The Secular Calendar

We are taught that the days of the week should be referred to in terms of their relationship with Shabbat.[1] For example, Sunday is referred to as "yom rishon b'shabbat", Monday as "yom sheini b'shabbat", and so on. Indeed, this is the manner in which the "Song of the Day" which is recited at the conclusion of shacharit is introduced each day. Mentioning the days of the week in this manner is a fulfillment of the mitzva to "remember the Shabbat".[2] Even calling the days "yom rishon" or "yom sheini", as is done in Israel today, is a fulfillment of this mitzva, as well.

In most languages, the names used for days of the week are taken from the names of Roman gods. The English names for the days of the week generally derive from ancient Anglo-Saxon deities and Germanic polytheism. For example, Thursday and Friday come from the Scandinavian deities Thor and Freyja. Saturday is the only day of the week in which the English name comes directly from Roman mythology.

Most languages with Germanic roots named the days of the week in honor of native deities, as well. This concept was later expanded, and the names for the days of the week were also infused with Christian meaning and theology.[3] Similarly, the secular names of the months of the year also originate in idolatrous sources. For example, January is named after Janus, known as the god of the doorway, March is named after Mars, the god of war, and May is named after Maia, the goddess of plant growth.

One would think that using the secular names for the days and the months should be discouraged or even outright forbidden. This is because it is forbidden to follow in the ways of the Gentiles[4] or even to mention the name of a foreign deity.[5] Indeed, there are a number of authorities[6] who rule that one should not refer to the solar months by name, though the halacha is not in accordance with this view. Most authorities rule that it is permitted to refer to the secular days and months by name, as the gods they are named after are no longer worshipped today. It is also noted that simply mentioning the name of a month in conversation cannot possibly be interpreted as paying homage to these gods.[7] It is also permissible to mention the secular year even though it is a count which is intended to recall how many years have passed since the death of the Christian prophet. Nevertheless, some authorities recommend abbreviating the secular year whenever possible, such as by writing"'10" instead of "2010".[8]

It is interesting to note that most of the names of the Jewish months which are used today are of Babylonian and Persian origin, and were often adapted from the names of ancient gods! As the Talmud notes: "three things returned with the Jews from Babylonia – the names of the months, the names of the angels, and the Hebrew script in use today."[9] Nowhere in the Torah are the Hebrew months mentioned by name. For the most part, the months of the year are usually referred to throughout Tanach in numerical order. For example, as the months of the year are counted beginning with the month of Nissan, Cheshvan is referred to as "the eighth month". Even when the Jewish people returned from the Babylonian exile to the Land of Israel, they continued to refer to the Hebrew months of the year by their Babylonian names, a practice which continues today.[10] It is suggested that doing so is intended to recall and commemorate the return from the Babylonian exile.[11]

It may just be that referring to the secular months in a numeric manner, such as by writing "01" when referring to January, is more problematic than referring to them by name![12] This is because the Torah explicitly tells us that Nissan is to be the "first" month of the year[13] a practice which is intended to remind us of the Exodus from Egypt.[14] As such, it is preferable to write May 14, 2009 rather than 14/05/09, lest it appear that one is violating the Torah's order and designation for the months of the year. However, there are those who reject this approach and argue that there is no halachic problem with numbering the months of the solar year in their order.[15] Furthermore, some authorities argue that once the Jews were uprooted from their land and taken into exile, the requirement to count the months from Nissan no longer applied.[16] Even our sages were noted for dating documents according to ancient Greek methods.[17] Although it is best to use the Jewish names of the months and years whenever possible,[18] it is halachically permissible to use the secular names of the days and months, as well.[19]

[1] Beitza 16a

[2] Ramban;Yitro

[3] For example, Christians reinterpreted the word "Sunday" as implying the Sun of Righteousness with reference to the rising of their prophet.

[4] Vayikra 20:23

[5] Shemot 23:13

[6] Maharam Schik 117

[7] Y.D.147:2, Teshuvot V'hanhagot 1:830

[8] Minhag Yisrael Torah Y.D. 178:17

[9] Yerushalmi Rosh Hashana 1:2

[10] Rosh Hashana 7a

[11] Ramban;Bo

[12] Minhag Yisrael Torah Y.D. 178:17

[13] Shemot 12:1

[14] Ramban;Shemot 12:1

[15] Teshuvot V'hanhagot 1:830

[16] Sefer Haikarim 3:16, Chatam Sofer C.M. 1

[17] Teshuvot V'hanhagot 1:830

[18] Minhag Yisrael Torah Y.D. 178:17, Chatam Sofer;Bo, Teshuvot V'hanhagot 1:830

[19] Teshuvot V'hanhagot 1:830, Divrei Yoel 15, Aseh Lecha Rav 6:55