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Judaism follows both a lunar and solar calendar. While the months are
determined by the cycle of the moon, and the new month begins when the first
sliver of moon reappears in the sky, the Jewish calendar also has a solar
component. Each of the holidays must to coincide with a specific season in
Israel to reflect in the agricultural aspects of the holiday. Passover is the
holiday of the spring, Shavuot celebrates the wheat harvest and the beginning of
the fruit harvest, and Sukkot is celebrated at the end of the harvest of the
crops and fruits. There is, however, an 11-day discrepancy between the two
calendars. In order to follow the cycle of the moon and to ensure that the
holidays are celebrated in the appropriate season in the Land of Israel, a 13th
month is added to the year
7 times over every 19 years. A year that has an extra month is referred to as a
'shanah meuberet,' literally "a pregnant year." Get your very own Jewish
calendar, filled with breathtaking photos of the Holy Land and beautiful verses
from the Bible, just in time for the Jewish New Year on September 14th!
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