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Leap Years: Maintaining the Balance Adar is the 12th month of the Jewish year and there are two Adars (a 12th and 13th month) during a leap year (shanah me’uberes). There are seven leap years out of every 19 years — double Adar double fun! Why do we do this? The lunar cycle the Jewish calendar follows contains 354 days. The solar calendar is 365 1/4 days. That means there’s an 11-day difference between the two meaning that every three years theYamimTovim would be a whole month earlier. Problem: Who wants to eat matzah in the winter? But it’s not just that it feels wrong. The Torah tells us that Pesach should be celebrated in the spring. So for theYamimTovim to fall out at the right times every few years we add a whole extra month.