Leap Year, The Jewish

The Jewish "leap year", which occurs seven times in a 19-year cycle, has 13 months instead of the regular year's 12. This is so that the lunar-based Jewish year should remain aligned with the solar seasons (12 lunar months make up a total of 354 days -- s...

The Hebrew leap year ensures that the Jewish calendar remains true to the solar cycle

The Jewish leap year contains 13 months, instead of the regular twelve—i.e., an extra month is added at the end of the year (another Adar). What is the meaning behind this added month?

It seems that this year’s holiday of Passover was much later in the year than it was last year. What exactly happened to delay the holiday of Passover this year?

This class presents the mystical elements of the Jewish leap year; an extra month is added to compensate for the difference of days between the solar and lunar year.

Question: I was born in the month of Adar during a non-leap year. This year, a leap year, there are two Adars, so when do I celebrate my birthday? Answer: You are lucky—you get to celebrate your birthday twice this year! You celebrate your birthday both o...

Question: My mother passed away in the month of Adar of 5756 (1996). When do I observe the yahrtzeit on this year, a leap year that has two Adars? Answer: Most years on the Jewish calendar (almost two thirds of them) have only one Adar. On a leap year, ho...

The Jewish year starts on Rosh Hashanah, "the Head of the Year," the day when Adam and Eve were created. The number of any given year (at the time of the writing of this article, the year is 5767 (2007)), is the amount of years which have elapsed since cr...

The Jewish calendar normally consists of twelve lunar months. A lunar month—from the moment when the crescent new moon appears until it disappears once again—is roughly 29.5 days. Twelve lunar months equal 354 days, eleven days less than the solar year. T...