Saturday, September 21, 2013

Raining on Succot? So, Which Calendar is Most Accurate, Jewish or Secular?

Ariel
16-26°Today September 21
Local Rain 
16-26°Sunday September 22
Local Rain 
17-27°Monday September 23
Partly Cloudy 
16-25°Tuesday September 24
Local Rain 
(Arutz 7 weather forecast, Shiloh weather is most like Ariel)
 
It's certainly not unheard of for there to be rain during Sukkot in Israel.  It happens every few years.  I remember years of real storms and cold weather.  But nobody really expected that to happen this year, because this is the earliest that the Tishrei, autumn holidays, such as Succot and Rosh Hashanah can ever come out.  The last time we celebrated them early in September was 1899, over a hundred years ago. 

The seasons are supposed to be according to the solar calendar, not the lunar cycle on which the Jewish is based.

But it really doesn't surprise me, because I like to think that since our G-d made the world and gave us the Torah, Judaism, He also arranged the sun, moon and our calendar to coincide.

The Jewish Calendar is a brilliant invention that combines the lunar and solar cycles.  This year we'll have an added month to keep our holidays in the correct seasons.  The Muslim Calendar only goes according to the lunar cycle, and since there are fewer days in the twelve month lunar calendar, their holidays travel around from season to season.  Lunar months make more sense as months than the secular solar 28-31 days months.  I like the idea that I can see what part of the month we're in according to the shape of the moon.

Phases of the moon
G-d willing we'll have lots of rain at the right time, a blessing and not a curse.  I hope that the solar panels that heat my water have gotten a good cleaning and will work more efficiently.

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