Chronology of
בריאת העולם
BRIYAT HA-OLAM
(creation)

Symbolic collage with stars, a glowing circle, water, a leaf, a moon, and a bird.
Symbolic collage for the chronology of creation. AI-generated illustration for TJD, 2026-09-07.

בראשית BEREŜIT orders creation into six days followed by a seventh day of cessation, blessing and holiness. The sequence moves from the formation of the world to its living creatures and humankind, then to sacred time. The text numbers the days; their month and year assignments belong to later chronology within יהדות YAHADUT.1

First day

כ״ה באלול א׳ 25th 𝑜𝑓 Elul, AM 1Precision: day · Basis: traditional

The heavens and earth were created.

כ״ה באלול א׳ 25th 𝑜𝑓 Elul, AM 1: The heavens and earth were created.

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כ״ה באלול א׳ 25th 𝑜𝑓 Elul, AM 1Precision: day · Basis: traditional

Light was called forth.

כ״ה באלול א׳ 25th 𝑜𝑓 Elul, AM 1: Light was called forth.

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Second day

כ״ו באלול א׳ 26th 𝑜𝑓 Elul, AM 1Precision: day · Basis: traditional

The waters were separated.

כ״ו באלול א׳ 26th 𝑜𝑓 Elul, AM 1: The waters were separated.

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Third day

כ״ז באלול א׳ 27th 𝑜𝑓 Elul, AM 1Precision: day · Basis: traditional

Dry land appeared.

כ״ז באלול א׳ 27th 𝑜𝑓 Elul, AM 1: Dry land appeared.

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כ״ז באלול א׳ 27th 𝑜𝑓 Elul, AM 1Precision: day · Basis: traditional

Vegetation was brought forth.

כ״ז באלול א׳ 27th 𝑜𝑓 Elul, AM 1: Vegetation was brought forth.

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Fourth day

כ״ח באלול א׳ 28th 𝑜𝑓 Elul, AM 1Precision: day · Basis: traditional

The celestial bodies were set.

כ״ח באלול א׳ 28th 𝑜𝑓 Elul, AM 1: The celestial bodies were set.2

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Fifth day

כ״ט באלול א׳ 29th 𝑜𝑓 Elul, AM 1Precision: day · Basis: traditional

The waters teemed with living creatures.

כ״ט באלול א׳ 29th 𝑜𝑓 Elul, AM 1: The waters teemed with living creatures.

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כ״ט באלול א׳ 29th 𝑜𝑓 Elul, AM 1Precision: day · Basis: traditional

Flying creatures filled the skies.

כ״ט באלול א׳ 29th 𝑜𝑓 Elul, AM 1: Flying creatures filled the skies.

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Sixth day

א׳ בתשרי ב׳ 1st 𝑜𝑓 Tiŝrei, AM 2Precision: day · Basis: traditional

Land animals were created.

א׳ בתשרי ב׳ 1st 𝑜𝑓 Tiŝrei, AM 2: Land animals were created.

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א׳ בתשרי ב׳ 1st 𝑜𝑓 Tiŝrei, AM 2Precision: day · Basis: traditional

Humankind was created.

א׳ בתשרי ב׳ 1st 𝑜𝑓 Tiŝrei, AM 2: Humankind was created.

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Seventh day

ב׳ בתשרי ב׳ 2nd 𝑜𝑓 Tiŝrei, AM 2Precision: day · Basis: traditional

G-d ceased from the work of creation.

ב׳ בתשרי ב׳ 2nd 𝑜𝑓 Tiŝrei, AM 2: G-d ceased from the work of creation.

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ב׳ בתשרי ב׳ 2nd 𝑜𝑓 Tiŝrei, AM 2Precision: day · Basis: traditional

The seventh day was blessed and made holy.

ב׳ בתשרי ב׳ 2nd 𝑜𝑓 Tiŝrei, AM 2: The seventh day was blessed and made holy.

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Which calendar traditions
frame the week?

There are three traditions. These are alternative placements of the same narrative, not separate creation events.3

The autumn tradition from ר׳ אליעזר בן הורקנוס R. ELIʾEZER BEN HURKANOS places creation in תשרי TIŜREI. This begins the week on כ״ה באלול 25th 𝑜𝑓 Elul and places the creation of אדם ADAM on ראש השנה ROŜ HAʾŜANA.

The spring tradition from ר׳ יהושע R. YEHOSUA places creation in ניסן NISAN. This sequence runs from כ״ה באדר 25th 𝑜𝑓 Adar through ב׳ בניסן 2nd 𝑜𝑓 Nisan.

To reconcile the two opinions, רבנו תם RABEINU TAM distinguishes divine thought in תשרי TIŜREI from creation carried out in ניסן NISAN.4

The autumn tradition is the most widely accepted. Its first five days fall in AM 1 and its last two in AM 2 under the year-counting convention used today. That numbering is part of the detailed dating that has developed over many centuries.5

Footnotes

  1. Genesis 1:1–2:3, ↩
  2. Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer 8, explicitly places the sun and moon on כ״ח באלול 28th 𝑜𝑓 Elul. ↩
  3. Rosh Hashanah 10b–11a,; Vayikra Rabbah 29:1,. ↩
  4. Tosafot on Rosh Hashanah 27a, ↩
  5. Stern, When Did We Begin Counting from Creation? addendum, Pushing Creation Back a Year?. ↩