Project Genesis




The Jewish Holidays

Why don't the Jewish holidays occur on the same secular dates every year?

The Jewish year is usually 12 lunar months long, but 12 lunar months add up to only 354 days. To keep the Jewish year in step with the 365-day solar year, some Jewish years (7 out of 19) are 13 lunar months long. Thus the 12-month years are 11 days shorter than a solar year, and the 13-month years are about 19 days longer. As a result, the Jewish calendar shifts back and forth relative to the secular calendar, but it comes out even by the end of the 19-year cycle.

No Follow-ups »

No published follow-up questions.

We respond to every follow-up question submitted, but only publish selected ones. In order to be considered for publication, questions must be on-topic, polite, and address ideas rather than personalities.

SUBMIT A FOLLOW-UP QUESTION


Powered by WordPress