“Three…Two…One…Happy New Year!” was the phrase people heard as the clock struck midnight to mark the beginning of 2022. Yet, according to the Judaic calendar, the year was the same as the day before: 5783. So, does the secular calendar have any significance to Jews? As with many issues of Halacha in contemporary society, there are disparate opinions.

The crux of this issue lies in the greater debate of whether or not we are allowed to use the secular calendar year at all. The Torah says ושם אלהים אחרים וריכזת אל, which is a prohibition not to mention the names of avodah zarah, false gods. The Maharam Shick picks up on this when he discusses marking a gravestone with the secular dates of the birth and death of a person. He explains that this prohibition also extends to mentioning or alluding to avodah zara. Therefore, since the secular calendar year hints at the birth of the founder of Christianity, which is considered to be avodah zarah, it would be prohibited to use it, according to the Maharam Shick.

However, Rav Ovadia Yosef in Teshuvos Yabia Omer suggests that the secular year may not actually refer to the historical birth year of Christianity’s founder because the actual year is unclear and not entirely determined. This would avoid the problem raised by the Maharam Shick and would address the issue of the potential impermissibility of using the secular calendar year. Rav Ovadia Yosef also interestingly quotes esteemed achronim such as the Shach, the Chasam Sofer, and Maharam Padwa who sometimes used the secular year as a date in their own teshuvot, which would indicate that it is allowed. The Tzitz Eliezer explains that people mentioning the secular year are not intending it as a reference to any sort of avodah zara, so their use of the secular year would not be in violation of this prohibition.

While most poskim conclude that we are allowed to use the secular year, we should nevertheless hold the Judiac calendar in higher esteem. Still, recent achronim permit using the secular year for practical purposes like writing a check. But many poskim suggest using the secular year on a Matzeivah on the grave in accordance with the Maharam Shick and the Gesher haChaim.