Missing years (Jewish calendar)
Okay, so you know how we use a calendar to keep track of the days and weeks and months? Well, the Jewish people have their own special calendar too, and it has some years that are missing.
Now, this might seem strange, but it’s actually because the Jewish calendar is based on something called a lunar cycle, which means it follows the moon’s movements instead of the sun’s.
Because the moon’s orbit around the earth is about 29.5 days, and a year is 365.25 days, there’s a difference between the two. Over time, this difference adds up, and eventually, the Jewish holidays would start happening in the wrong season!
So, to fix this, the Jewish calendar adds a whole extra month some years (called a leap year) to make sure that the holidays always line up with the right season. These extra months are added seven times in a 19-year cycle.
But, because adding a whole extra month can be a lot, some years just have to be skipped altogether to keep everything in balance. These are the missing years that you might have heard about.
So, it may seem a little confusing, but it's really just a way for the Jewish people to keep their traditions and holidays aligned with the moon's cycles and the seasons of the year.
Now, this might seem strange, but it’s actually because the Jewish calendar is based on something called a lunar cycle, which means it follows the moon’s movements instead of the sun’s.
Because the moon’s orbit around the earth is about 29.5 days, and a year is 365.25 days, there’s a difference between the two. Over time, this difference adds up, and eventually, the Jewish holidays would start happening in the wrong season!
So, to fix this, the Jewish calendar adds a whole extra month some years (called a leap year) to make sure that the holidays always line up with the right season. These extra months are added seven times in a 19-year cycle.
But, because adding a whole extra month can be a lot, some years just have to be skipped altogether to keep everything in balance. These are the missing years that you might have heard about.
So, it may seem a little confusing, but it's really just a way for the Jewish people to keep their traditions and holidays aligned with the moon's cycles and the seasons of the year.