majority of voices would suffice, to determine which year was to be made a leap-year b y

the insertion of a thirteenth month. Their resolution  116 was generally taken in the twelfth

month (Adar), the additional, or thirteenth month (Ve -Adar), being inserted between the

twelfth and the first.

A Sabbatical year could not be a leap-year, but that preceding it was always such.

Sometimes two, but never three, leap-years succeeded each other. Commonly, every

third year required the addition of a month. The mean duration of the Jewish month

being 29 days 12 hours 44' 3 1/3", it required, during a period of nineteen years, the

insertion of seven months to bring the lunar era in accordance with the Julian.

And this brings up yet another difficulty. The Jews calculated the month according to

the phases of the moon, each month consisting of either twenty-nine or thirty days, and

beginning with the appearance of the new moon. But this opened a fresh field of

uncertainty. It is quite true that every one might observe for himself the appearance of a

new moon. But this would again partly depend on the state of the weather. Besides, it

left an authoritative declaration of the commencement of a month unsupplied. And yet

not only was the first of every month to be observed as 'New Moon's Day,' but the

feasts took place on the 10th, 15th, or other day of the month, which could not be

accurately determined without a certain knowledge of its beginning. To supply this want

the Sanhedrim sat in the 'Hall of Polished Stones' to receive the testimony of credible

witnesses that they had seen the new moon. To encourage as many as possible to come

forward on so important a testimony, these witnesses were handsomely entertained at

the public expense. If the new moon had appeared at the commencement of the 30th

day--which would correspond to our evening of the 29th, as the Jews reckoned the day

from evening to evening--the Sanhedrim declared the previous month to have been one

of twenty-nine days, or 'imperfect.' Immediately thereon men were sent to a signal-

station on the Mount of Olives, where beacon-fires were lit and torches waved, till a

kindling flame on a hill in the distance indicated that the signal had been perceived.

Thus the tidings, that this was the new moon, would be carried from hill to hill, far

beyond the boundaries of Palestine, to those of the dispersion, 'beyond the river.'

Again, if credible witnesses had not appeared to testify to the appearance of the new

moon on the evening of the 29th, the next evening, or that of the 30th, according to our

reckoning, was taken as the commencement of the new month, in which case the

previous month was declared to have been one of thirty days, or 'full.' It was ruled that a

year should neither have less than four nor more than eight such full months of thirty

But these early fire -signals opened the way for serious inconvenience. The enemies of

the Jews lit beacons to deceive those at a distance, and it became necessary to send

special messengers to announce the new moon. These were, however, despatched only

seven times in the year, just in time for the various feasts --in Nisan, for the Passover on

the 15th, and in the month following, Iyar, for the 'Second Passover,' kept by those who

had been debarred from the first (Num 9:9-11); in Ab (the fifth month), for the fast on the

9th, on account of the destruction of Jerusalem; in Elul (the sixth month), on account of

the approaching solemnities of Tishri; in Tishri (the seventh month), for its festivals; in

Kislev (the ninth month), for the Feast of the Dedication of the Temple; and in Adar, for

Purim. Thus, practically, all difficulties were removed, except in reference to the month

Elul, since, as the new moon of the following month, or Tishri, was the 'Feast of

Trumpets,' it would be exceedingly important to know in time whether Elul had twenty-

nine or thirty days. But here the Rabbis ruled that Elul should be regarded as a month of