Shavuot 2013

May 2013 Su Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Ascension Day Thursday May 9 -11 years, -6 months, -13 days or -4215 days 10 11 12 Mothers Day Sunday May 12 -11 years, -6 months, -10 days or -4212 days 13 14 15 Shavuot Wednesday May 15 -11 years, -6 months, -7 days or -4209 days 16 17 18 19 Pentecost Sunday May 19 -11 years, -6 months, -3 days or -4205 days 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 Memorial Day Monday May 27 28 29 30 31

Shavuot for the year 2013 starts on Wednesday, May 15th ending the two day holiday at sundown on Thursday, May 16th. For the Jewish calendar night begins before day, thus the holiday begins on the sunset of the previous day on the evening of Tuesday, May 14th.

Shavuot in Israel with the Hebrew calendar falls on Sivan 6-7 each year, but have a different date each year on the Gregorian calendar. Shavuot is a two day festival. The festival marks the wheat harvest in Israel and commemorates the day God gave the Torah to Israel on Mount Sinai.

Why do Jewish holidays start at nighttime?

According to the Torah, the story of creation in Genesis says “And it was evening, and it was morning day one”, “And it was evening, and it was morning; the second day”, thus night comes before day. So for the Jewish calendar all days begin at nightfall and end the next day at nightfall including holidays.

Days to the start of Shavuot 2013

Wednesday, May 15th is day number 135 of the 2013 calendar year with -11 years, -6 months, -7 days until Shavuot 2013.