Living Torah Archives

Some melancholy people take issue with celebrating during the first month of Adar. Why argue with those joyless people? The Rema rules, “A cheerful person always celebrates.” If there was room for doubt, “always celebrate.”

The year is divided into twelve months. But Torah tells us that there are special years which have an additional month – changing the entire year into a Jewish “Leap Year.”

The lunar year is eleven days shorter than the solar year. Therefore, every two or three years, an additional month is added to the Jewish calendar, to bring the lunar and solar years back into alignment.

The solar year is longer than the lunar year. The seasons are determined by the movement of the sun. But the Jewish people set their months and festivals by the moon. Every few years, we add a thirteenth month to synchronize the two cycles.