sunset in Israel, thus the sunset that very evening, the day of conjunction, becomes This is the 2021 calendar. the first day of the new month. Therefore, this calendar lists the time of New NOTE: For 2021, the High Holy days by this calendar differ only slightly from the Moon from Jerusalem and the time of sunset in Jerusalem as an aid to validate the traditional Jewish calendar primarily due to the way the two calendars determine correct 1st day. Again, refer to the details following the December calendar page. the 1st day of the month and some Holy Days. Torah portions between the two calendars remain unavoidably out of sync until July 17 due to the required Summary of the Holy Days for 2021 intercalary (leap) month for Hebrew year 5780, experienced at the beginning of • Pesach: Mar 27 (Pesach begins late afternoon and into the evening) 2020, which was not included in the traditional rabbinic calendar. (The traditional calendar inserts the leap month by rigid schedule instead of by the real moon.) • Feast of Unleavened Bread: Mar 28 to Apr 3 (1st and last day are High Questions can be directed to The Refiner’s Fire: [email protected]. Sabbath* days) Compare to the 2021 Rabbinic dates: This calendar has no authority! You are not asked to or expected to follow it. See • Pesach: Mar 27 the detailed explanation for this calendar beginning on the Appendix following the • First Fruits: Mar 29 (1st day of Omer) • FULB: Mar 28-Apr 3 December calendar grid. Genesis 1:14 says “Let there be lights in the dome of the • Shavuot: May 17 (High Sabbath day) • First Fruits: Mar 29 sky to divide the day from the night; let them be for signs, seasons, days and • Shavuot: May 17 years”. In our estimation a calendar should use the real sun, moon and stars as • Yom Teruah: Sep 8 (High Sabbath day) • Yom Teruah: Sep 7 they are witnesses in and of themselves – i.e., no “two (human) witnesses” are • Yom Kippur: Sep 16 needed to attest to a “sighted crescent” to determine the beginning of the month • Yom Kippur: Sep 17 (High Sabbath day • Sukkot: Sep 21-28 and no “barley” is needed to determine the year. • Sukkot: Sep 22 to 29 (1st and last day are High Sabbath days) Levites of old observed the moon throughout the whole month, every month, year after year, including far more than just the visible new crescent: Lost on most (*High Sabbath: These are the set-apart days of the commanded feasts. They are called “high today, they were, for example, aware of the time of sunset in Jerusalem; observed Sabbaths” because they are days of holy convocations, no work, time with YHWH, and rest. moon rise & set times all month; observed the old crescent size and position with The weekly Sabbath is set apart on its own, distinct from the high Sabbaths. See Leviticus 23.) respect to the sun at sunrise; and were able to determine the day of the unseen conjunction (which many say is impossible). All these heavenly witnesses come The Hebrew Calendar: together to provide knowledge of the 1st day of the new Hebrew month in Month Name Falls in: Month Name Falls in: advance. Indeed, when the new month arrived, the sighting of the crescent only 1 Nisan Mar-Apr 7 Tishri Sep-Oct sanctified that the month had already begun. (See Maimonides). 2 Iyar Apr-May 8 Cheshvan Oct-Nov While the modern traditional rabbinic calendar calculates the 1st day of a new 3 Sivan May-Jun 9 Kislev Nov-Dec month by an “average moon” and by man-made “rules” establishing future High 4 Tammuz Jun-Jul 10 Tevet Dec-Jan Holy Days (commanded Feast Days) such that the rabbis don’t permit Yom Kippur 5 Av Jul-Aug 11 Shevat Jan-Feb to fall on Friday or Sunday, this calendar permits all Holy Days to fall when they 6 Elul Aug-Sep 12 Adar (I) Feb-Mar fall! This calendar also recognizes the importance of the Full Moon as a Genesis 13† Adar (II) Mar-Apr 1:14 witness of the middle of the Hebrew calendar month. In general, in Jerusalem (†The new moon of Nisan each year is chosen so Pesach falls on or after the start when the Hebrew date at sunset becomes the 14th or 15th (depending on if the of Spring. If Pesach would fall before Spring, then a “leap month” is added. In leap month is to be 29 or 30 days), a full or nearly full moon should be observed to rise at that same sunset. The moon is clearly announcing the middle of the month! If years, the 2nd Adar is always known as “Adar” though on calendars the two instead you relied on the “sighted moon”, then the month will have always begun months are usually labeled “Adar I & Adar II”, or “Adar & Adar Sheni”. Purim and a day or two late, and come the middle of the moon’s month, the moon will be Adar birthdays are always in the 2nd Adar if there is one that year.) observed to rise an hour or more after sunset, already well-past full, indicating the Note: “Parsha”, the weekly Torah portion, is used in the calendar grids. It is the calendar is clearly not right because the moon itself is declaring the month is well same as “Parashat ha-Shavua”. past half over! This calendar recognizes that when the Moon is “renewed”, in conjunction before A note on the colors used in the calendar grids: ● Dates colored “Blue” denote the 1st of the Hebrew month (which actually began at sunset the prior evening). ● Dates colored “Yellow” denote the period of the Full Moon. ● Dates colored “Green” denote the period when the moon is renewed. ● High Holy Days are indicated with a RED border. ● The days of the Feast of Unleavened bread and Sukkot observances are indicated with a Blue border. ● The weekly Shabbat is always a NO WORK day, but is not specifically highlighted. ● As always: The Hebrew day begins at local sunset the evening before the calendar date shown in the grids. ● Be sure to read the 9-page explanation of this calendar at the end of this document. Updated: Feb 20, 2021. Corrected a date typo for April 24th. therefinersfire.org/2021_Calendar.pdf January 2021 (5781) Yom Rishon Yom Sheni Yom Sh’lishi Yom Revi’i Yom Chamishi Yom Shishi Shabbat Sun-day Mon-day Tues-day Wednes-day Thurs-day Fri-day Dec 27 Dec 28 Dec 29 Dec 30 Dec 31 Jan 1 Jan 2 12 Tevet 13 Tevet 14 Tevet 15 Tevet 16 Tevet 17 Tevet 18 Tevet (Watch the nearly full Parsha 13) Shemot: moon rise tonight – FM 5:28 AM Torah: Exodus 1:1-6:1 announcing the 15th) Haftorah: Isaiah 27:6-28:13 Brit Chadasha: John 17:1-26 Jan 3 Jan 4 Jan 5 Jan 6 Jan 7 Jan 8 Jan 9 19 Tevet 20 Tevet 21 Tevet 22 Tevet 23 Tevet 24 Tevet 25 Tevet Parsha 14) Vayera: Torah: Exodus 6:2-9:35 Haftorah: Ezekiel 28:25-29:21 Brit Chadasha: Romans 9:14-17; 2 Corinthians 6:14-7:1 Jan 10 Jan 11 Jan 12 Jan 13 Jan 14 Jan 15 Jan 16 26 Tevet 27 Tevet 28 Tevet 29 Tevet 1 Shevat 2 Shevat 3 Shevat Parsha 15) Bo: Torah: Exodus 10:1-13:16 Haftorah: Jeremiah 46:13-28 NM 7:00 AM (well Brit Chadasha: Luke 2:22-24; John 19:31-37; Acts 13:16-17; Revelation before sunset) 8:6-9:12 Jan 17 Jan 18 Jan 19 Jan 20 Jan 21 Jan 22 Jan 23 4 Shevat 5 Shevat 6 Shevat 7 Shevat 8 Shevat 9 Shevat 10 Shevat Parsha 16) B’shallach: Torah: Exodus 13:17-17:16 Haftorah: Judges 4:4-5:31 Brit Chadasha: John 6:25-35, 19:31-37; 1 Corinthians 10:1-13; 2 Corinthians 8:1-15; Revelation 15:1-4 Jan 24 Jan 25 Jan 26 Jan 27 Jan 28 Jan 29 Jan 30 11 Shevat 12 Shevat 13 Shevat 14 Shevat 15 Shevat 16 Shevat 17 Shevat (Watch the moon rise Parsha 17) Yitro: early tonight, well FM 9:16 PM Torah: Exodus 18:1-20:23 before sunset – Haftorah: Isaiah 6:1-7:14 th (Note the rare but not announcing the 15 Brit Chadasha: 1 Timothy 3:1-14 and revealing the late unusual lateness of the FM.) full moon tonight.) Jan 31 18 Shevat (Blue–Hebrew month; new moon day, Green–Moon Renewed, Yellow–Full Moon, RED border-High Holy Day, Blue border-Moed observance) (Hebrew day begins @ sunset prior) (NOTE: All Clock Times are in Jerusalem time) therefinersfire.org/2021_Calendar.pdf February 2021 (5781) Yom Rishon Yom Sheni Yom Sh’lishi Yom Revi’i Yom Chamishi Yom Shishi Shabbat Sun-day Mon-day Tues-day Wednes-day Thurs-day Fri-day Feb 1 Feb 2 Feb 3 Feb 4 Feb 5 Feb 6 19 Shevat 20 Shevat 21 Shevat 22 Shevat 23 Shevat 24 Shevat Parsha 18) Mishpatim: Torah: Exodus 21:1-24:18 Haftorah: Jeremiah 34:8-22, 31:31-34 Brit Chadasha: Hebrews 9:15-22 Feb 7 Feb 8 Feb 9 Feb 10 Feb 11 Feb 12 Feb 13 25 Shevat 26 Shevat 27 Shevat 28 Shevat 29 Shevat 30 Shevat 1 Adar Parsha 19) Terumah: Torah: Exodus 25:1-27:19 NM 9:05 PM (well Haftorah: 1 Kings 5:12-6:13 after sunset) Brit Chadasha: Hebrews 8:1-13.