Since the Molad of Shvat was last Friday morning, 3-day K.L. people have been saying Kiddush L’vana since this past Monday. 7-day people and those who insist on Motza’ei Shabbat will both have their first op for K.L. this Motza”Sh, Parshat Bo. Here’s an unusual tidbit. According to instructions left by Rabbi Yehuda HaChasid, one should not eat goose on the 8th of Shvat. (Sorry if this spoils your mennu plans.) The RAMA in Yoreh Dei’ah writes that some shochtim had a tradition not to slaughter geese during Tevet or Shvat unless they planned on eating from it (preferably, from the heart). There was a “dangerous” hour during each of these months - which hour to avoid was unknown. If anyone can shed light on this minhag, let us know and we’ll share the feed- back with TT readers. 30 days hath Tishrei... In our fixed calendar, in effect between Sanhedrins, each month is assigned a specific number of days. The months alternate, with slight variations, as we shall see. Tishrei has 30 days. That is always so in our fixed calendar. Cheshvan has 29, but in some years has a 30th day as well. Kislev’s normal length is 30 days, but in some years, the 30th day drops out. Tevet, 29. Shvat, 30. Adar (the only one or the second one - the one right before Nissan) has 29 days. When there are two Adars, the first one has 30 days. Nissan has 30 days. Iyar, 29. Sivan, 30. Tammuz, 29. Av, 30. Elul 29. A regular 12-month year has 354 days or 355 when Cheshvan has 30 or 353 when Kislev loses a day. A 13-month year, with an extra Adar of 30 days, can have 383, 384, or 385 days. What determines the status of Cheshvan and Kislev is the number of days from one Rosh HaShana to the next. Rosh Chodesh Tishrei (a.k.a. Rosh HaShana) is determined by the Molad of Tishrei and several rules for the setting of Rosh HaShana. Once the current year’s Rosh HaShana is determined and the following one as well, then the Cheshvan/Kislev issue falls into place. For example, this year, 5763, Rosh HaShana was Shabbat. It has been calculated that next year’s Rosh HaShana (5764) will also be Shabbat. Furthermore, it is calculated that 5763 will have 13 months. Of the three possible lengths of a 2-Adar year (383, 384, and 385), it can be seen that only 385 days (which are 55 full weeks) will carry us from Shabbat Rosh HaShana to Shabbat Rosh HaShana. Therefore, 5763 not only is a SHANA M’UBERET (13 months), and not only did it start on Shabbat (one of four possible days of the week for Rosh HaShana to be), but Cheshvan was full at 30 days. Without that extra day, 5763 would end in time for a Friday Rosh HaShana, it isn’t (and cannot be). Why should we know this stuff? Calendars are available with all the information without our having to know how the information is derived. And for some people, that’s enough. It shouldn’t be enough for us. We received a precious gift from G-d, and we should know it intimately. Not because we have to; because we should want to. [The
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