Hebrew Holiday Dates + Printable

Hebrew holiday dates for 2017...drum roll please.

Once again here are two sets of dates! I've done the traditional calendar dates and also the dates from Torah to the Tribes that are based on the start of the year, without an extra month. They are fairly close (of course there is some debate about when First Fruits is), mostly within a week of the other. So how do you choose?

I really can't make that decision for you but if you are in community with a group of believers the best option might be sticking together to celebrate. While there are pros and cons to both options, the fact is we really can't be certain of the dates until Yahusha returns. We can do our best now and be willing to change as we learn more. Keeping the feasts can be easier and more meaningful if you are able to do that with a group. So if you attend a congregation or at least can visit one for the feasts I would encourage you to embrace the dates that they are using.

Update: It came to my attention that I switched around the dates of the months for Shavuot and Yom Kippur on my first run of the Torah to the Tribes calendar. I have corrected the printable to show the accurate dates of May 28 for Shavuot and September 25 for Yom Kippur. So sorry for the confusion!

Get these dates and write them on your calendar. It takes intention and planning to honor YHWH by celebrating his feasts. Now is the time to prepare by scheduling vacation from work, budgeting for a celebration, and so forth.

A couple of things to keep in mind:
-The traditional calendar goes by sundown to sundown. Meaning Passover starts at sundown the evening of April 10.
-The Torah to the Tribes calendar goes by daylight to daylight. So Passover starts the morning of April 2.
-Not all set apart times are no work days. 

Like the weekly Shabbat, YHWH sets apart specific days of the year as times when no work should be done. This includes professional and household work. For the longer festivals there are days when work is permissible, giving us opportunity to labor over food preparation, shop for supplies, etc. Professional work is also allowed during this time, but if it's at all possible I would encourage you to take a few extra days off to focus on these set apart times. If vacation time is limited definitely prioritize taking off the no-work days.

No work days are as follows.

For the Torah to the Tribes calendar:
Days starting at sunlight.

Passover
April 3 and 9

Shavuot
May 28

Yom Teruah
September 16

Yom Kippur
September 25

Sukkot
September 30
October 7

For the traditional calendar:
Again, days starting and ending in the evening of the listed dates.

Passover
April 11-12
April 17-18

Shavuot
May 30 - June 1 (this is traditionally observed as two days even though Scripture mandates one)

Yom Teruah
September 20-22 (this is traditionally observed as two days even though Scripture mandates one)

Yom Kippur 
September 29-30

Sukkot
October 4-5
October 11-12

Click below to download the calendar to print. These work best as 5x7 or 8x10 prints.

Hebrew Holidays 2017 - Torah to the Tribes
Hebrew Holidays 2017 - traditional

They are completely free for your personal use.

Yom Teruah Printable

I'm sharing a pretty printable today to get ready for Yom Teruah!

Yom Teruah is one of the most overlooked of the Hebrew holidays, in my opinion, so I thought it would be fun to make a sign to decorate with. How pretty are those watercolor ranunculous? (Courtesy of Angie Makes, love her stuff!) It is completely free for your personal use so download it and start getting ready for the Feasts!

Click here to download!

Hebrew Holidays Calendar

We aren't done with free printables! It's a bit of a challenge to figure out when the Hebrew dates correspond on the Gregorian calendar so I have made a list that you can print off to keep in your planner, Bible, or on the fridge. 

Most of us think of the Festivals of YHWH as "Jewish holidays" because they are mostly the people who have kept them. However Scripture teaches that these holy days are for both the natural born Israelite and for anyone who wishes to be grafted into YHWH's family of Israel. I chose to call these Hebrew because that is a word that means, "one who has crossed over to YHWH's ways."

These are the dates that the congregation that I attend goes by. A lot of studying has gone into this and this is our best understanding of what is when. The date for First Fruits comes from Vayikra 23:11 which says, "on the next day after the first day." The first day being the start of the Feast of Matzah, or the second day after Passover. Fifty days after that takes us to May 24 for Shavuot.

How it works: Since Hebrew days begin in the evening, the dates listed start in the evening. So Passover starts the evening of April 3 and goes until sundown the next day. The Feast of Matzah starts the evening of April 4 and goes until sundown on April 11.

See the pink one beneath it? That's another Passover printable that I'm sharing later this week! 

I hope this will help you celebrate and prepare for the Festivals of YHWH! Download it here!