Almanac of Important Jewish and Biblical Dates

Month Hebrew Name Astrological Sign
Tishrei Moznayim Libra
Cheshvan Akrav Scorpio
Kislev Keshet Sagittarius
Teves G'di Capricorn
Shevat D'li Aquarius
Adar (on leap years there is a double month of Adar) Dagim Pisces
Nissan Taleh Aries
Iyar Shor Taurus
Sivan Teomim Gemini
Tammuz Sartan Cancer
Av Aryeh Leo
Elul Betulah Virgo

Adar Aleph / Adar Beis (the second Adar on leap years only)

(Hebrew name: Dagim, Astrological sign: Pisces)

In a leap year there are two months of Adar (making thirteen months). Every nineteen years there are seven leap years: the third, sixth, eighth, eleventh, fourteenth, seventeenth and nineteenth years. And then, the cycle repeats itself.

1

1st of Adar Aleph, 2nd day of Rosh Hodesh.

Plauge of Darkness; Ezekiel told to lamentate for Pharaoh (Yechez'kel 32:2) (3341)

Yahrzeit of R. Avraham Ibn Ezra (4924/1164); Yahrzeit of R. Shabtai Cohen, the Shach

Rabeinu Avraham (son of Rabbi Meir) Ezra passed away. Zichrono l'hayei Haolam Haba. (Buried in Kabul). (4954--a non-leap year)

Rabeinu Azariah Pigo (son of Rabbi Ephraim), author of "Gedolei Teruma," and "Bina L'eitim," of Vanetzia passed away. Zt"l. (Buried in Riga) (5407 Adar aleph)

Rabeinu Shabtai (son of Rabbi Meir) Katz, author of "Siftei Cohen," on the Shulchan Aruch, Yoreh Deah, and Choshen Hamispat, "Nekudat Hakesef," and more, passed away. Zt"l. (Buried in Halishoi). (5422--a non-leap year)

HaGaon Moreinu v'Rabeinu Emanual Hai (son of Rabbi Avraham) Riki, author of "Misnat Hacham" and "Hon Ashir," was killed, zt"l on erev Shabat Kodesh. Hashem Yinkom Damo. (Ginten, Italy). (5503)

HaRav HaKadosh Rabbi Yitzchak Meir of Zinkov (son of HaRav HaKadosh Rabbi Avraham Yehoshua Heschel, author of "Ohaiv Yisrael," of Apt) passed away. Zt"l. (Buried in Zinkov). (5615--a non-leap year)

HaRav HaKadosh Rabbi Baruch Halberstam of Gorlitz, (son of HaGaon HaKadosh the "Divrei Haim" of Sanz) passed away. Zt"l. (5666--a non-leap year)

HaRav HaKadosh Rabbi David (son of Rabbi Yisrael) Friedman, Av Beit Din Tzalheim passed away. Zt"l.

HaGaon Moreinu v'Rabeinu Rabbi Yosef Tzvi (son of HaRav HaTzadik Rabbi Shimon) Kalish of Sakranovitz, Rabbi of Bnei Brak, passed away. Zt"l. (5717)

2

HaRav HaKadosh Rabbi Meir (son of Rabbi Yehuda L.) Katz Paprish, author of "Ohr Tzadikim" and more, passed away. Zt"l. (Buried on Har HaZeitim). (5502)

(Adar aleph and some say beit) HaRav HaKadosh Rabbi Aharon Aryeh (known as Aron Leib) (the great) (son of Rabbi Meir) of Parmishlan passed away. Zt"l. (5573)

HaGaon Moreinu v'Rabeinu Rabbi Hillel, Av Beit Din Horadna passedaway. Zt"l. (5593--non-leap year)

HaRav HaTzadik Rabbi Yaakov Yehezkal (son of HaRav HaKadosh Rabbi Moshe) Greenwald, author of HaRav HaKadosh Rabbi Moshe) Greenwald, author of "Vayagaid Yaakov" of Paapa passedaway. Zt"l. (5701--non-leap year)

HaGaon Moreinu v'Rabeinu Rabbi Avraham Kalmanovitz, Av Beit Din Tiktin, and Rosh Yeshiva of Mir-America, passed away. Zt"l. (5724--non-leap year)

HaRav HaKadosh Rabbi Yisrael (son of HaRav HaKadosh Rabbi Avraham Mordechai) Alter, Admor of Gur, author of "Beit Yisrael," passed away. Zt"l. (Buried on Har HaZeitim). Gur chasidim do not get married on this day ("the day of his rebbi's death"). (5737--non-leap year)

HaGaon Moreinu v'Rabeinu Rabbi Yosef Dov (son of HaGaon Moreinu v'Rabeinu Rabbi Yitzchak Zeev) HaLevy Solovechik, Rosh Yeshiva of Brisk (Jerusalem), passed away. Zt"l. (Buried in Jerusalem). (5741--Adar aleph)

Yahrzeit of Rabbi Yom Tov Algazi

3

Ezra returned to the Land of Israel from Babylonia

Construction of the Second Holy Temple completed "This Temple was completed by the third day ofthe month of Adar" (Ezra 6:15). The completion of the building of the second Beit HaMikdash. It benefits one who goes to pray at the Kotel HaMaariv "to do a thing in it's proper time," and pray the prayer composed by the author of the "Chayei Adam," zt"l. (3413)

Yahrzeit of Rabbi Mordechai Yaffe, author of the Levush

HaGaon Moreinu v'Rabeinu Rabbi Noach Haim Tzvi (son of HaGaon Moreinu v'Rabeinu Avraham Meir) Berlin, author of "Atzei Almogim" and "Atzei Arazim," Av Beit Din Ah"v (?) passed away. Zt"l. (5562--non-leap year)

"Purim" D'amtzhislav. (5604--non-leap year)

HaGaon Moreinu v'Rabeinu Rabbi Eliyahu David (son of Rabbi Binyamin) Rabinovitz-Tiomim,(HaAderet), Rosh Av Beit Din of Jerusalem, passed away. Zt"l. (5665--Adar aleph)

4

Death of Rav Achai bar Rav Huna (4265/505)

Yahrzeit of Rabbi Leib Sarehs of Ravani.

Check Mezuzot: The mezuzot of an individual are to be examined twice every seven years. (Shulchan Aruch Yoreh Daeh 291,1). Since it is difficult to remember when to do this, there is a custom to carry out the check during the months of Adar in the leap year, in order to be protected from travails..

5

HaRav HaKadosh Rabbi Zeev Wolf (son of HaRav Naphtali Tzvi), Gaon Av Beit Din Tzerni-Oshtreah, passed away. Zt"l. (Buried in Tiberias). (5583--non-leap year)

HaGaon Moreinu v'Rabeinu Rabbi Avraham (son of Rabbi Enosh) HaLevi Bing, Av Beit Din Virtzburg passed away. Zt"l. (Buried in Heichberg). (5601)

HaGaon HaHacham Rabbi Shmuel Avraham Abba (son of HaGaon Rabbi Moshe) Shapira of Sloavita passed away. Zt"l. (5624--non-leap year)

HaGaon Moreinu v'Rabeinu Yeshiyahu (son of Rabbi Yaakov Moshe) Moshkat, Av Beit Din Praga, author of "Harei Bashamayim," passed away. Zt"l. (Buried in Warsaw). (5628)

HaGaon HaKadosh Rabbi Avraham (son of Rabbi Raphael) Landau of Chechnov passed away. Zt"l. (5635--Adar aleph)

HaRav HaKadosh Rabbi Mordechai Shlomo (son of HaRav HaKadosh Rabbi Yitzchak) of Boyan passed away. Zt"l. (Buried on Har HaZeitim) (5731--non-leap year)

Yahrzeit of Rabbi Amram ben Diwan

6

Moses told: "Behold your day of death approaches" (Devorim 31:14)

HaGaon HaTzadik Rabbi Naphtali (son of Rabbi Shlomo) Amsterdam passed away. Zt"l. (5676)

HaGaon HaKadosh Rabbi Hanoch Tzvi (son of HaRav HaTzadik Rabbi Pinchas Yaakov) HaCohen, Gadol Av Beit Din Bendein, passed away. Zt"l. (5695--Adar aleph)

HaGaon Moreinu v'Rabeinu Yosef Baumgarten, Av Beit Din Ship-shohal in Vienna, passed away. Zt"l. (Buried in Vienna). (5696)

HaGaon Moreinu v'Rabeinu David (son of Shalom) Pobrasky, author of "Yeshuot David," Rosh Yeshiva Ponevitz, Bnei-Brak, passed away. Zt"l. (5759--a non-leap year)

Yahrzeit of Rabbi Yeshaya Azulai

Yahrzeit of Rabbi David of Ostra

7

Birthdate of Moshe (Moses) Rabeinu (son of Amram and Yocheved). (2369)

Manna ceased falling in the desert.

Moshe Rabeinu, age 120, passed away. Alav HaShalom. (Buried on Har Nevo, across the Jordan). (2489)

HaGaon Moreinu v'Rabeinu Tzvi Kinstaleicher, author of the responsa "Be'ar Tzvi," Av Beit Din Harmenstadt-Saben, passed away. Zt"l. (Buried on Har HaMenuchot). (5725)

HaGaon Moreinu v'Rabeinu Yaakov (son of Rabbi Ezra) Segal Leibovich, Av Beit Din Kapish, author of "Mishnat Yaakov," passed away. Zt"l. (Buried in Monroe). (5740--a non-leap year)

8 Good advice: The wise with eyes in his head will prepare candles and matches (or a flash light) in an accessible place in the house, in case the electricity fails at night. In many homes long moments pass before these items are found, and in the meantime little children are panicked and endangered.
9

Rain miraculously fell after blowing the ram's horn in prayer to G-d during a drought year (Megilas Ta'anis)

"Fast of Tzadikim," for the division between Beit Shamai and Beit Hillel, and this day was as difficult for Israel as the day of the sin of the golden calf. The Torah was made into two Torahs, and there was much dissension in Israel. Other dates are given for this occurence, but the majority opinion hold that this is the correct date.

Rabeinu Yehuda (son of Rabbi Shmuel) HaChasid, author of "Sefer Chasidim," passed away on Shabat Kodesh "Zachor." Zechuto l'chayei haOlam Haba. (Buried in Ragensburg). (4977--a non-leap year)

HaGaon HaKadosh Rabbi Shmuel David (son of Rabbi Yosef) HaLevi of Nitara was killed Al Kiddush Hashem. Hashem Yinkom Damo. (5704--a non-leap year)

Yahrzeit of Rabbi David Ganish of Libya.

10 HaRav HaTzadik Rabbi Yosef Baruch (son of HaRav HaKadosh Rabbi Kalonymus K.) HaLevy Epstein, the "Gutair Yud" of Neishtadt, passed away. Zt"l. (5627--Adar aleph)
11

Yahrzeit of Rabbi Cha'yim Yosef Dovid Azulai, the Chido (5566/1806); Yahrzeit of R. Shmu'el Shtrashon of Vilna, author of Hago'os Horashash

Yahrzeit of Rabbi Yehoshu'a Moshe Orenstein, author of Yam HaTalmud

Yahrzeit of Rabbi Avrohom Bornstein of Sochotzov, author of the Avnei Nezer (5670/1910)

Yahrzeit of Rabbi Yosef Rosen, author of Tsofnas Pa'anei'ach (5695/1936)

Yahrzeit of Rabbi Eliezer Lipman

12 Dedication of the renovated Holy Temple by Herod; Lod Massacre
13

Fast of Esther

Book of Esther written; Haman's sons hung

Yahrzeit of Rabbi Moshe Feinstein, author of Iggros Moshe (5746/1986)

Yahrzeit of Rabbi Yehuda HaChasid

14 Purim; Circumcision of Moses
15 Sushan Purim (observed as a full holiday in the ancient walled cities of Israel); Queen Vashti killed (according to some)
16 Beginning of the rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem
18

Yahrzeit of Rabbi Yechez'kel Levinstein, mashgi'ach of the Poneivich Yeshiva (5734/1974)

Yahrzeit of Rabbi Chanoch Henich HaKohen of Alexander.

19 Yahrzeit of Rabbi Yosef Chaim Sonnenfeld, Chief of the Jerusalem Beis Din (5692/1932)
20

Yahrzeit of Rabbi Yo'el Sirkish of Cracow, author of the Ba'yis Chodosh (5400/1640)

Yahrzeit of Rabbi Shlomo Zalman Auerbach, Rosh Yeshiva of Kol Torah, Jerusalem

Yahrzeit of Rabbi Eliyahu Mishan of Aram Tsoba (Damascus)

21

Yahrzeit of Rabbi Shlomo Yosef Zevin, editor of the Talmudical Encyclopedia (5738/1976); Yahrzeit of Rabbi Yitzchok Elchonon of Kovna, author of the Be'er Yitzchok Responsa (5656/1896)

Yahrzeit of Rabbi Elimelech Lipman of Lizansk, author of the No’am Elimelech (5566/1806). Rabbi Elimelech is a leading figure in Chasidism. In No'am Elimelech, he expressed the idea of making the personality of the tzaddik, the righteous man, the focal point of a chasid's existence: his goal is "to give life to all the worlds by virtue of his Divine soul."

22 Yahrzeit of Rabbi Yechi'el Michel Halvei Epstein, author of the Oruch Hashulchon
23 Yahrzeit of Rabbi Yitzchok Mei'ir Alter of Gur, author of Chidushei Horim (5626/1866); Yahrzeit of Rabbi Ya'akov Rokei'ach of Tripoli, author of Shulchon of Lechem Haponim (5651/1891)
24 Yahrzeit of Rabbi Eliyahu HaKohen of Izmir
21 Death of Nebuchadnezzar, King of Babylonia (He was the King who appointed the righteous Gedaliah to be governor over Israel.)
25

Burial of Nebuchadnezzar

Yahrzeit of Rabbi Avraham Gershon Kitover of Berod.

27

Nebuchadnezzar removed from his grave

Jehoiachin taken out of prison (Melochim II 25:27)

Death of Zedekiah

Yahrzeit of Rabbi Yitzchak Abuhab of Amsterdam

28 End of oppression in the days of Yehuda b. Shamu'a; Yahrzeit of Rabbi Shmu'el Halevi Klein, author of Machatzis Hashekel; Yahrzeit of Rabbi Eli'ezer Goldshmidt, member of the Rabbinical High Court (5752/1992)
29 Yahrzeit of Rabbi Ya'akov Kaminetzki, Rosh Yeshiva of Yeshiva Torah Vodaath, Brooklyn (5746/1986)