My Jewish birthday is exceptionally awesome!

March 14, 2007 8:22 AM

My Jewish Birthday is better than yours. On my birthday, the Hasidic movement was founded, the first Chabad rabbi was brought into the world, and the Baal Shem Tov was born. So, how cool is your Jewish birthday?
posted by parmanparman (39 comments total)

In Judaism the day begins at nightfall, so before we can return the exact date of your Jewish birthday we need to determine what time of day you were born.

And what timezone.

By morning-reckoning, I share my birthday with the day Moses got his wang zanged and also with Purim Victory. By afternoon-reckoning...oh sweet non-Messiah, just-a-good-teacher Jebus, they actually do take latitude, longitude and daylight saving time into account. These guys are even more anal than me. Anyway, if I was born after nightfall local time, it was just Purim but no wang. If between sunset and nightfall I should consult a Rabbi.
posted by DU at 8:37 AM on March 14, 2007

I was born in the leap month of Adar II, so my birthday only comes around every 6 or 7 years. Also, blech, Chabad. They're like the fundamentalist Christians of Judaism in terms of retrograde gender roles.
posted by mzurer at 8:38 AM on March 14, 2007

Wait a minute....the year counts too and I left it as 2007 originally, so all that is wrong. Using the real year (and I probably don't even want to know why this matters), nothing happened.
posted by DU at 8:40 AM on March 14, 2007

Huh. I was born in 5721. I didn't realize Jews were operating on the stardate calendar. This explains a lot to me.
posted by pracowity at 8:44 AM on March 14, 2007

No, wait. The stardate conversion is here. Never mind.

But I wonder if it does Jewish-to-stardate conversions...
posted by pracowity at 8:46 AM on March 14, 2007

Yeah? Well, I share the same birthdate as Muhammad Ali - and he's still The Greatest! Are you going to share your cake with us, or what?
posted by Smart Dalek at 8:47 AM on March 14, 2007

I'm not sure if this calculator is slightly inaccurate or if my birth certificate is messed up, but it says my birthday on the Jewish calendar is the day after the date I always thought it was.

Since Chabad takes this stuff really seriously, I wonder if the rabbi made a mistake with me. Everything I knew is wrong!
posted by leesh at 8:54 AM on March 14, 2007

Evidently, the most important thing that happened on my Jewish birthday is that I was born. I can live with that.
posted by amro at 8:55 AM on March 14, 2007

I wish I had some cake to share. I hunger for cake. Ooh, I have a car this week. To Safeway I will go!
posted by parmanparman at 9:01 AM on March 14, 2007

Dood. Hannukah was on my Jewish birthday. Which is also a leap day, the Jewish February 29. Awesome!
posted by dame at 9:10 AM on March 14, 2007

Ugh, store frosting.
posted by DU at 9:10 AM on March 14, 2007

In your face, suckers! Chanukah Miracle Baby, booyeah!
posted by Alvy Ampersand at 9:11 AM on March 14, 2007

My birthday was not kind to the Jews.
posted by tehloki at 9:13 AM on March 14, 2007

Your Jewish birthday is: Tishrei 1

On this Date in Jewish History - Tishrei 1:
Adam & Eve Created (3760 BCE)

First Sin & Repentance (3760 BCE)

Adam and Eve couldn't even go one stupid day without sinning? No wonder we're so screwed.
posted by god hates math at 9:14 AM on March 14, 2007 [1 favorite]

My Jewish birthday is... the next time this day occurs is (this October).

The next time this day occurs?

Is this something I'd have to be Jewish to know about?
posted by dreamsign at 9:17 AM on March 14, 2007

Alvy, does that mean we have the same birthday?
posted by dame at 9:24 AM on March 14, 2007

I share my birthdate with Don Rickles, and Chabad doesn't seem to think that's a momentous enough moment in Jewish history this is why, despite being directly descended from Wolf Kitzes on my mother's side and distantly related to the Ba'al Shem Tov himself on my father's side, I am not a hasid.
posted by Astro Zombie at 9:25 AM on March 14, 2007

Sweet! I just found out my Jewish birthday is tomorrow - and here I thought I'd have to wait weeks for the presents. Having a Jewish birthday is awesome.

On my birthday, Nebuchadnezzar died.
posted by contessa at 9:26 AM on March 14, 2007

I am also a leap-month Adar II person. (Thanks mzurer, I was wondering what the Adar/Adar II deal was).
posted by contessa at 9:27 AM on March 14, 2007

My dad shares a birthday with Hitler. So he probably has the least cool Jewish birthday.
posted by Mayor Curley at 9:36 AM on March 14, 2007

I was born on Nissan 9, on which date in Jewish history, evidently, nothing noteworthy whatsoever happened. Well, except for my birth, of course, but do they bother to list that? Noooooo, of course not.
posted by cerebus19 at 9:42 AM on March 14, 2007

Dame: Tevet 3, 5740?
posted by Alvy Ampersand at 10:01 AM on March 14, 2007

Kislev 30, 5740. Well, it did last 8 days.
posted by dame at 10:14 AM on March 14, 2007

So I am three days older, but the same year! You have to listen to me now.
posted by dame at 10:15 AM on March 14, 2007

My dad shares a birthday with Hitler. So he probably has the least cool Jewish birthday.
posted by Mayor Curley

Mine's April 20 in goyyische calendar, too. But mine in Jewdate is Iyar 5, 5713. Which is also "State of Israel Proclaimed," so, nyaaaah!

But this year, Iyar 5 is April 23rd. Huh? N'wonder I'm confused. Does anybody know what time it is?
posted by beelzbubba at 10:16 AM on March 14, 2007

14th of Nissan, a.k.a. the day before Passover, a.k.a. the day God reportedly went around killing all the firstborn kids in Egypt, in order to guilt trip their parents into letting the Jewish slaves leave the country.

Sorry, dead Egyptian kids!
posted by Asparagirl at 10:22 AM on March 14, 2007

dreamsign and beelzbubba, the Jewish year and the Gregorian year are not the same length, so your "Jewish birthday" falls on a different date on the Gregorian calendar each year.
posted by amro at 10:23 AM on March 14, 2007

Adar 12, 5767. Represent, bitches.
posted by ninjew at 10:30 AM on March 14, 2007

You have to listen to me now.

Aw, I'm sick of being Pretend Jewish, I'm going back to Really Lapsed Half-Assed Catholicism!
posted by Alvy Ampersand at 10:33 AM on March 14, 2007

Aw, I'm sick of being Pretend Jewish, I'm going back to Really Lapsed Half-Assed Catholicism!

Why don't you just disavow, like I did.
posted by parmanparman at 10:39 AM on March 14, 2007

Same as Maimonides, for the win. High five, high five.

In all (well, some) seriousness, the Hebrew calendar is more complicated than the US Tax Code. If it was created by God, it clearly could have used some revision by Stephen Covey. Take a look for yourself.
posted by mosk at 11:26 AM on March 14, 2007

My birthday is cool because it's an even power of two. There are six such birthdays in a year.

And it's Jewish because... I was born that day!
posted by Afroblanco at 11:44 AM on March 14, 2007

Apparently, absolutely nothing happened on my birthday.
posted by rottytooth at 12:02 PM on March 14, 2007

Iyar 27
-Eichmann Executed

I like the range- my JB can be as early as May 8 and as late as June 6 (as far as I looked)
posted by MtDewd at 12:29 PM on March 14, 2007

My birthday (09/20/76) is the anniversary of the first day of creation. That's pretty cool. Do I win?
posted by christopher.taylor at 12:42 PM on March 14, 2007

Christopher.taylor, that is one pretty awesome birthday. I hope you throw a major party when it comes around.
posted by parmanparman at 12:47 PM on March 14, 2007

Aw, I'm sick of being Pretend Jewish, I'm going back to Really Lapsed Half-Assed Catholicism!

That's where I began too. And I am three days older then, too! No escape!
posted by dame at 1:57 PM on March 14, 2007 [1 favorite]

But this year, Iyar 5 is April 23rd. Huh? N'wonder I'm confused. Does anybody know what time it is?
People confused by there jew birthdays being on different days than there regular birthdays, it's ok. It takes it from your birth year, so April 20, yyyy was Iyar 5, 5713. Because, if I recall correctly from hebrew school, the hebrew calendar is lunar, april 20 will not always be Iyar 5.
posted by KingoftheWhales at 7:48 PM on March 14, 2007

Sweet, I was born in Cheshvan! I never knew. And this year it is 10 days before my actual birthday. More presents for me!

(and nothing other than my birth seems to have happened on that day, oh well)
posted by pinky at 9:33 AM on March 15, 2007