Why Does the Jewish Calendar Change Every Year?

Why do Jewish holidays move around on the calendar? Why do we have Chanukah sometimes on Thanksgiving? Find some answers and learn more about how the Jewish calendar works in this video featuring Joshua Mallett.

The Hebrew calendar, or the Jewish calendar is a lunar calendar where as the Gregorian calendar is a solar calendar. The Jewish calendar is synced to the moon so the first day of the month is a new moon and the 15th day of the month is a full moon.

Problem is a lunar calendar is 10 or 11 days short of the solar, Gregorian calendar. In order to keep up with the seasons, every three years or so (or seven times within a 19 year period), we add a whole extra month: Adar II. Adding an extra month helps prevent Passover from occurring in the winter and Chanukah from occurring in the fall!

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BimBam sparks connections to Judaism through digital storytelling for learners of all ages. Founded in 2008, BimBam’s catalog of hundreds of animated videos and other digital content are now under the auspices of the Union for Reform Judaism, and many can be found on its flagship educational website, ReformJudaism.org. Watch something Jewish at https://reformjudaism.org.