What is a Jewish Birthday?

Establishing a "Jewish calendar" was the first mitzvah (commandment) the Jewish nation received from G‑d. This unique calendar is based on the lunar month, but is occasionally adjusted so that it remains synchronized with the solar year and its seasons. (Click here for more about the Jewish calendar system.)

Thus from year to year, a date on the Jewish calendar will fluctuate with respect to other calendar systems, but will always remain in close proximity to its corresponding date on the commonly used Gregorian (solar-based) calendar. For example, if your civil birthday is on June 15th, your Jewish birthday will always be within a few weeks of that date. Click here to determine when your Jewish birthday will fall on any given year.

As individuals we celebrate those dates that have personal significanceYour Jewish birthday has dual significance: a) According to Jewish tradition, your mazal (good fortune) is dominant on your birthday. b) As a nation we celebrate those dates when special events that affected our destiny occurred, a.k.a. holidays. As individuals we celebrate those dates that have personal significance—and what is more significant than your birth? It is when the Creator said, "Here, I am giving you a body, a soul, and a divine mission. I have absolute trust in your ability to pull through for Me."

In 1988, the Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, of righteous memory, inaugurated a "Jewish Birthday Campaign." He asked that we all utilize this most special day of our lives to its utmost. A day to recommit to the mission that G‑d entrusted to us—bettering and sanctifying ourselves and the world around us.

Click here for tips on celebrating your birthday Jewishly.