Iyar: Omer dates, Hebrew calendar order and Taurus
Iyar is the second month counting from Nisan. It has 29 days in the fixed Hebrew calendar and sits between Nisan and Sivan. Every day of Iyar falls within the Omer count, making it a useful month for learning how a continuous count crosses calendar boundaries.
Prepared by Mazalogy · Published · Our editorial approach
| Hebrew name | אייר |
|---|---|
| Order counted from Nisan | 2 |
| Days in the fixed calendar | 29 |
| Gra letter | ו · Vav |
| Gra zodiac correspondence | Taurus |
| Gra faculty, concise gloss | Thought |
A complete month inside a longer count
Iyar is also written Iyyar in English. A transliteration difference does not change the date. In a note such as “18 Iyar,” the 18 is the day within this month; it is not the day number in the Omer. Preserve both labels when following a calendar or reading an event invitation.
Start with the last days of Nisan, follow all 29 days of Iyar and continue into Sivan. The month name changes while the Omer sequence continues. This comparison helps separate a Hebrew month’s ordinary day numbering from the additional count attached to a particular observance.
Sources: Chabad · The Jewish Month: order and fixed-calendar lengths
Two dates that mean different things
Chabad’s month introduction identifies Pesach Sheni on 14 Iyar and Lag BaOmer on 18 Iyar. Pesach Sheni recalls the second opportunity for the Passover offering; Lag BaOmer is the thirty-third day of the Omer. They are distinct dates with different contexts, rather than two names for one holiday.
Look up 18 Iyar in a selected year and record its civil date beside “day 33 of the Omer.” Then find 14 Iyar without reusing that count label. For community events, keep the opening evening and local arrangements with the date. A month reference supplies orientation, not all observance instructions.
Sources: Chabad · Iyar month introduction
Vav, Taurus and the Gra version
In the Gra version of Sefer Yetzirah, Iyar is associated with Vav (ו) and Taurus; Mazalogy renders the connected faculty as “thought.” This is a named textual correspondence, not a calculated natal Sun position.
Use the Vav entry to make a source note with the Gra version named. “Thought” can then become a contemporary exercise: write one assumption about a recent situation, the evidence for it and a possible alternative. The exercise is our application; it is not a quotation or a diagnosis of people born in Iyar.
Sources: Sefer Yetzirah · Gra version, chapter 5:7 · Sefer Yetzirah · Compare another version, chapter 5:1–2
Use it in a calendar or birthday record
For an Iyar birthday, retain the original Hebrew date before looking at the coming anniversary. If you are following an Omer practice, keep its count in a separate field. This small distinction makes a family record and a study notebook easier for another person to understand.
Continue from Iyar
Explore the Hebrew calendar · Find your Hebrew birthday · Study the correspondence system
Sources and approach
Prepared with AI assistance using the linked sources and original reading exercises. Calendar facts, named textual correspondences and contemporary applications are kept distinct. The Gra version is the reference for this table; other versions can assign faculties differently.