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Guide

Writing the Hebrew date on an invitation: a how-to

The day in letters, the month, the year, the evening form: the writing rules, with computed 2027 examples.

By The Tov team · · 5 min read · Updated on
On this page
  1. The form: day, month, year
  2. Adar, and years with two Adars
  3. In the evening: “אור ל…”
  4. Where to put it on the invitation
  5. Common mistakes
  6. What Tov computes

On an invitation, the civil date tells guests when to come; the Hebrew date says which day it is in the tradition. It can be computed, but it is written by precise conventions. Here is the form to follow, with examples computed with a Hebrew calendar.

The form: day, month, year

The day is written in Hebrew letters, then a “ב” (“in”) attached to the month, then the year without the thousands: 5787 is written תשפ״ז. A single letter takes a geresh (׳); several letters take a gershayim (״) before the last one. 2027 examples:

  • Sunday, June 20, 2027: 15 Sivan 5787, written ט״ו בסיוון תשפ״ז.
  • Monday, June 21, 2027: 16 Sivan 5787, written ט״ז בסיוון תשפ״ז.
  • Sunday, March 14, 2027: 5 Adar II 5787, written ה׳ באדר ב׳ תשפ״ז.
  • Sunday, November 28, 2027: 28 Cheshvan 5788, written כ״ח בחשוון תשפ״ח.
Culture

The 15th is written ט״ו and the 16th ט״ז, never י״ה or י״ו: this is the universal custom, so as not to write a Divine Name. It is a custom observed in every community.

Adar, and years with two Adars

Some years have an extra month: 5787 is a leap year, with Adar I and Adar II (5788 has just one Adar). The 14th of Adar II 5787, Purim, falls on Tuesday, March 23, 2027: write י״ד באדר ב׳ תשפ״ז, where the “ב׳” specifies the month. For a Hebrew birthday (bar mitzvah, yahrzeit) of someone born in Adar, ask your rabbi which date to use.

In the evening: “אור ל…”

The Hebrew day begins at nightfall (Genesis 1:5). An evening ceremony therefore already carries the next day’s date, and it is written “אור ל” followed by that date, “the night of…”. Example: a henna on Tuesday, December 14, 2027 at 8 p.m. in New York (sunset around 4:29 p.m.) is written אור לט״ו בכסלו תשפ״ח, because 15 Kislev begins that evening. The civil date just above remains the one that tells guests when to come.

Info

Between sunset and true nightfall (roughly 40 to 60 minutes later, depending on season and place), the day is uncertain. Tov switches days at sunset, a simple reference point. For a birth or a ceremony in that window, ask your rabbi.

Where to put it on the invitation

  • Under the civil date, in smaller type: the civil date stays the reference for guests.
  • In Hebrew letters on designs in English, French and Spanish: Hebrew letters are the customary format. Add the transliterated date (“15 Sivan 5787”) only if your guests do not read Hebrew.
  • Next to the weekday of the civil date, never alone: do not let a guest confuse two days.

Common mistakes

  • Converting the civil date by hand: after sunset, the Hebrew day changes.
  • Forgetting Adar I or Adar II in a leap year.
  • Writing י״ה or י״ו instead of ט״ו and ט״ז.
  • Using a straight apostrophe (') instead of a geresh (׳) and a straight quote (") instead of gershayim (״).
  • Writing the year with the thousands (ה׳תשפ״ז) on an everyday invitation: guests expect תשפ״ז.
On the same topic

What Tov computes

Tov computes the Hebrew date of each moment at its time, at the venue, and writes it “אור ל…” when the ceremony is after sunset, always in Hebrew, whatever the language of the invitation. Check the result with your rabbi if the date has ritual weight. Tov is free during the beta.

Last checked

Sources consulted

About — Written by the Tov.events team, who build the tools Jewish families — Sephardic, Ashkenazi, Mizrahi, secular — use for their simchas.

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