Calendar Part 6: The Intercalary Month Veadar, Adah Sheni, or Adar II
- Yatab Yasharahla
- Dec 29, 2024
- 13 min read
Updated: Jan 9
Many may be surprised when they hear the word intercalation. Or if they witness brothers or sisters observe a thirteenth month. As it is not something most of us grew up hearing, so we are unfamiliar with the term. Nor is it something explicitly stated in the scriptures. Yet, the scriptures indirectly mention it and it is vital to maintaining the observance of the lunar cycle consecutively and the feast days we are commanded to observe within.
Psalm 83:3-4 KJVS
They have taken crafty counsel against thy people, and consulted against thy hidden ones. [4] They have said, Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation; that the name of Israel may be no more in remembrance.
1 Maccabees 1:49 KJVA
To the end they might forget the law, and change all the ordinances.
You must remember that there is an agenda to keep information suppressed that can lead to us gaining an understanding of who we are and why it matters. Including all of our culture and history as to how we operated as a people. They want us as a people to forget how we did thins and operated. And then change the application and execution. That does not mean it is all lost to antiquity but rather that there is a search to find it.
We know based on the last article in this series that there are generally twelve months in a year. The last month or 12th month being what we know as Adar.
Adar (a-dàr', a'dar), the 12th month of the Babylonian calendar.
Zondervan Compact Bible Dictionary Adar
Many believing the road stops there. And believing anything else is an embellishment of the scriptures. But let us understand more about creation and the calendar by observing these observable facts; empirical evidence.
First, keep in mind the previous articles on time. An hour is not “fixed” to 60 minutes nor a day is fixed to exactly 24 hours
“The duration of a day, the interval between two sunrises or sunsets, or two successive noontimes, is not regular either. It varies between 23 hours, 59 minutes,39 seconds and 24 hours, o minutes, 30 seconds. The 24-hour day is an approximate average. Neither a lunar month nor a year is made up of whole days. "The Calendar: History, Lore, and Legend" Jaqueline de Bourgoing AN ANCIENT CHALLENGE pg. 17
If an hour is not fixed nor a day fixed, why then would a month be fixed?
Precisely the point, a month is not fixed to exactly 30 days regardless of calendar system. But especially the lunar month.
“The lunar cycle, the interval between two new moons—that is, between two alignments of the moon and the sun—is no less complicated. It lasts an average of 29 days, 12 hours, 44 minutes, 3 seconds, but its length is very flexible. It can be as short as 29 days, 6 hours, or as long as 29 days, 20 hours…Neither a lunar month nor a year is made up of whole days.” "The Calendar: History, Lore, and Legend" Jaqueline de Bourgoing AN ANCIENT CHALLENGE pg 17
The mean synodic month (or lunation) is 29 days, 12 hours, 44 minutes, and 3% seconds (793 parts (halakim); in the Jewish system the hour is divided into 1,080 parts each of which is 3 1/2 seconds). The solar year is 365 days, 48 minutes, and 46 seconds, which means that a solar year exceeds a lunar one (12 months) by about 11 days.
ENCYCLOPAEDIA JUDAICA, Second Edition, Volume 4 pg 354
The length of the month is flexible not fixed. And it is complicated because we may find it hard to understand that life, inclusive of the sun, moon, and stars. That these ordinances are not absolutely fixed. They were made with order yes, but with some flexibility. But it is this same flexibility that accounts for periodic observable shifts.
“In ancient Mesopotamia, Egypt, Greece, Rome, and China, people first made lunar calendars, which usually had 12 months alternating between 30 and 29 days. This alternation was due to the fact that the lunar month has 29.53 days.” Calendar: History, Lore, and Legend" Jaqueline de Bourgoing
18 CHAPTER 1
The alternation of days in a month is known to be of ancient consequence when keeping or calculating a calendar for the month or year. Which is why some labored to try to master it so well that they could rely more on a calculation than observance. But you must remember that God intended on some observation to be done.
Deuteronomy 16:1 KJV
Observe the month of Abib, and keep the passover unto the LORD thy God: for in the month of Abib the LORD thy God brought thee forth out of Egypt by night.
To observe is to both keep as well as look for these things. Pay attention to these things. If you don’t you can miss it.
“In lunar and lunisolar calendars, the month is linked directly to the phases of the moon, so the length of the month depends on the moon.”
"The Calendar: History, Lore, and Legend" Jaqueline de Bourgoing pg 26
The month is linked directly to the phases of the moon. So we must pay attention to the moon to gauge how long the month will be. As the length of the month depends on the moon.
So now, with all that being said, why would a year be fixed to exactly 12 months? It’s not, at least not always.
Calendar
The sacred year was instituted by Moses, and consisted of lunar months of 29½ days each, with an intercalary month, called Adah Sheni, every 3 years.
Zondervan Compact Bible Dictionary pg 98
Here we see from the Zondervan Compact Bible Dictionary that when defining the calendar observed in the scriptures and by the ancient Hebrew Israelites, it was normal to have an additional month, which here is called Adah Sheni, approximately every 3 years. As it was known and understood that to properly follow the cycle set up from creation an intercalary month would need to be added.
Leviticus 23:4 KJVS
These are the feasts of the LORD, even holy convocations, which ye shall proclaim in their seasons.
The feast of the Lord have a season (winter, summer, etc) that they fall under in which they are to be kept. Season also signifying the time in which they are to be kept.
Sirach 43:6-7 KJVA
He made the moon also to serve in her season for a declaration of times, and a sign of the world. From the moon is the sign of feasts, a light that decreaseth in her perfection.
The ordinance he made to help us stay on point is the moon. It is our number one indicator to be able to properly calculate the feasts of The Most High God and know when to observe them. Aside from the sun, stars and seasons that also help support your calculations and come together to in harmony to help you make sound decisions concerning their observance.
With that being said, you shouldn’t run into a situation where you are keeping Passover in the summer season or the Feast of Dedication in the spring. And anyone who has ever calculated a calendar system and did not account for intercalation will ultimately run into this issue. They will see the shift in the time when they observe the holy convocations. Ultimately causing them to continue on pride or humble themselves to this reality.
lunar calendar, any dating system based on a year consisting of synodic months—i.e., complete cycles of phases of the Moon. In every solar year (or year of the seasons) there are about 12.37 synodic months. Therefore, if a lunar-year calendar is to be kept in step with the seasonal year, a periodic intercalation (addition) of days is necessary.
Intercalation isn’t just optional. It is necessary to properly observe a lunar based calendar and to properly keep the feast days of The Most High God.
The Sumerians were probably the first to develop a calendar based entirely on the recurrence of lunar phases. Each Sumero-Babylonian month began on the first day of visibility of the new Moon. Although an intercalary month was used periodically, intercalations were haphazard, inserted when the royal astrologers realized that the calendar had fallen severely out of step with the seasons. Starting about 380 BCE, however, fixed rules regarding intercalations were established, providing for the distribution of seven intercalary months at designated intervals over 19-year periods. The Greek astronomer Meton of Athens followed the Babylonian precedent of having 7 years out of 19 having an intercalary month, which is known as the Metonic cycle.
Early civilizations maintained a lunar calendar system. With it, they also observed the visibility of the new moon in addition to using intercalary months. As they realized that failure to do so would lead to the calendar being further and further out of season. But you did have others (who we will elaborate on more) who began to make standards for intercalation as to not allow the calendar to fall out of sync with the seasons.
“The Jewish calendar is particularly complexed. It has twelve lunar months of 29 and 30 days. Two of them vary in duration so as to adjust as well as possible to the moon. Years 3, 6, 8, 11, 14, 17, and 19 in the cycle each have a 13th month of 30 days. They are known as embolismic years. Thus the Jewish year can have six different lengths: common years last 353 days (defective year), 354 days (regular year) or 355 days (abundant year); embolismic years vary in the same manner, having 383, 384, or 385 days.” "The Calendar: History, Lore, and Legend" Jaqueline de Bourgoing AN ANCIENT CHALLENGE pg 23
The lunar calendar is complex because it requires paying attention to the moon. Which is a flexible ordinance. It isn’t fixed to exactly thirty days every single month. It varies, yet not altogether wildly, but rather in a pattern. Which is why our year can be subject to having as quoted above “six different lengths”. As not only a single year but consecutive years can vary before repetition can be seen. Some have tried to get this pattern down to a science and a cycle. One of which was Hillel II.
HILLEL II.:
“Patriarch (330-365); son and successor of Judah III. Only in two instances is his name quoted in connection with halakot: in one, Jose b. Abin expounds to him a law; in the other, Hillel cites a mishnah to establish a law (Yer. Ber. ii. 5a; Yer. Ter. i. 41a). Tradition ascribes to him an enactment which proved of incalculable benefit to his coreligionists of his own and of subsequent generations. To equalize the lunar with the solar year, and thereby render possible the universal celebration of the festivals on the days designated in the Bible, occasional intercalations of a day in a month and of a month in a year were required (see Calendar). These intercalations were determined at meetings of a special commission of the Sanhedrin.”
Hillel (as many others) sought a universal celebration of the feasts days. To do this, he fixed the lunar intercalary months to seven 3 year intervals within a 19 year cycle. These are the embolism years we dealt with earlier. But one must understand that just as the sunset and sunrise occurs at a different time based on ones geographical location, so too does the observance of the New Moon. And not only in the sense of what time the moon rises and sets but even of the percentage illuminated on the day. Causing one to observe the day not only hours later but a day later or earlier than anticipated. But more on that later.
Hillel II, a Palestinian patriarch, introduced a fixed and continuous calendar in 359 CE
Hillel was adamant about a fixed continuous calendar for all to observe.
“To Preserve the unity of Israel, he patriarch Hillel II, in 358/359, published the “secret” of calendar making, which essentially consisted of the use of the Babylonian 19- year cycle with some modifications required by the Jewish Ritual.”
He wanted to preserve unity of our people. Which means that there was division in when some would keep the feast of The Most High. Now, it further goes on to say the following in the next paragraph.
“The application of these principles occasioned controversies as late as the 10th century CE. In the 8th century Karaites, following Muslim practice, returned to the actual observation of the crescent New Moon and of the stand of barley in Judaea. But some centuries later they also had to use a recalculated calendar. The Samaritans , likewise, used a computed calendar.”
However, Hillel’s efforts were not without issue. The application of his calculations still proved problematic. And many of our people fell back into actually calculating the feasts and calendar based on observation instead of relying solely on calculation. However, it was not inherently learned from Muslim practice. However, our people, at least in that time, had deviated from the tradition of observation of the waxing crescent and stand of barely (Abib - green ear). Which at that time, the Muslims had not.
A thirteenth month was added to the year whenever on the 16th Nisan the barley was not yet ripe; but this was forbidden in the sabbatical years, and two intercalary years in succession were not allowed.
Encyclopedia Biblica Volume 1 T.K. Cheyne (1899) Chronology Foot Note pg 806
Our people knew to pay attention to the seasons. Which was inclusive of not only the moon but the crops; nature itself. And if things seemed as if winter was still present and spring had not yet begun, we added another month. And even to this day you should not have a situation where you have two back to back years of an intercalary month.
“In the religious calendar, the commencement of the month was determined by the observation of the crescent New Moon, and the date of the Passover was tied in with the ripening of barley. The actual witnessing of the New Moon and observing of the stand of crops in Judea were required for the functioning of the religious calendar. The Jews of the Diaspora or Dispersion, who generally used the civil calendar of their respective countries, were informed by messengers from Palestine about the coming festivals.”
At the heart, our people knew and understood the importance of going out and physically observing the moon. Looking for the earliest signs of the waxing crescent; that is, the New Moon. In addition to looking for the stand of crops to begin growing in that time. But our people made observation a requirement not an option. Now, for our people in later times dealing with the diaspora or dispersion who utilized a different calendar in their respective countries wherein they were scattered (similar to today) they were informed by messengers as to when the next feast would be kept. This is the practice we must maintain today. Yes, make your calculations but also prioritize your observations. Send emails, send text messages and make phone calls as needed to those who are local. For those more distant be in contact but aware that observation may be a day earlier or later based on the region; at least for the New Moon that is. As for the other feast it can greatly differ based on your region when compared to the northern and southern hemisphere. Again, as to why the scriptures make it clear as to observe these things in their season. And with this simple instruction God made clear what to do regardless of your region or location.
“the calendar (intercalation) as important adjuncts to the study of the Torah. They attributed these studies to the ancients of the Bible, and interpreted the verse “And of the children of Issachar that had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do” (1 Chron. 12:33) as meaning that the children of Issachar knew how to compute the cycles of the planets in order to learn how Israel would determine the months and leap years. The study of this science was even considered an obligation for the talented person (Shab. 75a). Many of the tannaim and amoraim were experts in astronomy as, for example, Johanan b. Zakkai (Suk. 28a), Gamaliel 11, and Joshua b. Hananiah. The last named knew of the existence of a comet which appeared once every seventy years and led mariners astray (Hor. 10a). This was probably Halley's Comet. Among the Babylonian amoraim, Samuel was important in the field of astronomy. He claimed that he could calculate and adjust the festival calendar of the Diaspora, without recourse to an eyewitness’ report of the new moon in Israel (RH 20b), and he even made intercalary calculations covering a period of years. The first generations of the amoraim were acquainted with a *baraita called “Secrets of Intercalation, in which were written precepts for the sanctification and intercalation of the month (RH 20b). In general, this knowledge was rarely committed to paper, being “secrets of the Torah not to be passed on to all and sundry” (Ket. 1124).”
ENCYCLOPAEDIA JUDAICA, Second Edition, Volume 2 pg 621
Some of our people and even a tribe (agreeing with the interpretation of 1 Chronicles 12:33) Issachar had understanding of the calendar and astronomy beyond that of the other tribes. And this understanding was sought out by many learned people. But again, you always had people who were trying to make calculations the forerunner and prominent method of calendar creation and observance. Instead of making it a tool and resource in addition to observation when making a calendar or observing the feast days.
“CALENDAR (Heb. Iuah). The present Jewish calendar is lunisolar, the months being reckoned according to the moon and the years according to the sun. A month is the period of time between one conjunction of the moon with the sun and the next. The conjunction of the moon with the sun directly between the earth and the sun (but not on the same plane) and is thus invisible. This is known as the, molad (“birth,” from the root). The cycles of 12 lunar months must therefore be adjusted to the solar year, because although the Jewish festivals are fixed according to dates in months, they must also be in specific (agricultural) seasons of the year which depend on the tropical solar year. Without any adjustment the festivals would “wander” through the seasons and the “spring” festival (Passover), for example, would be celebrated eventually in winter, and later in summer. The required adjustment is realized by the addition of an extra month (Adar II) in each of seven out of the 19 years that constitute the small (or lunar) cycle of the moon (mahazor katan or mahazor ha-levanah). In 19 years the solar cycle exceeds the lunar by about 209 days, which are approximately 7 months. In Temple times this intercalation was decided upon in the individual years according to agricultural conditions (Tosef., Sanh. 2:2; Sanh. 11b); later, however, it was fixed to be in the years 3, 6, 8, 11, 14, 17, and 19 of the cycle (see below).”
ENCYCLOPAEDIA JUDAICA, Second Edition, Volume 4 pg 354
Remember, the feast dates are fixed to particular months and days of the corresponding month but they still must be applied in the right season. If you choose to disregard intercalation you will be doing yourself, your family, and your congregation a disservice to the proper alignment and observation of the Lord’s feast days. You must include an Adar II, Adah Sheni or Veadar periodically. But not at random, at its proper interval based on the season and calculation. Below you can see from this earlier bible translation “The Holy Bible - Containing the Old and New Testaments, Translated Out of the Original Tongues” (1881) that intercalation was used. You see the month Adar being the twelfth month and Veadar being the intercalary month added. With the foot note at the bottom explaining.
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