November 2018 Rabbi Arnow's Article
Author | |
Date Added | |
Automatically create summary | |
Summary |
Holidays, Late and Early Is Hanukkah late this year? Is Passover early? When is Purim? These are questions we all hear every so often, so perhaps it’d be helpful to explain a little something about the Jewish calendar. The solar calendar is about 365 days, whereas the lunar (i.e. Jewish and Muslim) calendar is 354 days. So, every year, the Jewish calendar slips 11 days earlier in relation to the solar calendar. If Passover is on April 11, the next year it’ll be on April 1. The following year, it will be on March 22. And earlier and earlier and earlier. That’s what actually happens with the Muslim calendar, and why Ramadan is not consistently at the time of year every year. But we can’t have Pesach in the winter, Hanukkah in the summer, and Yom Kippur in the spring. Passover must be in the spring, so the rabbis figured out a way to fix the calendar. About every two and a half years, there is a leap month that adds a whole 30 days to the year. But the calendar still is slipping back 11 days each year, so in a leap year, the holidays get 19 days later than the previous year. How do we know what years are leap years? There’s something called the metonic cycle, which was known by the Babylonians, the ancient Greeks, the Chinese, and the ancient Hebrews, among others. The idea is that 19 solar years is the equivalent of 19 lunar years plus 7 extra months. So, 7 of the 19 years are leap years, with an extra month. We are currently in year 3 of the 19-year cycle, in which years 3, 6, 8, 11, 14, and 17 are leap years. So, this year is a leap year! We had the leap month as a second month of Adar, the month preceding Passover, so Passover will be “late” this year, beginning on April 20. Then Passover in 2020 will be 11 days earlier, on April 9, then March 28 in 2021, and then 2022 is a leap year again. Passover will be 19 days later on April 16. So, there’s a range of dates within which the holidays can fluctuate. We all remember a particularly early Hanukkah combined with Thanksgiving falling late in November, creating Thanksgivukkah a few years ago, for example. But it was noteworthy because it was unusual. May your Hanukkah be sweet, bright and right on time!
Wed, April 17 2024
9 Nisan 5784
MISSION: Create a welcoming community that embraces Torah, meaningful worship, lifelong learning, music, Israel, and tikkun olam, guided by the tenets of Conservative Judaism.
Calendar & Services
Weekday minyans on Zoom:
Mornings- M, T, W, F 7am & Sun 8am.
Evenings- Sun-Th 6pm.
Log in to view the Zoom Links page.
Thursday mornings 7am are in-person only.
Shabbat services in-person, streaming.
To stream kolrinahstl.org/kr-streaming
Office Hours
Monday – Thursday 9am to 5pm
Friday 9am – 3pm
Phone: 314-727-1747
Friday 9am – 3pm
Phone: 314-727-1747
Today's Calendar
: 6:00pm |
: 6:30pm |
Upcoming Programs & Events
Apr 17 |
Apr 21 |
Apr 23 |
Apr 27 |
Apr 28 |
This week's Torah portion is Parshat Metzora
Candle Lighting
Friday, Apr 19, 7:25pm |
Havdalah
Motzei Shabbat, Apr 20, 8:29pm |
Shabbat HaGadol
Shabbat, Apr 20 |
Find it at Kol Rinah
Reserve/Purchase
- Memorial Plaques or Header
Shavua Tov
Contribute to a Shabbat Kiddush
Celebrate life-cycle events or honor a loved one. A Shabbat Kiddush is a beautiful way of sharing a moment with the community!
Want to sponsor a specific Kiddush? Contact Barbara Shamir,
Event Request
FAQ's
Wed, April 17 2024 9 Nisan 5784