Weeks
The Hebrew calendar follows a seven-day weekly cycle, which runs concurrently but independently of the monthly and annual cycles. The names for the days of the week are simply the day number within the week. In Hebrew, these names may be abbreviated using the numerical value of the Hebrew letters, for example יום א׳ (Day 1, or Yom Rishon (יום ראשון)):
- Yom Rishon - יום ראשון (abbreviated יום א׳), meaning "first day" (starting at preceding sunset of Saturday)
- Yom Sheni - יום שני (abbr. יום ב׳) meaning "second day"
- Yom Shlishi - יום שלישי (abbr. יום ג׳) meaning "third day"
- Yom Reviʻi - יום רביעי (abbr. יום ד׳) meaning "fourth day"
- Yom Chamishi - יום חמישי (abbr. יום ה׳) = "fifth day"
- Yom Shishi - יום ששי (abbr. יום ו׳) meaning "sixth day"
- Yom Shabbat - יום שבת (abbr. יום ש׳), or more usually Shabbat - {Hebrew|שבת} = "Sabbath-rest day" .
The names of the days of the week are modeled on the seven days mentioned in the Creation story. For example, Genesis 1:5 "... And there was evening and there was morning, one day". One day here in Genesis 1:15 as translated in JPS and KJV, etc., also translated as first day in some, should properly be rendered as day one. In subsequent verses it reads as ordinal numbers, e.g., 'second day', 'third day', and so forth. See Genesis 1:8, 1:13, 1:19, 1:23, 1:31 and 2.2.
The Jewish Shabbat has a special role in the Jewish weekly cycle. There are many special rules which relate to the Shabbat, discussed more fully in the Talmudic tractate Shabbat.
In Hebrew, the word Shabbat (שַׁבָּת) can also mean "(Talmudic) week", so that in ritual liturgy a phrase like "Yom Reviʻi bəShabbat" means "the fourth day in the week".
Read more about this topic: Hebrew Month, Sources and History
Famous quotes containing the word weeks:
“Habit! that skillful but slow arranger, which starts out by letting our spirit suffer for weeks in a temporary state, but that the spirit is after all happy to discover, for without habit and reduced to its own resources, the spirit would be unable to make any lodgings seem habitable.”
—Marcel Proust (1871–1922)
“Erasing the failure of weeks with level fingers,
she sleeks the fine hair, combing: “You’ll look fine tomorrow!”
—Muriel Rukeyser (1913–1980)
“Since ... six weeks ago, there has been no day in which I have not had letters and visits on the subject of my nomination for the Presidency.... I say very little. I have in no instance encouraged any one to work to that end.... I have said the whole talk about me is on the score of availability. Let availability do the work then.”
—Rutherford Birchard Hayes (1822–1893)