And YHVH spake unto Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, saying, “This month shall be unto you the beginning of months: it shall be the first month of the year to you.” (Exodus 12:1–2)
Abib barley has been found in the land of Israel. Today the new moon was sited from the land of Israel. This marks the beginning of the biblical new year — the first day of the month of the Abib (or Nisan).
Fourteen days from today (Saturday, March 4) will be Passover. Fifteen days from today (Sunday, March 5) will be the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread.
To learn more about the biblical calendar and the seven biblical feasts including Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread, go to http://www.hoshanarabbah.org/teaching.html#feast.
To download a printable copy of the biblical calendar, so you know when the spring feasts are, go to http://www.hoshanarabbah.org/calendars.html.
Lashana Tova!!
Toda rabba!
Happy New Year!
I have a question. If the New Year begins at this time, why do we start the Torah reading portions in the Fall of the year?
Shalom Dianna,
The Torah instructs us:
“Then Moses commanded them, saying, “At the end of every seven years, at the time of the year of remission of debts, at the Feast of Booths, when all Israel comes to appear before YHVH your God at the place which He will choose, you shall read this law in front of all Israel in their hearing. “Assemble the people, the men and the women and children and the alien who is in your town, so that they may hear and learn and fear YHVH your God, and be careful to observe all the words of this law. “Their children, who have not known, will hear and learn to fear YHVH your God, as long as you live on the land which you are about to cross the Jordan to possess.”” Deuteronomy 31:10-13, NAS95.
Based on this verse, the Rabbinical torah cycles end at Sukkot so that all of Israel has read the Torah when they meet together to celebrate Sukkot (Tabernacles/Booths).
Questions:
Who witnessed the abib/aviv;
Who verified the witnesses accounts(statements)?
What is the biblical basis for verification of the witnesses?
Who had the biblical authority to “proclaim the new year”?
Who had the biblical authority to harvest the (aviv/abib) ?
Who had the biblical authority to accept/ reject the wave offering ?
In the absence of a Sanhedrin, who holds the final say on days/dates the sons of Aaron or the Levim?
Are the traditions/practices based on the bible or extra~biblical (Jewish Traditions).
What do we embrace and what do chuck out the window ?
Shalom!
For the answers to your questions, read my articles on the subject of the biblical calendar. There are three of them under the “Feast Days” heading on my teachings page at http://www.hoshanarabbah.org/teaching.html#feast.
The Bible, the word of Elohim is my authority, not men.
I don’t need a religious entity to tell me when the new moon is visible. I can see it myself and then obey the word of Elohim, which tells me what to do when I see it.
Likewise, I don’t need a religious entity to tell me when the barley is abib. I can see it for myself, and then follow the word of Elohim and do what it says to do.
The people in the land of Israel who site the new moon and find the barley that is abib, we know them, have spent time with them, and have searched for barley with them, and have sited the new moon with them in Israel. There are several groups that fulfill this mitzvah including rabbinic Jewish groups. You can Google them and they’ll come up. If you go to to our website (HoshanaRabbah.org) and look at our Twitter feed, you’ll find all the info and links to these folks. We’re not making this stuff up. We don’t take a flippant and cavalier attitude toward the word of Elohim. Be it known to you and anyone else reading this that we walk in fear and tremble before Elohim’s word! We don’t take this lightly.
Now my questions those who look to Rabbinic Judaism to tell them what to do:
Why would one place one’s faith in a Sanhedrin that doesn’t exist, when one can follow the clear word of Elohim as revealed in his holy written Torah (i.e., Genesis to Deuteronomy)?
Why would one place one’s faith in a calculated, Babylonian-based calendar from the AD 359 that was approved by Emperor Constantine and has been followed by the majority of Jews to this day when it is inaccurate and is unbiblical?
Why would one place more faith in the traditions of men, and in men’s religious institutions than in the clear word of Elohim as revealed in his Torah?
Why can’t we just read, understand and obey the word of Elohim? Why do we need others who claim to have superior head knowledge and because they sport fancy clerical titles, which, when translated, mean “my great one” to tell us what to do? Why must we bow and scrape before them for their approval and just can’t do what the word of Elohim tells us to do regardless of their approval?
On the day of judgment when each of us will stand before the Kadosh One of Israel to answer for our actions and to receive our eternal rewards, what excuses will we dare to proffer for not obeying Elohim’s commands? Will we arrogantly tell him, “I couldn’t obey you because there was no Sanhedrin?” Or, “I didn’t have a great sage with a title that means ‘my great one’ [a title which is blasphemous when applied to men, and is to be reserved only for Yeshua the Messiah (Matt 23:8)] to tell me what to do,” as if I needed a spiritual nanny?
Finally, thank you for asking me these questions so that I could address these issues. And thank you for reading my blog.
Oh, and one more thing Yonatan, you seem to be singing a little different tune these days —— a more rabbinic one. Thank you Mr. Ed.
Happy biblical New Year to you and your family Natan. Wow, some good sharing of thoughts like that. It is good to see people engaged in studying, reading and getting an understanding of the Bible. Shalom
Y’shua is masiach/messiah.
When I discovered who was behind the avatar, I edited out the question about Yeshua being Messiah, since I doubted you had abandoned Yeshua. Thanks for the confirmation.
A footnote regarding your previous email about the Sanhedrin determining the dates of the biblical festivals, I think you’ll find this quote interesting. it’s from the website TheSanhedrin.org (specific url is http://www.thesanhedrin.org/en/index.php?title=Historical_Overview) is an article that has the following quote regarding the Sanhedrin’s adoption of the presently-used (Hillel II) calendar:
You can do a search and find on the word “calendar” and find this quote. It’s under the “Tiberius” subtitle.
So one not only has a biblical mandate to determine the calendar, but, based on the above-mentioned evidence, the last Sanhedrin gave that prerogative to the individual as well.
Blessings.