been posting too much?

[leftyjew]

So here's my question:
Should I set up my computer to display today's date as Thursday, Tevet 14, 5767, or should I use the Gregorian date? My problem with Hebrew dates is that, while meaningful in my life, they are not really usable for work, so when someone tells me "This is due Jan 17," I should know that they really mean Tevet 10, and I just can't do those calculations in my head. The other problem is that Tevet 14 in abbreviated form is 4/14/67 and that's just plain wrong. Everyone knows that Tishrei is the 7th month, so Tevet is month 10. Otherwise, you have to know whether there was an Adar Sheni (java.util.Calendar.UNDECIMBER - the thirteenth month) if you want to figure out whether you should fast on 11/9 or 12/9. Also, I just noticed that the calendar is just weird with the Hebrew calendar...It actually seems like it skips Elul when there's a Adar 2, and they call Adar 2 "Adar" and Adar 1 becomes "Adar I".... ack. Okay, this was very stream of consciousness, but I think I would be interested in reactions from Mac users and/or Jews and/or geeks

Comments

[alanscottevil.livejournal.com]

When I was in college I'd date my notes in hebrew but keep a separate calendar in English with due dates and exam dates and other long-range stuff. I think the best solution to keep the hebrew cycle rhythms strong but not get in your way is to have some kind of big hebrew-date display to check and orient yourself on in the morning, along with a dual english/hebrew calendar to track projects and assignments and stuff.

Tishrei is the 1st month of 5767, even though it's "Month #7". If we went back to numbering the years by Kings and stuff, then we'd up-number every Nisan again instead of every Tishrei. So today would be in Month 10 of Year 59 of the Knesset, or something. (Year 1 of Mifleget Kadima?)

And technically, Adar II in a leap year *is* the real Adar. Adar I is the month that gets added with 30 days, while real Adar (which always has 29 days) is pushed off to become Adar "II". That's also why Purim is in Adar II instead of Adar I.

Side comment: I love calendar stuff!

[leftyjew.livejournal.com]

But my problem with calling Tishrei the first month in the short numeric form is that once you pass Nissan you have NO CLUE what important dates are anymore. I would be okay putting the thirteenth month before the twelfth month (though I think my computer would). Alas....if only computers were created before the hegemony of the Gregorian calendar, we might get more flexible data types.

[tobeginagain.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I'm seconding this comment regarding Adar 1/2. In years with two Adars, the first one is Adar I and the second one, the real one, is Adar II. So Purim is always in either Adar, or Adar II.

I have a friend who was born in Adar I who doesn't actually have a Hebrew birthday most years. It's not that his Adar I birthday is in "the first Adar," but rather, his birthday is in the "Adar preceding the one with Purim in it."

[alanscottevil.livejournal.com]

They should use letter codes for Hebrew months...

So Marcheshvan 5th, 5767 would be "05/MRH/67" or something. that would be cool. We don't want no Y2K problem though, so put some century digits in!

Today's date = 14/TVT/5767

[leftyjew.livejournal.com]

Oh oh oh. no it says Tevet if i set it to Tevet. just the short form gets messed up.
So basically,it's like this:
etc.

[sometwo.livejournal.com]

(http://imageshack.us)

This is how I have mine. It shows the secular date in hebrew. Also it shows a hebrew letter in the menu bar which indicates the day of the week.

Also your dates get changed system-wide, even in iCal:

(http://imageshack.us)

[leftyjew.livejournal.com]

Hey!!!
BTW, these links are just to imageShack.us. the main site.

[leftyjew.livejournal.com]

whoops, no they're not. that's just how it looked in gmail

from Nechama Lisa

[(Anonymous)]

Hey Charlie,
I have a calendar with both dates, I live in Israel, and I have no idea what the Hebrew date is. But I know that Shvat is coming up. Start a Rosh Chodesh group so you can stay with the cycle
Nech

Re: from Nechama Lisa

[leftyjew.livejournal.com]

Not for a while. It's only Tevet 22nd, so we have at least another 9 days.