[Avodah] Six Seasons

[Micha Berger via Avodah]

We have discussed the slippage of chodesh haAviv in the past, that there
are years in the 19 year ibur cycle in which Pesach is no longer in the
1st month of spring. Like this year. In these discussions, I mentioned more
than once my question about whether the calendar actually fails when
Aviv slips into summer, the third month after the equinox, would slipping
only 2 months constitute a failure.

After all, Chazal understand Bereishis 8:22 (descriving the restoration
of the world after the mabul) as describing 6 seasons, "zera veqatzir
veqor vachom veqayitz vechoref".

Just happened across something about Indian culture. It seems their norm
is to divide the year into 6 seasons.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ritu_(Indian_season)> Different parts of
India have slightly different sets of 6 seasons -- and climates, so
that makes sense, but the choice of sixths rather than quarters seems
an artifact of the same view of the year that Chazal were recording.

Tir'u baTov!
-Micha

-- 
Micha Berger             For those with faith there are no questions.
micha at aishdas.org        For those who lack faith there are no answers.
http://www.aishdas.org                     - Rav Yaakov of Radzimin
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