The creators of the Jewish calendar were good mathematicians. Here is why...
Many of the Jewish holidays must be celebrated in particular seasons, such as Pesach in spring and Shavu'ot in the harvest season. However, the Torah specifies the time of the celebration based on the lunar cycle: Succot is to be celebrated on the 14th day of the lunar month, at full moon. How can these seemingly conflicting requirements be accommodated? Prof Ely Mertzbach is a professor of Mathematics and an expert in probability at Bar Ilan University. He also runs a year-long course about the intricacies of the Jewish Calendar as it is a unique system of combining both the solar year and the monthly lunar cycle.
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