Adar I 5784 (February 9, 2024)

Adar I is the Hebrew Calendar's leap month! Yes, you heard that right- the Hebrew calendar has a whole leap MONTH.

The Hebrew calendar needs a leap month to ensure that the lunar-based year remains synchronized with the solar seasons. The lunar calendar, which consists of 12 lunar months, totals 354 days, which is approximately 11 days shorter than the solar cycle of 365.25 days.

To make up that time and to keep the Jewish calendar in alignment with the solar year, an extra month, Adar I, is inserted. This extra month is placed before the regular month of Adar and is termed "Adar I" in leap years. The addition of this leap month helps to balance the lunar and solar calendars, ensuring that the festivals and holidays in the Jewish calendar continue to occur during their appropriate seasons.

My Shvat (the last Hebrew month, which fell 1/11-today) was kind of a roller coaster!

• On the second of Shvat (January 12) I learned that my cousin's grandfather, Harvey Towvim z"l, passed away at the age of 88. I spent the rest of that week up in Boston at the funeral, burial, and shivas.

• I drove to Philadelphia on Wednesday (between the snow storms!) and my 14-year-old cousin Rebecca came to visit Maya and I for the weekend! We got to have a verrrrrry grown-up weekend of museums, shopping, and the Mean Girls Musical Movie.

• On January 22 I began my new job as the Communications Manager at Society Hill Synagogue.

• On January 31 I began the new semester at RRC. I'm only taking one class this semester, Jewish Traditions, and I'm independently studying the Hebrew language.

CONTENT WARNING:

This section concerns violence, sexual violence, and reference to the ongoing conflict in Israel-Palestine.

Every month in the Hebrew calendar is associated with one of Jacob's twelve sons. Associating Dinah with the leap month makes sense, she is Ya'akov's only named daughter amongst 12 sons. Dinah is mentioned only twice in the Torah; once when Leah births her (Genesis 30:21), and once when a nearby prince lays with her by force, prompting her older brothers to graphically avenge her (Genesis 34). Throughout the narrative, Dinah does not do anything actively- she is more of a prop than a character. Her thoughts and feelings are elusive, just like the month of Adar I.

This is true of many, many victims of violence. All too often, we see them reduced to mere props in their own stories, overshadowed by the actions of others. Dinah's narrative, though ancient, reflects a recurring pattern where the experiences and agency of those who suffer are overlooked. In the case of Dinah, her memory is defined by the traumatic event she endures rather than by her own thoughts, aspirations, or resilience.

Drawing parallels between Dinah's narrative and the contemporary victims of violence in Israel-Palestine emphasizes the need to uplift their stories. Israeli and Palestinian victims of violence, both sexual and non-sexual, often find their stories overshadowed or "positioned" by huge geopolitical issues. By acknowledging and amplifying individual voices, we can collectively work towards empowering them. Let us actively engage in lifting these stories, fostering empathy, and advocating for the agency of those who have long been overlooked.