Kislev
| ← Marcheshvan Kislev (כִּסְלֵו) Tevet → | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Chanukah, the Festival of Lights, begins on the 25th of Kislev. | ||||
| Month Number: | 9 | |||
| Number of Days: | 30 (sometimes 29) | |||
| Season: | Autumn | |||
| Gregorian Equivalent: | November–December | |||
Kislev (Hebrew: כִּסְלֵו, Standard Kislev Tiberian Kislēw; also Chislev[1]) is the third month of the civil year and the ninth month of the ecclesiastical year on the Hebrew calendar.
In a regular (kesidran) year Kislev has 30 days, but because of the Rosh Hashanah postponement rules, in some years it can lose a day to make the year a "short" (chaser) year. Kislev is an autumn month which occurs in November–December on the Gregorian calendar and is sometimes known as the month of dreams. The name of the month may be taken from Akkadian kislimu, which means "inspissated, thickened" due to plentiful rains. But the name may also derive from the Hebrew root K-S-L as in the words "kesel, kisla" (hope, positiveness) or "ksil" (Orion, a constellation that shines especially in this month) - because of the expectation and hope for rains.
Holidays in Kislev
25 Kislev—2 Tevet - Hanukkah – ends 3 Tevet if Kislev is short
Kislev in Jewish history and tradition
- 14 Kislev (1568 BC) - Birth of Reuben, son of Jacob.[2]
- 14 Kislev (1445 BC) - Death of Reuben, son of Jacob.[2]
- 15 Kislev (167 BC) - The Greeks set up the "Abomination of Desolation" in the Temple.[3]
- 20 Kislev (circa 457 BC) - Ezra addresses a three-day assemblage of Jews in Jerusalem, telling them to adhere to the Torah and to dissolve their interfaith marriages.
- 21 Kislev (circa 128 BC) - The Samaritan temple at Mount Gerizim was destroyed by John Hyrcanus I.[4]
- 25 Kislev (167 BC) The Greeks make pagan sacrifices in the Temple[5]
- 25 Kislev (164 BC) - The Hanukkah miracle
- 27 Kislev (circa 2105 BC) - Flood rains cease (According to Genesis 6-8).
References in fiction
- In the story of Xenogears, Kislev is the name of a country, named after the Hebrew month.
- In the Warhammer universe, Kislev is both the name for a city near the chaos wastes and the country in which it resides.
- In the Dragonlance universe, Kislev (or Chislev) represents the godly force of instinct.
- By Jon Stewart in "Can I Interest You in Hanukkah" off of Stephen Colbert's "A Colbert Christmas: The Greatest Gift of All!"
References
- ↑ "Chislev". Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary. The Free Dictionary (Farlex). 1913. Retrieved 2011-02-07.
- 1 2 Hamodia. Nov/28/12. p. D47.
- ↑ "Now the fifteenth day of the month Kislev, in the hundred forty and fifth year, they set up the abomination of desolation upon the altar, and builded idol altars throughout the cities of Judah on every side." (1 Maccabees 1:54)
- ↑ Megillat Ta'anit 29
- ↑ "Now the five and twentieth day of the month they did sacrifice upon the idol altar, which was upon the altar of God." (1 Maccabees 1:59)