Shevat

← Tevet       Shevat (שְׁבָט)       Adar →
Tu Bishvat, the New Year of the Trees, occurs on the 15th of Shevat, which coincides with the flowering of the almond tree in Israel.
Month Number:	11
Number of Days:	30
Season:	Winter
Gregorian Equivalent:	January–February

Shevat (Hebrew: שְׁבָט, Standard Šəvat Tiberian Šəḇāṭ ; from Akkadian Šabātu) is the fifth month of the civil year starting in Tishre (or Tishri) and the eleventh month of the ecclesiastical year on the Hebrew calendar starting in Nisan. It is a winter month of 30 days. Shevat usually occurs in January–February on the Gregorian calendar. The name of the month was taken from the Akkadian language during the Babylonian Captivity. The assumed Akkadian origin of the month is Šabātu meaning strike that refers to the heavy rains of the season. In Jewish sources the month is first mentioned by this name in prophet Zechariah.

Holidays in Shevat

• 15 Shevat - Tu Bishvat

Shevat in Jewish history and tradition

• 1 Shevat - Moses repeats the Torah (Deuteronomy 1:3)
• 2 Shevat (1628 BC) - Asher born
• 24 Shevat (517 BC) - Zechariah's prophecy (Zechariah 1:7-16)
• 28 Shevat (circa 134 BC) - Antiochus V abandoned his siege of Jerusalem and his plans for the city's destruction. This day was observed as a holiday in Hasmonean times. ^[1] (Megilat Taanit)

Other uses

• "Shebat" (Arabic: ﺷﺒﺎﻂ‎‎) and Şubat [ʃuˈbat] is the name for the month of February in Arabic and Turkish.
• In the story of Xenogears, "Shevat" is the name of a country, named after the Hebrew month.

References

1. "Chabad Jewish Calendar". Chabad. Retrieved 21 February 2012.

• This Month in Jewish History
• Resources on the Month of Shevat