical algorithm is then used to convert the Julian Day Number into the corresponding Hebrew year, month, and day.
- Account for Sunset: The calculation also accounts for the Jewish tradition where a new day begins at sunset. If you were born after sunset, the calculator will show the next day on the Hebrew calendar.
How to Celebrate a Hebrew Birthday
Celebrating a Hebrew birthday is a meaningful way to connect with tradition. Here are some customs:
Get an Aliyah
On the Shabbat before your Hebrew birthday, it is customary to be called up to the Torah for an aliyah (blessing).
Give Tzedakah
It is a tradition to give charity (tzedakah) on your Hebrew birthday to show gratitude.
Reflect and Pray
The day is a time for personal reflection, prayer, and making new resolutions for the year ahead.
Have a Celebration
Gather with family and friends for a festive meal or party to celebrate the special day.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a Hebrew birthday? →
A Hebrew birthday is your date of birth according to the Hebrew calendar, which is a lunisolar calendar. This date is significant in Jewish tradition and is used for determining the dates of important life cycle events, such as a Bar or Bat Mitzvah.
Why is my Hebrew birthday on a different day each year? →
Your Hebrew birthday falls on the same date on the Hebrew calendar each year, but it appears to shift on the Gregorian (standard) calendar. This is because the Hebrew calendar is based on the cycles of the moon, with leap months added periodically to align with the solar year, while the Gregorian calendar is purely solar.
When does a Hebrew day begin? →
In the Jewish tradition, a new day begins at sunset. Therefore, if you were born after sunset but before midnight, your Hebrew birthday would be on the following day of the Hebrew calendar.
How do you calculate a Bar or Bat Mitzvah date? →
A Bar Mitzvah (for boys) is celebrated on the 13th Hebrew birthday, and a Bat Mitzvah (for girls) is typically celebrated on the 12th Hebrew birthday. To find the date, you would find the person's Hebrew date of birth and then calculate the date of their 12th or 13th birthday on the Hebrew calendar.
What is a Hebrew leap year? →
A Hebrew leap year occurs 7 times in a 19-year cycle. In a leap year, an extra month, Adar I, is added before the month of Adar (which becomes Adar II). This is done to ensure that the lunar-based calendar stays aligned with the solar seasons, so that holidays like Passover always occur in the spring.