סיון
Rosh Chodesh Sivan
♊ Gemini (Teomim / תאומים) · Spring/Summer · Tribe of Zebulun · May–June
One-Day Rosh Chodesh · 5786
Begins at sunset
Shabbat evening, Saturday, May 16, 2026
Sunset in New York: 8:07 PM
ends sunset on Sunday, May 17, 2026
Molad
Shabbat, 18 hours, 2 minutes and 15 chalakim
1 chelek = 3⅓ seconds · 18 chalakim = 1 minute · 1,080 chalakim = 1 hour
Sivan (סיון) · 29 days · ♊ Gemini (Teomim / תאומים)
Holidays
Shavuot (6–7 Sivan)
Torah Reading
On Shavuot: the Ten Commandments (Exodus 19–20). Rosh Chodesh: Numbers 28:1–15.
Hebrew Year
5786
About
The Month of Sivan
Sivan is the month of the giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai. Shavuot falls on 6 Sivan and celebrates both the revelation at Sinai and the first fruits harvest. Tradition teaches that the entire world fell silent at the moment of revelation — even the birds did not sing. The Torah was given to the entire nation: men, women, and children.
Significance
Rosh Chodesh Sivan
On Rosh Chodesh Sivan the Israelites arrived at the Sinai desert and camped opposite the mountain "as one person with one heart" (Rashi on Exodus 19:2). This unity was a prerequisite for receiving the Torah. Rosh Chodesh Sivan thus represents the power of Jewish unity.
Spiritual Themes
Themes of Sivan
Sivan embodies revelation, unity, and the marriage between God and Israel. The Kabbalists compare Shavuot to a wedding ceremony, with the Torah as the ketubah (marriage contract). The month teaches that wisdom comes through humility — the Torah was given on the lowly Mount Sinai, not on a lofty peak.
♊
Mazal
Gemini (Teomim / תאומים)
Tribe
Zebulun
Season
Spring/Summer
Observances
Customs of Sivan
- •The Three Days of Hagbalah (3–5 Sivan): preparation for Shavuot
- •All-night Torah study on the eve of Shavuot (Tikkun Leil Shavuot)
- •Eating dairy foods on Shavuot
- •Reading the Book of Ruth
- •Decorating the synagogue with greenery
History
Historical Events in Sivan
- •Arrival at Sinai (1 Sivan)
- •Giving of the Torah (6 Sivan, ~1313 BCE)
- •King David’s birth and passing (6 Sivan)
Upcoming
