Understanding The Dual Adars This Year

As we approach the joyous month of Adar, you may have noticed an interesting phenomenon in our calendar this year – the presence of two Adars. Why Two Adars?

This year, we are experiencing a leap year in the Jewish calendar. The Hebrew calendar is primarily lunar-based, with 354 days in a year. To synchronize it with the solar year, an additional month, Adar II, is added seven times every 19 years. This practice ensures that our holidays align with the seasons and maintains the connection between the lunar and solar cycles.

Adar is the month that we celebrate Purim.  The whole month is supposed to be a month of elevated joy.  When we have two Adars, the joy is “doubly” long.  While both Adars are considered joyous, all the official celebrations like Purim and the reading of Shabbat Shekalim are postponed to the second Adar. 

We are looking forward to our Purim celebration on March 23 and 24th.  Saturday night March 23 we will have Megillah reading followed by an adult social program.  Sunday morning March 24, we will have a family-friendly Megillah reading and our annual USY Purim Carnival.  Make sure to look out for our scrumptious mishloah manot packages that you can send to friends and family. 

Happy Adar!!