Frank W. Nelte
Passover in the Winter
There are people who argue that it is acceptable for the year to start in the winter "as long as the Passover itself is observed in the spring". And they can make this statement in the full assurance that TODAY the Jewish calendar never places Nisan 14 into the winter.
But that was not the case when Hillel II first instituted the present calculated calendar. It is not generally known that the present Jewish calendar, from the time of Hillel II onwards, actually repeatedly placed the Passover into the winter.
Any time before the spring equinox is still a part of winter. So any Passover observed before the spring equinox is observed in the winter.
Here is a list of over 30 different years when, according to the present Jewish calendar which goes back to 358/359 A.D., the Passover would have been observed in the winter, before the spring equinox.
360 A.D.
Passover Julian calendar = March 17
Passover Gregorian calendar = March 18
Equinox Gregorian calendar = March 21
368 A.D.
Passover Julian calendar = March 19
Passover Gregorian calendar = March 20
Equinox Gregorian calendar = March 21
379 A.D.
Passover Julian calendar = March 18
Passover Gregorian calendar = March 19
Equinox Gregorian calendar = March 21
398 A.D.
Passover Julian calendar = March 19
Passover Gregorian calendar = March 20
Equinox Gregorian calendar = March 21
406 A.D.
Passover Julian calendar = March 19
Passover Gregorian calendar = March 20
Equinox Gregorian calendar = March 21
417 A.D.
Passover Julian calendar = March 19
Passover Gregorian calendar = March 20
Equinox Gregorian calendar = March 21
436 A.D.
Passover Julian calendar = March 18
Passover Gregorian calendar = March 19
Equinox Gregorian calendar = March 21
455 A.D.
Passover Julian calendar = March 18
Passover Gregorian calendar = March 19
Equinox Gregorian calendar = March 21
474 A.D.
Passover Julian calendar = March 18
Passover Gregorian calendar = March 19
Equinox Gregorian calendar = March 21
482 A.D.
Passover Julian calendar = March 19
Passover Gregorian calendar = March 20
Equinox Gregorian calendar = March 21
493 A.D.
Passover Julian calendar = March 17
Passover Gregorian calendar = March 18
Equinox Gregorian calendar = March 21
512 A.D.
Passover Julian calendar = March 17
Passover Gregorian calendar = March 19
Equinox Gregorian calendar = March 21
550 A.D.
Passover Julian calendar = March 18
Passover Gregorian calendar = March 20
Equinox Gregorian calendar = March 21
569 A.D.
Passover Julian calendar = March 18
Passover Gregorian calendar = March 20
Equinox Gregorian calendar = March 21
588 A.D.
Passover Julian calendar = March 17
Passover Gregorian calendar = March 19
Equinox Gregorian calendar = March 21
607 A.D.
Passover Julian calendar = March 17
Passover Gregorian calendar = March 20
Equinox Gregorian calendar = March 21
626 A.D.
Passover Julian calendar = March 17
Passover Gregorian calendar = March 20
Equinox Gregorian calendar = March 21
645 A.D.
Passover Julian calendar = March 18
Passover Gregorian calendar = March 21
Equinox Gregorian calendar = March 21
COMMENT: Passover observed after sunset on March 20, before the equinox
664 A.D.
Passover Julian calendar = March 16
Passover Gregorian calendar = March 19
Equinox Gregorian calendar = March 21
683 A.D.
Passover Julian calendar = March 18
Passover Gregorian calendar = March 21
Equinox Gregorian calendar = March 21
COMMENT: Passover observed after sunset on March 20, before the equinox
702 A.D.
Passover Julian calendar = March 17
Passover Gregorian calendar = March 21
Equinox Gregorian calendar = March 21
COMMENT: Passover observed after sunset on March 20, before the equinox
721 A.D.
Passover Julian calendar = March 17
Passover Gregorian calendar = March 21
Equinox Gregorian calendar = March 21
COMMENT: Passover observed after sunset on March 20, before the equinox
740 A.D.
Passover Julian calendar = March 16
Passover Gregorian calendar = March 20
Equinox Gregorian calendar = March 21
759 A.D.
Passover Julian calendar = March 17
Passover Gregorian calendar = March 21
Equinox Gregorian calendar = March 21
COMMENT: Passover observed after sunset on March 20, before the equinox
797 A.D.
Passover Julian calendar = March 17
Passover Gregorian calendar = March 21
Equinox Gregorian calendar = March 21
COMMENT: Passover observed after sunset on March 20, before the equinox
816 A.D.
Passover Julian calendar = March 17
Passover Gregorian calendar = March 21
Equinox Gregorian calendar = March 21
COMMENT: Passover observed after sunset on March 20, before the equinox
835 A.D.
Passover Julian calendar = March 17
Passover Gregorian calendar = March 21
Equinox Gregorian calendar = March 21
COMMENT: Passover observed after sunset on March 20, before the equinox
854 A.D.
Passover Julian calendar = March 16
Passover Gregorian calendar = March 20
Equinox Gregorian calendar = March 21
873 A.D.
Passover Julian calendar = March 16
Passover Gregorian calendar = March 20
Equinox Gregorian calendar = March 21
892 A.D.
Passover Julian calendar = March 17
Passover Gregorian calendar = March 21
Equinox Gregorian calendar = March 21
COMMENT: Passover observed after sunset on March 20, before the equinox
949 A.D.
Passover Julian calendar = March 16
Passover Gregorian calendar = March 21
Equinox Gregorian calendar = March 21
COMMENT: Passover observed after sunset on March 20, before the equinox
968 A.D.
Passover Julian calendar = March 16
Passover Gregorian calendar = March 21
Equinox Gregorian calendar = March 21
COMMENT: Passover observed after sunset on March 20, before the equinox
987 A.D.
Passover Julian calendar = March 16
Passover Gregorian calendar = March 21
Equinox Gregorian calendar = March 21
COMMENT: Passover observed after sunset on March 20, before the equinox
Exactly how often the present Jewish calendar has placed the Passover into the winter is not important one way or the other. What is important is that the calendar which Hillel II instituted in 358/359 A.D. did clearly and repeatedly place the Passover into the winter. The fact that it did so repeatedly for the next 600 years after Hillel's time only makes this flaw more blatant. Whether his calendar would cause the Passover observance to fall into the winter or whether it would fall into the spring was simply not something Hillel II was concerned about.
The fact that today the Jewish calendar never places the Passover into the winter is not something that was planned; it is simply the consequence of the passage of time producing an inevitable shift to later dates in the annual seasons for all the days in a Jewish 19-year cycle. The passage of over 1600 years has been kind to at least one of the inherent flaws of the present Jewish calendar; that's all.
Frank W. Nelte