5785 - The Rarest Year of Them All Part VI
As detailed in previous installments in our series, our current year, 5785, is not only a rare one, but calendarically speaking, actually the hands-downrarest of them all. 5785 is classified as a HaSh”A year in our calendars. This abbreviation is referring to Rosh Hashana falling out on Thursday (hei), both months of Cheshvan and Kislev being shalem (shin - 30 day months instead of possibly 29; these are the only months that can switch off in our set calendar), and Pesach falling out on Sunday (aleph).
A HaSh”A year is the rarest of years, and out of the 14 possibilities in Tur’s 247-year calendar cycle, this year type occurs on average only once in about 30.19 years (approximately 3.3 percent of the time). Indeed, at times there are 71 years (!) in between HaSh”A years. The last time this year type occurred was 31 years ago in 5754 / 1994. The next time will be 20 years hence in 5805 / 2044. The next several times after that are slated to be 27 years further, in 5832 / 2071 and then a 51 year gap in 5883 / 2122.
The reasons and rules governing the whys and whens this transpires are too complicated for this discussion; suffice to say that when the Mishnah Berurah discusses these issues he writes “ain kan makom l’ha’arich,” that this is not the place to expound in detail, which is certainly good enough for this author.
Obviously, such a rare calendar year will contain many rare occurrences. This series sets out to detail many of them. As we get nearer to the actual events, we will perhaps discuss them in greater detail. Let’s continue on our journey through our unique year.
The Arba Parshiyos Puzzle
As we move along into the “simchah season” known as thejoyous month of Adar, it is well known that many changes were instituted to the normal weekly Torah readings, in the Maftir and Haftarah, each for their own purpose and reason, and this year is no exception.
First up is Parashas Shekalim, on the Shabbos beforeor of Rosh Chodosh Adar (to be read this Shabbos), which commemorates the communal mitzvah of the giving the Machtzis Hashekel, used to pay for the daily Korban Tamid for the whole year.
Next is Parashas Zachor, which is always read on the Shabbos before Purim, as it evokes and condemns the unprovoked attacks of the evil Amalek on Klal Yisrael, paralleling and foreshadowing the genocidal plot of his wicked descendant, Haman, detailed in Megillas Esther, which is read on Purim.
Third is Parashas Parah, on the third week of Adar, commemoratingthe Parah Adumah (Red Heifer) used to purify Klal Yisrael for the upcoming Korban Pesach.
Lastly, on the Shabbos before or of Rosh Chodesh Nisan, is Parashas Hachodesh, to properly honor the coming of the “First Month” that we were commandedin the Torah to observe, Rosh Chodesh Nisan. These four changes to the Maftir and Haftarah are collectively known as the “Arba Parshiyos”.
The Gemara in Megillah (29a-30b) devotes considerable attention to the details of the “Arba Parshiyos,” including how to compute the Jewish calendar’s nineteen year cycle of which exact week will host which special reading. It seems a bit confusing, but luckily several of our great early authorities, including the Rif, Rashi, and the Rosh, give a simple mnemonic that allows anyone to figure out which week is which. This is especially practical for a shul’s gabbai who has to arrange the Sifrei Torah to the properplaces on each of these weeks. In fact, this code is so useful that it is even cited as halacha by the Tur and Shulchan Aruch (O.C. 685:6).
ZAVD”U- זבד"ו- Unlocking the Code
In our Jewish calendar, the second day of Rosh Chodesh Adar, meaningthe first actual day of the month of Adar (in leap years this is referring to Adar Sheini), can only fall out on four days of the week - Shabbos, Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.
The mnemonic for these days that Rosh Chodesh Adar can occur on is ZAVD”U. Following basic Gematria, where each of the letters of the Hebrew Aleph-Beis has an equivalent numerical value, allows us to figure this out. For example, Aleph equals one, Beis equals two, Dalet equals four, Vav equals six, Zayin equals seven, etc.
Hence, in our case, Beis, which equals two, refers to the second day of the week, Monday. Dalet, which equals four, refers to the fourth day of the week, Wednesday. Zayin refers to the seventh day of the week - Shabbos, and Vav the sixth day of the week – Friday.
Double Codes
The Rishonim teach us that each of theseletters stands for an additional code: ZAT”U, B”O, DA”D, U”BIV (or U”BYU); and knowing their meanings will help us calculate which week each of the Parshiyos will fall out on. The first letter of each of these codes refers to which day of the week Rosh Chodesh Adar falls out on, and the remaining letters refer to which day(s) of the week during the month is a “skip week,” with no special reading.
ZAT”U– ז"טו
ZAT”U refers to when Rosh Chodesh Adar fallsout on a Shabbos (“Zayin,” the seventh day of the week), then that day itself - Shabbos (the first week), Parashas Shekalim is read, the subsequent Shabbos is Parashas Zachor, the next Shabbos - “TU” or the fifteenth of Adar - is a “skip week” with no exceptional attributes for most of the world, the following Shabbos is Parashas Parah, and the last one is Parashas Hachodesh. This breakdown of the code applies for all the rest as well.
This year, 5785 is classified as a rare ZAT”U year, with Rosh Chodesh Adar falling out on Friday-Shabbos.
Rarest Aliyah
Moreover, due to our unique year type, this occurrence has several interesting effects.Parashas Shekalim, which falls out on a stand-alone Parashas Terumah this year, is also Shabbos Rosh Chodesh Adar. Hence, it is a Three-Torah Parashah (one Torah for Parashas Mishpatim, one for Shabbos Rosh Chodesh, and one for Parashas Shekalim); also a rarity.In fact our rare year type is the only year type that Parashas Shekalim can actually fall out on Parashas Terumah. Hence, this also makes the 6th Aliyah of our reading (the 6th and 7th Aliyah combined; to make room for both extra readings – Shabbos Rosh Chodesh and Shekalim) the hands-down rarest Aliyah ever leined! As it can only occur in a HaSh”a year, this rare combined Aliyah is only readon average once every 30.19 years! Interesting, no?
Our fascinating journey, detailing the many remarkable facets of our rare year, will IY”H be continued…
Rav Samson Raphael Hirsch famously wrote that “the Jew’s catechism is his calendar.” It is this author’s wish that by showcasing the uniqueness of our calendar year and its rare minhagim, this series will help raise appreciation of them and our fascinating calendarical customs.
*This author wishes to thank R’ Yosef Yehuda Weber, author of ‘Understanding the Jewish Calendar,’ for being a fount of calendarical knowledge and for his assistance with this series.
Disclaimer: This is not a comprehensive guide, rather a brief summary to raise awareness of the issues. In any real case one should ask a competent Halachic authority.
L'iluy Nishmas the Rosh HaYeshiva - Rav Chonoh Menachem Mendel ben R' Yechezkel Shraga, Rav Yaakov Yeshaya ben R' Boruch Yehuda.
