The guide

The 12 mazalot: the signs of the Hebrew calendar, month by month

Mazal (מזל, plural mazalot): the name Jewish tradition gives to the sign attached to each month of the Hebrew calendar. Twelve months, twelve mazalot — but not those of the newspaper horoscope: the mazal is read from the Hebrew month of birth, which does not line up with civil dates. Many people do not have the mazal they believe — sometimes by a single day, because the Hebrew day begins at sunset.

The twelve

One month, one sign, one planet, one element

Mazal Aries טלה Nissan (March-April) · Mars · fire Born in the month of deliverance — the month of the Exodus from Egypt — you carry the fire of Mars: momentum, the courage to open the road, the impatience of beginnings. Mazal Taurus שור Iyar (April-May) · Venus · earth Born in the month when the world blossoms, under Venus: a steady, faithful nature, attached to what is real, that builds slowly — but builds to last. Mazal Gemini תאומים Sivan (May-June) · Mercury · air Born in the month the Torah was given, under Mercury: a double, agile mind, curious about everything, made for words, for study and for exchange. Mazal Cancer סרטן Tamuz (June-July) · The Moon · water Born under the Moon, the luminary that waxes and wanes: deep sensitivity, a long memory, and a powerful attachment to family and home. Mazal Leo אריה Av (July-August) · The Sun · fire Born in the heart of summer, under the Sun: a royal, generous nature made to shine — and called to place that radiance at the service of others. Mazal Virgo בתולה Elul (August-September) · Mercury · earth Born in Elul, the month of return and reckoning, under Mercury: a precise, scrupulous mind that refines, corrects and perfects without rest. Mazal Libra מאזניים Tishrei (September-October) · Venus · air Born in Tishrei, the month of the great judgment, with the scales for a sign: an innate sense of justice, of balance, of harmony between people. Mazal Scorpio עקרב Cheshvan (October-November) · Mars · water Born in the month of the waters of the Flood, under Mars: a rare intensity, a will that does not let go, the power to pass through trials and be reborn from them. Mazal Sagittarius קשת Kislev (November-December) · Jupiter · fire Born under the bow of Kislev, the month of the Chanukah lights, under Jupiter: an optimism that aims far, a faith that pierces the dark, a love of horizons. Mazal Capricorn גדי Tevet (December-January) · Saturn · earth Born in the depth of winter, under Saturn: quiet endurance, seriousness, the patience of one who climbs and never gives up. Mazal Aquarius דלי Shvat (January-February) · Saturn · air Born in Shvat, when the sap rises again, with the pail that draws and pours: a free, inventive spirit, turned toward others and toward tomorrow. Mazal Pisces דגים Adar (February-March) · Jupiter · water Born in Adar — “when Adar enters, joy is multiplied” — under Jupiter: a fluid, kindly soul, intuitive, carried by a quiet joy.

Where it comes from

Sources older than the horoscope

The mazalot do not come out of a magazine. The Talmud (tractate Shabbat 156a) records the debate of the Sages on the influence of the moment of birth; the Book of Creation (Sefer Yetzirah) assigns each month a letter of the Hebrew alphabet and a faculty of the soul; the Book of the Angel Raziel gives the angels of the months and teaches how to read “the sign rising in the east” at the instant of birth. The correspondences of the months with the twelve tribes and the twelve stones of the breastplate go back to the Bible itself (Exodus 28; Numbers 2).

And the same tradition sets the limit in a famous phrase: “Israel is above its mazal” (Shabbat 156a). The mazal describes a nature, it decides no destiny — free will and good deeds always come first.

Frequently asked

The mazalot in four answers

What is a mazal?
Mazal (מזל, plural mazalot) is the name Jewish tradition gives to the sign attached to each month of the Hebrew calendar. The Talmud (Shabbat 156a) and the books of the tradition discuss its influence on character — while teaching that Israel is “above its mazal”: free will always comes first.

Is the mazal the same as an ordinary star sign?
The twelve figures correspond, but the mazal is read from the HEBREW MONTH of birth, not from civil dates. The Hebrew calendar being lunisolar, one civil date can fall in two different Hebrew months depending on the year: many people do not have the mazal they believe.

How do I find my mazal?
You convert your birth date into its Hebrew date — taking the hour into account, since the Hebrew day begins at sunset — and read the month you obtain: each month carries its mazal. The calculation is free on this site.

Where do the mazalot come from?
From the classical sources of the tradition: the Talmud (tractate Shabbat 156a), the Book of Creation (Sefer Yetzirah), which assigns each month a letter and a faculty, and the Book of the Angel Raziel. The correspondences with the tribes and the stones go back to the Bible (Exodus 28, Numbers 2).