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The Jewish religion

Chapter 46: Notes.
By M. Friedländer
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Religion/Spirituality

About This Book

A concise exposition presents the foundations, sources, and observances of Judaism, tracing beliefs to the Bible and post-biblical literature and explaining how doctrine is expressed through law and practice. It outlines core theological tenets—God's existence, unity, incorporeality, and eternity—reviews revelation and prophecy, and treats the written and oral Torah, commandments, ritual, prayer, festivals, ethics, messianic expectation, and notions of reward and resurrection. The work includes commentary on Maimonides' thirteen principles and emphasizes instruction for believers, offering interpretive guidance to readers seeking coherent summaries of creed and religious duty.

[Contents]

Notes.

The following are the general principles upon which our Calendar is based:—

1. Twenty-nine days 12​793⁄1080 hours elapse between one molad and the next.54

2. An ordinary year must not have less than 353 or more than 355 days, nor the leap-year less than 383 or more than 385 days.

3. The 1st of Tishri is fixed on the day of the molad of Tishri. There are four exceptions (‏דחיות‎):—

a. ‏לא אד״ו ראש‎. If the molad of Tishri falls on a Sunday, Wednesday, or Friday.

b. ‏מולד זקן‎. If the molad of Tishri is at noon or later.

c. If the molad of Tishri in an ordinary year is on Tuesday 3​204⁄1080 A.M. or later (‏ג׳ ט׳ ר״ד‎).

d. If the molad of Tishri of a year succeeding a leap-year is on Monday 9​589⁄1080 A.M. or later (‏ב׳ ט״ו תק״פט‎).

The first of these four exceptions is to prevent the Day of Atonement from falling on Friday or Sunday, and Hoshaana-rabba from falling on Sabbath; the third exception is to guard against having an ordinary year of more than 355, and the last from having a leap-year of less than 383 days.

4. The character of the year is described by three letters, the first of which indicates the day of the week for the 1st of Tishri, the last the day of the week for the 1st of Nisan, the middle letter, according as it is ‏כ‎, ‏ח‎, or ‏ש‎ (=‏כסדר‎ “regular;” ‏חסרה‎ “defective;” ‏שלמה‎ “perfect”), indicates a regular year of 354 (in leap-year 384) days, a defective year of 353 (in leap-year 383), or a perfect one of 355 (in leap-year 385) days.

The present year (September 1890 to October 1891) is, according to Jewish tradition,55 the year 5651 A.M. (of the Creation); its characteristics are ‏ב׳ ח׳ ה׳‎; i.e., the 1st of Tishri is on Monday; the year is defective; and the 1st of Nisan is on Thursday. The year is, besides, a leap-year, consisting of 13 months; [368]it is the eighth year of the 298th cycle (of 19 years). It is the first year of the Septennate, or the first year after the year of release (‏שמטה‎. See Lev. xxv.).