Specifically Adding an Adar

Q. Why is the extra month during a leap year always Adar?

A. The Abudraham (Purim) asks why is that we add the extra month only to Adar? He explains that this is because, the Torah does not only refer to months by names but also by numbers. Since the Torah (Vayikra 23:24) writes that Rosh Hashana, Yom Kippur and Sukkos must be celebrated in the seventh month, we certainly cannot add an extra month to the first half of the year (from Nissan-Tishrei); otherwise, Tishrei will not be the seventh month. Although there are no Torah holidays celebrated after Tishrei, still we find that the Navi refers to Teves as the tenth month and Adar as the twelfth month. If we were to add an extra month any other time during the year other than Adar (which is the last month of the year), the months would not align with their numbers. Additionally, originally when there was no fixed calendar, the Jewish high court would decide which years to turn into leap years based on seasonal and agricultural concerns. This determination would be best made as close as possible to the end of the year.

____________________________________________________

The Gerald & Karin Feldhamer OU Kosher Halacha Yomis is dedicated to the memory of Rav Yisroel Belsky, zt"l, who served as halachic consultant for OU Kosher for more than 28 years; many of the responses in Halacha Yomis are based on the rulings of Rabbi Belsky. Subscribe to the Halacha Yomis daily email here.