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Happy 1 Nisan!

Better know a holiday

by
Marc Tracy
March 23, 2012

Starting tonight, it is the first of Nisan, the head of the year. And how do you say “head of the year” in Hebrew? It’s Rosh Hashanah. So don’t we already have a head of the year? Well, yes. There are two. I asked editor-in-chief and HAFTR yeshiva graduate Alana Newhouse to explain. She said: “It’s complicated.” Maybe it has something to do with Nisan being “head of months,” not “head of the year?” Sure, that’s the ticket. “It has,” Alana adds, “to do with this guy.”

1 Nisan is also thought of as the memorial for the three Patriarchs, all of whom died in Nisan. Oh, and it’s also the day on which the universe was created. Which would make 7 Nisan the first Shabbat, I guess? Either way, that’s also tonight: happy 1 Nisan, and Shabbat Shalom.

Marc Tracy is a staff writer at The New Republic, and was previously a staff writer at Tablet. He tweets @marcatracy.