calendar
Principles of the Hebrew calendar
The Hebrew fixed calendar was instituted by Hillel II in 4108 (358 C.E.). According to some rishonim it was even used by the Sanhedrin. The Hebrew fixed calendar is unlike just about anything else Jewish. That is, there aren't any other opinions. Well - there actually was one difference of opinion in 4681 (920 C.E.) between Aharon ben Meir of Palestine and Saadia ben Yosef of Babylon (Saadia Gaon). Ben Meir had proposed a calendar reform which would have eliminated some inconsistencies. Ben Meir's proposed calendar reform was eventually discarded and the Hebrew calendar as we know it today is essentially the same as that instituted by Hillel II.The Rambam points out how easy the method of the Hebrew fixed calendar is in Hilchot Kiddush Hachodesh 11.4...
"even ordinary school children can figure this out in a few days"
Right! Must be a misprint.
The halachic and mathematical principles are well known and documented. Several techniques, all leading to the same result, are possible in order to construct the Hebrew year and to correlate it to the civil (Julian/Gregorian) year. Now if I was just an ordinary school child!
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