Parashat B'chukotai A weekly feature of Torah Tidbits to help clarify practical and conceptual aspects of the Jewish Calendar, thereby better fulfilling the mitzva of HaChodesh HaZeh Lachem... No more K.L. for this month, and Rosh Chodesh benching is next Shabbat. So let's take another look at an aspect of the calendar that we've presented in this column in the past. Maybe it will be explained better this time. The Molad and our fixed Calendar The Molad is NOT used to determine when each Rosh Chodesh in the year occurs. The Molad of Tishrei determines what day Rosh HaShana will fall. Because of the rule (among others) that RH cannot fall on Sunday, Wednesday, or Friday, the Molad sometimes will be closer or further from the first day of RH. The Molad of the following Tishrei is similarly used to determine the next RH. The lengths of the months of the year are pre-determined. some months have 30 days, others have 29. The sequence of the months does not "coordinate" with the Molad. The Molad follows its perfectly regular period of 29d 12h 44m 1p, regardless of whether a month has 29 or 30 days.Therefore, the Molad will sometimes be closer or further from R.Ch. than at other times.
[The B'chukotai Homepage]
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