Iyyar

(Assyro-Babylonian, Aiaru) (29 Days)

April/May (Barley harvest).

1 Kings 6:1

2^nd month of the religious calendar.

8^th month of the civil calendar.

Iyyar 1 � New Moon (Num 1:18)

This was called the month of flowers, and it was the greenest and considered the most beautiful of all the months. Many times during this month the dry desert winds would blow in for three days at a time, melting the snow, and quickening the vegetation. During this month the harvesting begins in the Jordan valley and on the coastal plain. The fruit trees are in blossom and show their young foliage. The peach, pomegranate, olive, and many more.

Note: Before the Babylonian captivity this month was referred to as Ziv (1 Kings 6:1).

The Hebrews recognized this month as the month of the beginning of the Temple building. The Hebrews also connected the month Iyyar with light, in contrast to Adar which is recognized as the dark month etymologically. This month falls in the Omer, and the first of Iyyar was the 16th day of Omer.

Traditional Remembrances:

Iyyar 1 - Commemorates the census of the people that began under Moses.

Iyyar 2 - Commemorates King Solomon who began building the Temple.

Iyyar 7 � Commemorates the dedication of the walls of Jerusalem.

Iyyar 10 - The priest Eli died.

Iyyar 15 - The Israelites arrived in the desert of Sin, also the day of Pesah Sheni.

Iyyar 16 � The manna in the wilderness began to fall.

Iyyar 17 - The Jews rose against Florus and broke down the colonnade which connected Herod's Temple with the Antonia Fortress.

Iyyar 23 - The Israelites arrived at Rephidim.

Iyyar 27 - The victorious independence of Judea under Simon I.

Iyyar 29 - The death of Samuel the prophet.

The Jewish Calendar in Ancient Hebrew History

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