{"id":7737,"date":"2015-12-28T07:56:15","date_gmt":"2015-12-28T15:56:15","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/hoshanarabbah.org\/blog\/?p=7737"},"modified":"2024-03-23T19:24:33","modified_gmt":"2024-03-24T02:24:33","slug":"biblical-month-begin","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hoshanarabbah.org\/blog\/2015\/12\/28\/biblical-month-begin\/","title":{"rendered":"When Does the Biblical Month Begin?"},"content":{"rendered":"

This is a lengthy article on a vital subject. It’s deep and heady and will take your full concentration to read. It’s essential that we have a correct understanding of the biblical calendar, so we’ll know when to celebrate YHVH’s feasts. For more background on the biblical calendars if you are\u00a0new to this subject, I invite you to read three articles I have written previously on this issue available at\u00a0<\/em><\/span>http:\/\/www.hoshanarabbah.org\/teaching.html#feast<\/a>. As you’re reading the article below, please let me know if you find any typos. As many times as I’ve proofread it, I still keep finding corrections that need to be made. Your help in this would be a blessing! Thanks. \u2014 Natan<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Refuting 14 Pro-Conjunction Arguments in Favor of the Visible Crescent<\/b><\/span><\/h1>\n

By Natan Lawrence of Hoshana Rabbah Biblical Discipleship Resources
\nwww.hoshanarabbah.org<\/a>\u00a0<\/i><\/p>\n

The Issue at Hand<\/b><\/p>\n

For most people returning to a spiritual Hebraic understanding and Torah-pursuant lifestyle, the subject of the biblical calendar is a daunting one because of the complex issues involved. Yet understanding the biblical calendar is vital if one is to walk out their Torah faith as the Scriptures reveal is necessary to achieve a higher reward in YHVH Elohim\u2019s eternal kingdom (Matt 5:19). Knowing when to observe YHVH\u2019s commanded seven biblical feasts (Lev 23), which are the seven steps in his plan of salvation, is dependent on a correct understanding of the biblical calendar.<\/p>\n

\"rosh_chodesh<\/a><\/p>\n

In the Book of Acts, Peter declares that Yeshua the Messiah wouldn\u2019t return to the earth until the restoration of all things (Acts 3:21). This is a broad and sweeping statement, and it\u2019s hard to get into Peter\u2019s mind to fully understand what he meant by it, but suffice it to say, it seems that understanding and celebrating the biblical feasts must be part of \u201cthe restoration of all things.\u201d But how do we know when<\/i> to celebrate them if we fail to understand the Creator\u2019s calendar? Understanding when the month starts is crucial to understanding the biblical calendar and hence knowing when to celebrate the feasts.<\/p>\n

This is where it gets dicey. There are several opinions among well-meaning Bible teachers as to how to determine when the month starts. These different opinions have given rise to much debate, argumentation and, sadly, acrimony resulting in controversy, strife and division within the spiritual body of Yeshua. Clearly, this isn\u2019t the heart of our Father in heaven, nor are these the fruits of the Spirit of Elohim. They are anything but this!<\/p>\n

Since the beginning, it has been the decision of this ministry not to argue about the biblical calendar. We simply put out what we believe to be the truth based on the best biblical and scholarly research possible, and then we quietly live out that truth. Those who want to join us in our walk are free to do so. Those who don\u2019t, are free to do otherwise. We will not fight against them. In the final analysis, we are all answerable to Elohim for our actions. He is the one who judges, not us.<\/p>\n

After many years of study, we came to the conclusion in the year 2000 that the biblical month begins with the sighting of the new waxing crescent moon after the moon has been dark for one to three days. We believe that the evidence for this conclusion is incontrovertible that this is how the ancient Hebrews determined the new month. For the documentation behind this assertion, we invite the reader to download our free teachings on this subject at http:\/\/www.hoshanarabbah.org\/teaching.html#feast<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Having honestly stated our bias in favor of the visible new moon beginning the biblical month, let us now proceed to examine what seem to be some rather convincing arguments in favor of calculating the new moon from its conjunction or alignment with the earth and sun. The conjunction occurs during the time when the moon is dark for one to three days. This period of time is just before the visible new moon crescent can be seen by the naked eye.<\/p>\n

This study is detailed and heady. For a brief overview of what is to come, or to quickly ascertain the main points of this article, we invite the reader to skip to the end of this study and review the section entitled, \u201c\u00adSummary of Points.\u201d<\/p>\n

General Background Information<\/b><\/p>\n

Before launching into our study of the arguments pertaining to the conjunction versus visible new moon, let\u2019s first lay out some general background information.<\/p>\n

The length of moon\u2019s lunar cycle (called a lunation) is approximately 29.53 days. This is the time period from one new moon to another. In modern times, a new moon is figured from the moon\u2019s conjunction with the earth and the sun (when all three line up or have the same ecliptical longitude). In ancient (biblical) times, according to all the ancient sources we have been able to analyze, people lacked the ability to determine the exact timing of the moon\u2019s conjunction; therefore, they relied on sighting the visible new moon crescent with the naked eye to determine the beginning of each month. (This fact we have established in another study paper available at http:\/\/www.hoshanarabbah.org\/pdfs\/vis_moon.pdf<\/a>.)<\/p>\n

It is true that the moon\u2019s approximate conjunction can be calculated, but only by a complex mathematical formula (see https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/New_moon). This formula was discovered in the 20th century by modern mathematical astronomers (Ibid.) So did the ancients have this formula? Did the Jews in Bible times in land of Israel have this formula to be able to calculate the moon\u2019s conjunction? We can find no historical evidence that they or any other ancient astronomers did. There is absolutely no biblical evidence to support this notion either. If so, how would they know the exact timing of the moon\u2019s conjunction, which occurs while the moon is dark \u2014 a period of time, which in the land of Israel, apparently can last from anywhere from 1.5 to 3.5 days (http:\/\/www.karaite-korner.org\/new_moon.shtml). What\u2019s more, the actual conjunction occurs for only a brief moment time, while the sun, earth and moon come into perfect alignment as they are quickly moving past each other in their circuits.<\/p>\n

As noted, a dark moon describes the time period that the moon is invisible against the backdrop of the sun. This occurs at the end of the moon\u2019s lunar cycle after the waning crescent gives way to a dark moon and before the waxing crescent occurs after the dark moon. The following chart from http:\/\/www.moonconnection.com\/moon_phases_calendar.phtml<\/a> (also https:\/\/stardate.org\/nightsky\/moon<\/a>) shows how long the dark moon phase lasts each month in the northern hemisphere. In most cases it lasts for one day. Occasionally it will last for two days as was the case in November 2015 and in February 2011. Sometimes, there is no dark moon as the waning crescent gives way immediately to the waxing crescent (e.g., November 2012, June 2016 and June 2018). As already noted above, this dark moon period can last from 1.5 to 3.5 days in the land of Israel (http:\/\/www.karaite-korner.org\/new_moon.shtml<\/a>). Therefore, before modern mathematics, satellites and other technologies, it was likely impossible to determine the exact timing of the moon\u2019s conjunction. On the other hand, an illiterate farmer standing out in his field could easily spot the visible crescent new moon and know when the month began. It was that simple!<\/p>\n

Beyond any shadow of a doubt, the Jews at the time of Yeshua used a visible sighting method to determine the beginning of the lunation according to the Mishnah (ca. AD 165; Rosh Hash <\/i>1:1a, 1e, 9a; 2:6), which is the oldest, authoritative non-biblical legal record we have of how the Jewish rulers calculated the biblical calendar.<\/p>\n

The astronomical conjunction and the visible new moon sliver never coincide. They are always one to three days apart in the land of Israel, as already noted.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s more, if Yeshua followed a conjunction-based calendar, then his days of observing the biblical feasts would have been different than that of the Jews\u2019 days. The Gospel writers would have noted this difference and the conflict this would have caused with the established religious status quo of Yeshua\u2019s day. However, we find no such biblical record of any such difference occurring between Yeshua and his Jewish contemporaries who argued with him about nearly everything else where his beliefs differed from theirs.<\/p>\n

The most notable example of Yeshua being on the same calendar as the Jewish ruling elite who used the visible sliver new moon to calculate the beginning of their months was the fact that he was killed on the Jews\u2019 Passover (John 11:55), the date of which was based on the visible new moon, not on the conjunction according to the Mishnah. It is this fact that the new moon conjunction advocates we have studied fail to address. Realizing this fact alone should lay to rest any arguments against the visible new moon being the beginning of the biblical month. However, for those still not convinced, we shall proceed to address the main issues the conjunctionists proffer against using the crescent moon to determine the month\u2019s beginning.<\/p>\n

It is interesting to note in this discussion that there is a contingency of rabbinic orthodox Jewish scholars in the land of Israel today who are preparing, when the time is right, to return to a biblical calendar that is based on the sighting of the crescent new moon as was done in Jewish antiquity. This group is called the Israeli New Moon Society (https:\/\/sites.google.com\/site\/moonsoc\/Home<\/a>). On their website, they have the following to say,<\/p>\n

The commandment (mitzvah)<\/i> of sanctifying the month is the first one which the children of Israel were commanded on leaving Egypt. This commandment is of great importance because the dates of the festivals, including over 60 commandments, depend on it. In addition to sanctifying months according to the appearance of the New Moon, the Hebrew calendar depends on leap years (extended by an extra month) that depend on the position of the Sun, ripeness of grains, etc.<\/p>\n

For over a thousand years, the Hebrew calendar has been fixed by calculation. Today, the Hebrew calendar does not match that fixed by observing the Moon. Even though the gap between the two calendars continues to increase, we do not have the authority to alter the calendar until a new Sanhedrin (religious high court) is reestablished and is widely recognized. While sanctification of the month according to observation is not practiced today it is important to carry out calculations and practice observing the New Moon in order to be ready for when the Sanhedrin is reestablished. Likewise, there is increasing involvement in the Temple, red heifer, etc. Of course, we are not intending to change the current calendar (this is a task for an authorized Sanhedrin) but just to increase involvement in and embellish the Torah.<\/p>\n

In recent years, a number of individuals and groups have begun to observe the Moon each month to practice for the commandment of observing the Moon and for determining criteria for the limits of visibility. There is still plenty of room to improve on the existing criteria using observations and analyzing them in relation to physical, meteorological and physical parameters. We, the Israeli New Moon Society, are asking the public at large to join us by trying to observe the New Moon at the beginning of each month. The Israeli New Moon Society was founded for this purpose by Rabbi Dr. Nachum Rabinovitch, head of Yeshivat Birkat Moshe, Maale Adumim. The society works with the Institude for Kiddush Hachodesh Studies and includes scientists and rabbis from Universities, Yeshivot and elsewhere.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The modern Israeli New Moon Society clearly doesn\u2019t subscribe to the notion that the month begins at conjunction, but rather at the visible new moon crescent.<\/p>\n

Now let\u2019s explore some arguments that new moon conjunctionists use to attempt to prove that the biblical month should start at the moon\u2019s conjunction with the sun and earth, while it is in its darkened phase, as opposed to starting the month after the moon emerges from his dark phase and begins to reflect a sliver of light from the sun, which is called the visible new moon crescent.<\/p>\n

Was the Day of Pentecost Possible Only With a Conjunction-Based Calendar?<\/b><\/p>\n

New Moon Conjunctionist Assertion: <\/b><\/span>Some new moon conjunctionists will assert that the gathering of Jews from many lands on the day of Pentecost in the Book of Acts chapter two would have been impossible without a conjunction-based calendar. Without being able to calculate the new moon months in advance, they say, those coming from far lands couldn\u2019t have planned their travels to be in Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost. The question is asked that in the days before instant mass communication capabilities, how could these people from faraway lands have known the date be in Jerusalem long enough ahead of time to travel there if they didn\u2019t have the benefit of a calculated calendar information based ahead of time on calculating when the moon\u2019s conjunction would occur?<\/p>\n

Refutation: <\/b><\/span>The answer to this question is simple. Pentecost is calculated from first fruits day (usually occurring during the Feast of Unleavened Bread) fifty days earlier, which itself is calculated from the first new moon of the year two to three weeks before that. The time from the first day of the new year to Pentecost is about two months giving people in distant lands plenty of time to travel to Jerusalem.<\/p>\n

The Crescent Moon \u2014 A Pagan Idol to Be Rejected?<\/b><\/p>\n

New Moon Conjunctionist Assertion: <\/b><\/span>Some conjunctionists will refer to the Midianites\u2019 pagan crescent ornaments mentioned in Judges 8:21 and 26 (crescent<\/i> is the Heb. word saharon<\/i>; H7720) as proof that using the visible crescent of the new moon to determine the month is a pagan practice. The argument against the new moon goes on to state that the Midianites were the ancestors of the modern Arab Muslims who worship Allah, the moon god with the crescent moon as their symbol. It is then reasoned by those opposed to the visible new moon reckoning for the month that because the crescent was a pagan object, the visible new moon can\u2019t be used to begin the new month.<\/p>\n

Refutation: <\/b><\/span>In this argument, the conjunctionist\u2019s logic is faulty. This is judging the good fruit by the bad fruit, the wheat by the chaff. This is employing the logically fallacious argument of guilt by association. This is tantamount to saying, because the heathen Canaanite used the name YHVH<\/i> or the idolatrous Israelites used the same name in their worship of the golden calf (Exod 32:5), we cannot, therefore, use the name YHVH because it has been tainted by paganism. Or because heathen quotes from the Bible, we can no longer use it. This, again is employing faulty logic to arrive at a conclusion. Later on, these Midianite crescent moon ornaments become a symbol of idolatrous worship for the Israelites, which was a bad thing. Similarly, the Israelites took the bronze serpent that YHVH told Moses to make, which was a good thing, and later on turned it into an object of worship calling it Nehushtan (2 Kgs 18:4) \u2014 a bad thing. Their turning a good thing into an idol doesn\u2019t invalidate the good thing. If so, then YHVH was guilty of leading the Israelites into idol worship. Therefore, when the pagan take the moon that YHVH created (a good thing) and turn it into an object of worship (a bad thing), this in no way invalidates the moon anymore than counterfeit money invalidates genuine money. It\u2019s the heathen practice that\u2019s wrong, not the moon! So the Midianites sinful practice of worshipping the moon in no way invalidates its use as a visible sign in the heaven to determine when the month begins (Gen 1:14\u201316). Let\u2019s not forget that when Elohim created the moon on the fourth day, he proclaimed it to be a good thing (Gen 1:18). What the heathens did with it later wasn\u2019t Elohim\u2019s fault.<\/p>\n

Noah\u2019s 150 Days \u2014 Proof of a Conjunction-Based Month?<\/b><\/p>\n

Does the 150 day, five month period mentioned in Genesis 7:11 (Gen 8:3, 4) prove the ancients used a conjunction-based calendar? One conjunctionist says it does.<\/p>\n

New Moon Conjunctionist Assertion: <\/b><\/span>In Genesis 7:11 and 8:3\u20134, we find listed a 150 day or five month interval making five 30-day months. This, it is claimed by the conjunctionists, proves that this is a solar (conjunction) and not a lunar (visible new moon) based month, since lunar based months are either 29 or 30 days. It is impossible, they maintain, to have five 30-day months back-to-back on a visible new moon calendar.<\/p>\n

Refutation:<\/b><\/span> Genesis 7:11 and 8:3\u20134 don\u2019t prove the astronomical conjunction new moon month. It only proves that Noah\u2019s calendar had a 360 year day (12 months of 30 days each). This is known among Bible scholars as the biblical or prophetic year. Whenever time periods are prophesied in the Bible, it is always based on a 360 day year. The ancients used a 360 day year, and then had various ways of reconciling it with the solar year of 365 1\/4 days (http:\/\/360dayyear.com; https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/360-day_calendar). A study of the calendars of ancient civilizations (Greek, Egyptian, Babylonian, Mayan, Hindu, et al) show that they all used a 360 day year and had various ways of adjusting their calendars by adding days to reconcile this calendar with the 365 1\/4 solar year. A thirty day month was a simply round number for calculating longer periods of time. It had nothing to do with when or how the actual month began.<\/p>\n

Can the Word Chodesh<\/i> Refer to the Conjunction?<\/b><\/p>\n

Some conjunctionists will attempt to prove that the Hebrew word for month chodesh<\/i> actually is referring to the moon\u2019s conjunction, and not to the visible new moon crescent.<\/p>\n

New Moon Conjunctionist Assertion: <\/b><\/span>Chodesh <\/i>only or primarily means \u201cnew\u201d as in \u201cbrand new.\u201d The new moon is brand new when it is at its conjunction, not when it first appears as the first visible crescent.<\/p>\n

Refutation:<\/span> <\/b>The problem with this assertion is that all the main Hebrew lexicons, word dictionaries and Jewish legal, historical and linguistic experts that I have studied all say that the Hebrew word chodesh<\/i> means \u201cnew moon.\u201d I have found no exceptions to this. How is it that one Hebrew roots Bible teacher with little or no formal linguistic background seems to know more than all the expert scholars who have been studying the Hebrew language and concurring with each other on the meaning of a word for hundreds or even a couple of thousand years? For someone to come along with an entirely new definition for this word and then use it to prove his point is highly suspect if not rather pretentious.<\/p>\n

A Study on Psalm 81 \u2014 Is the Word Keseh<\/i> Proof That the Month Is Conjunction-Based?<\/b><\/p>\n

A source of great controversy has been the meaning of the Hebrew word keseh<\/i> as used in Psalm 81:3. The conjunctionists use this word as definitive proof that the new moon starts at the conjunctions. Complicating the issue is the fact that this word occurs only two times in the Tanakh, making its meaning all the more difficult to quantify. Let\u2019s now look at the issues surrounding the meaning of this word.<\/p>\n

New Moon Conjunctionist Assertion: <\/b><\/span>In Psalm 81:3 (also Prov 76:10; Job 26:7\u20139), the phrase full moon<\/i> is the Hebrew word keseh<\/i> meaning \u201cconcealed, dark, hidden or covered.\u201d This points to a full or dark new moon. The overwhelming use of keseh <\/i>in the Tanakh (Old Testament) fits the definition above. Job 26:9 backs up this claim, when you link it back to keseh<\/i> in Psalm 81:3.<\/p>\n

Refutation A: <\/b><\/span>There are several problems with this argument. The word keseh<\/i>\/\u05d4\u05e1\u05db in Job 26:9 is not the same keseh <\/i>found in Psalm 81:3. These are two Hebrew words that sound similar and are transliterated the same. In Psalm 81:3, keseh<\/i>\/\u05d4\u05e1\u05db (Strong\u2019s <\/i>H3677) ends in the Hebrew letter heh<\/i>, while the Job 26:9 kiseh<\/i>\/\u05d0\u05e1\u05db (Strong\u2019s<\/i> H3678) ends with the letter aleph <\/i>and has a completely different meaning. This keseh<\/i> means \u201cseat (of honour), throne, seat, stool, throne; royal dignity, authority, power.\u201d This different Hebrew word has nothing to do with concealing<\/i> or covering<\/i>. Some lexicons say that both words have the Hebrew word kasah <\/i>as their root, but as we shall see below, scholars aren\u2019t certain whether keseh<\/i> derives from kasah<\/i> or from a similarly sounding Aramaic loan word that doesn\u2019t mean \u201cconcealed or covered\u201d at all, but means \u201cfullness or full moon\u201d and hence the alternate reading in Psalm 81:3. Strong\u2019s <\/i>and TWOT <\/i>both state that keseh<\/i>\/\u05d4\u05e1\u05db in Psalm 81:3 can also be spelled keseh<\/i>\/\u05d0\u05e1\u05db, although it is vowel pointed differently and thus pronounced differently than the keseh<\/i>\/\u05d0\u05e1\u05db meaning \u201cthrone.\u201d Both TWOT <\/i>and Strong\u2019s <\/i>list these words separately in their indexes, but the confusion comes when they list the alternate spelling of keseh <\/i>(with the ending aleph\/\u05d0 under the heading of the keseh<\/i> that could mean \u201cconcealed.\u201dAll this confusion between scholars as to the origination of similarly sounding words between two ancient languages makes it difficult to determine the true meaning of a word. For certain, when such uncertainty exists between the experts, laymen must be careful not to base theological arguments on such unclear and ambiguous words and passages. We must seek to find the truth in Scriptures that are clear and unambiguous. Many false teachings have arisen based on misinterpreting unclear passages of Scriptures and then turning these misunderstandings into cult-like pet doctrines.<\/p>\n

Furthermore, conjunctionists will claim that the disputed root word keseh<\/i> comes from the Hebrew word kasah <\/i>(meaning \u201cconcealed or covered), and attempts to prove that keseh <\/i>in Psalm 81:3 means \u201ccovered or concealed\u201d by referencing a number of places in the Tanakh where kasah <\/i>is used and means \u201ccovered or concealed.\u201d The problem is that the dishonest conjunctionist will make no mention of the fact that scholars dispute the meaning of keseh<\/i>. The argument that such a conjunctionist makes to support keseh<\/i> meaning \u201cconcealed or covered\u201d is not on solid ground logically, hermeneutically or lexically. Therefore, we can\u2019t use this argument from Psalm 81:3 as a proof of that the new moon begins at the conjunction.<\/p>\n

Refutation B:<\/b><\/span> Psalms 81:3, Blow the trumpet [Heb. shofar] at the time of the New Moon [Heb. chodesh], at the full moon [Heb. keseh\/<\/i><\/b>\u05d4\u05e1\u05db<\/b> meaning \u201cfull moon or concealed, covered\u201d \u2014 scholars disagree as to its meaning and the origin of the word], on our solemn feast day [Heb. chag] \u2014 NKJV. <\/i><\/b>The ArtScroll Stone Edition Tanach<\/i> translates this verse alternatively as follows,<\/p>\n

Blow the shofar at the moon\u2019s renewal, at the time appointed for our festive day.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The origins of the Hebrew word keseh<\/i> behind the phrase \u201cfull moon\u201d is uncertain, and there is debate among the experts on this subject. Some Hebrew lexicons relate it to a Hebrew root word kasah <\/i>meaning \u201cto conceal, to cover\u201d (e.g., Gesenius;<\/i> Strong\u2019s<\/i> number H3677 cp. H3678), while other scholars tell us that it means \u201cfullness; full moon\u201d (e.g., Brown Driver Briggs Hebrew Lexicon<\/i>; cp. TWOT; Strong\u2019s<\/i>). BDB <\/i>tells us that the origin of keseh <\/i>is unknown and that it may be an Aramaic loan word meaning \u201cfull moon.\u201d Gesenius in his lexicon states that the etymology of keseh<\/i> isn\u2019t clear, but he favors the idea of the moon being covered or concealed in darkness as opposed to being covered in light (i.e., in its full moon state).<\/p>\n

The only other usage of keseh <\/i>in the Scriptures is found in Prov 7:20, which gives us no clue as to the exact meaning of the word.<\/p>\n

Orthodox Jewish scholars tell us that keseh<\/i> means \u201cto conceal or to cover.\u201d They say that the only biblical festival that occurs at the time of the new moon (biblically, when the first sliver of the new moon becomes visible) is Yom Teruah<\/i> (or Rosh Hashanah<\/i>), which occurs on the first day of the seventh month (in late summer). At this time, the moon is nearly completely covered or concealed except for a small, visible sliver.<\/p>\n

The next phrase in this verse speaks of a solemn feast day, which is the Hebrew word chag<\/i>. This word refers to the three pilgrimage festivals, which are Passover\/the Feast (chag<\/i>) of Unleavened, the Feast (chag<\/i>) of Weeks or Pentecost and the Feast (chag<\/i>) of Tabernacles (Exod 23:14\u201316; Deut 16:16).<\/p>\n

Jewish scholars relate the word chag<\/i> to Yom Teruah<\/i> (which they say refers to Rosh HaShanah<\/i>, see The ArtScroll Tanach Series Tehillim\/Psalms Commentary <\/i>on this verse). The problem with this interpretation is that the Scriptures never call the day of the new moon (rosh chodesh<\/i>) a chag<\/i>, nor is Yom Teruah<\/i> technically a chag<\/i> either in the strictest sense. Therefore, the word keseh<\/i>, if it means \u201cconcealment\u201d must be referring to both the new moon day (the first day of each month, and to Yom Teruah<\/i>, which occurs on the first day of the seventh month), while the chag<\/i> must be referring to the three pilgrimage festivals.<\/p>\n

Those scholars who take the word keseh<\/i> to mean \u201cfull moon\u201d say that the phrase in this verse containing this word refers to the pilgrimage festivals (Passover\/Feast of Unleavened Bread, Feast of Weeks, and Feast of Tabernacles), which all occurred on or very near the time of the full moon.<\/p>\n

The bottom line is this: In light of all the uncertainty and controversy among linguists and Hebrew scholars as to the meaning and derivation of the word kesesh<\/i>, this, on the surface, appears to be a weak scripture on which to base such an important concept as to how to calculate the biblical calendar. It would be wiser to use other clear scriptures to base our understanding of when the new moon begins. (For a detailed discussion of these scriptures, read my articles on the subject of the biblical calendar at http:\/\/www.hoshanarabbah.org\/teaching.html#feast.)<\/p>\n

The Blowing of the Shofar in Psalm 81 \u2014
\nProof That the Month Starts at the Conjunction?<\/b><\/p>\n

New Moon Conjunctionist Assertion: <\/b><\/span>One conjunctionist proponent presents a novel perspective on Psalm 81:3\u20134 by saying that the Torah-law commands us to blow the shofar on the keseh<\/i>. If keseh<\/i> means full moon, then where in the Torah does it command us to blow the shofar on the full moon (during one of the chag <\/i>feasts), he reasons? Nowhere. Therefore, he assumes, if keseh<\/i> means \u201cto cover and conceal\u201d and is a reference to the conjunction, then this makes sense, since this would be a reference to Yom Teruah,<\/i> which is also a new moon day (Lev 23:24), when the Torah commands Israel to blow the shofar. The conjunctionist continues, if the author of this Psalm 81 is telling us that the law says to blow the shofar on the full moon when the law says no such thing, then the psalmist is guilty of lying and adding to the word of Elohim. This is not possible, since the word of Elohim cannot lie. The conjunctionist rightly states that one can\u2019t rely on Numbers 10:10 as proof that one is to sound the shofar on the feasts, since this passage refers to the silver trumpets and not<\/i> to the ram\u2019s horn shofar mentioned in Psalm 81:3. Furthermore, he continues, in Psalm 81:3, \u201con our solemn feast day\u201d should read \u201ctoward [or leading to] the feast day.\u201d This is because the Hebrew word l\u2019yom <\/i>or \u201con the feast day\u201d should be translated as \u201ctoward\/leading to the feast day\u201d because the lamed<\/i> prefix can mean \u201ctoward.\u201d Technically, since Yom Teruah isn\u2019t a chag <\/i>or a feast, this verse should say that our new moon day (i.e., Yom Teruah) points toward<\/i> or leads to<\/i> the upcoming Feast of Tabernacles. Therefore, Psalm 81:3 should read something more like this: \u201cBlow the shofar at the time of the concealed moon toward<\/i> \/ leading to <\/i>your solemn feast day [chag<\/i>]\u201d referring to Sukkot. Therefore, he concludes, this is another proof that the month begins on the conjunction and not on the visible crescent.<\/p>\n

Refutation: <\/b><\/span>This is one of the more novel and creative arguments we have heard against using the visible new moon crescent as the beginning point for the month. On the surface, it seems rather convincing. The command in Psalm 81:3 to blow the shofar on new moon day as an act pointing toward the feast of Sukkot has merit. According to TWOT<\/i>, the Hebrew prefix lamed<\/i>\/\u05dc may indicate direction or physical movement (e.g., that I may go to\/toward<\/i> my country). BDB<\/i> tells us that when used in conjunction with certain types of verbs, \u05dc can mean \u201ctoward, in reference to\u201d or express it the idea of \u201cdirection towards.\u201d<\/p>\n

However, this is not the only way to look at this verse. Let\u2019s view Psalm 81:3 from the perspective of the broader context of this passage. Verses one and two of Psalm 81 open up with the author instructing us to sing aloud, make joyful shouts and to play musical instruments in praise of Elohim. In other words, we are to rejoice before him. In verse three, the psalmist gives us some examples of when Elohim\u2019s people are to rejoice. They are to do so at the new moon and when the moon is full or at the appointed time at the three chag<\/i> feasts, which are the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the Feast of Unleavened Bread and the Feast of Tabernacles. Verse four then states that \u201cthis is a statute for Israel, a law of the Elohim of Israel.\u201d So what is a law for Israel? Blowing a shofar on the feasts? No, since the Torah never commands us to blow the shofar on the feasts as the conjunctionist teacher referenced above correctly notes. However, the Torah does specifically command Israel to rejoice<\/i> at the Feast of Weeks and the Feast of Tabernacles (Lev 23:40; Deut 16:11, 14, 15). This is what Psalm 81:1\u20134 is telling us to do in its fuller context. Blowing the shofar on the new moon and on the feasts that occur at the full moon is one aspect of rejoicing. Psalm 81 is therefore commanding us to rejoice on the feasts as the Torah instructs us to do of which blowing the shofar is given as an example of how to rejoice. This passage, however, is not saying that sounding the shofar is something the Torah commands us to do at the feasts. If it were saying this, it would be inaccurate, since the Torah never commands us to blow the shofar at any of the chag<\/i> feasts \u2014 only at Yom Teruah, which, technically, isn\u2019t a chag <\/i>feast.<\/p>\n

As we\u2019ve just noted, to prove his point, this conjunctionist teacher makes the assertion that the word keseh<\/i> in Psalm 81:3 cannot mean \u201cfull moon\u201d (from the Aramaic), but must mean \u201cconcealed moon\u201d (from the Hebrew) because nowhere does the Torah command us to blow the shofar at the time of the full moon (when the three pilgrimage feasts occur) as verse four seems to indicate. The teacher then goes on to correctly state that Yom Teruah is the only appointed time or moed<\/i> on which the Torah commands the shofar to be blown (Lev 23:24). There is no biblical Torah command to blow the shofar on any of three pilgrimage feasts (Unleavened Bread, Weeks or Tabernacles). This is, therefore, proof positive in the conjunctionist\u2019s mind that the command to blow the shofar in Psalm 81:3 is referring to blowing it on the new moon day of Yom Teruah (which falls on the new moon day of the seventh month) towards or pointing to the upcoming Feast\/Chag<\/i> of Tabernacles. The problem with this argument is that this teacher shoots himself in the foot with his own argument. To insist that the Torah command of verse four refers back to blowing the shofar on a chag<\/i> would also be saying that the Torah commands us to blow the shofar on the new moon, which it in no place does. Therefore as already noted above, the Torah-law that the psalmist must be referring back to is not to the blowing the shofar in verse three, but to the Torah-law commanding us to rejoice before YHVH as stated in verses one and two (see Lev 23:40; Deut 16:11, 14, 15).<\/p>\n

As a validation to the idea that keseh <\/i>(Strong\u2019s <\/i>H3677) derives from the Hebrew root word kahsah<\/i>, (Strong\u2019s <\/i>H3680), in Jewish thought, the new moon is still considered covered even when the first glimmer of the sun\u2019s light begins to shine on it after its conjunction (The ArtScroll Tanach Series, Psalms<\/i>, commentary on Ps 81:3\/4, p. 1027). Keseh <\/i>(Strong\u2019s <\/i>H3677) can also relate to the Hebrew word for throne (Heb. kisay<\/i>, Strong\u2019s <\/i>H3678). On the new moon day of Yom Teruah, prophetically this is when Yeshua returns to the earth in the last days to take his rightful position as King of kings over the earth. This is certainly cause for celebrating and sounding the shofar \u2014 a practice the ancient Israelites did when a new king was crowned!<\/p>\n

Is the Biblical Calendar an Adapted Egyptian-Based Calendar?<\/b><\/p>\n

New Moon Conjunctionist Assertion: <\/b><\/span>One conjunctionist goes so far as to use a modern Egyptologist scholar to prove his point that the ancient Egyptian calendar was the one that Moses borrowed and used as the basis for the Torah calendar because of his understanding of the wisdom of the Egyptians (Acts 7:22).<\/p>\n

Refutation: <\/b><\/span>The problem with this argument is that if the Israelites simply co-opted the Egyptian calendar for their own use, then why did YHVH have to tell his people in Exodus 12:2 when to start the new year? Surely if the Israelites were borrowing the Egyptian calendar that Moses gave them, they would have known when new years day was!<\/p>\n

Jewish Historical Records, Modern Linguists and Historians
\nAre Against a Conjunction-Based Month<\/b><\/p>\n

Conjunctionists that we have studied who attempt to prove that the moon\u2019s conjunction starts the month instead of the first visible crescent, fail to address the following vitally important issues:<\/p>\n

Why do all the main modern lexicons and other linguistic experts, Jewish historical books, Jewish encyclopedias, Jewish scholars and historians (rabbinic and Karaite) solidly and unanimously affirm that the ancient Jews based the new month on sighting the new visible moon? If the biblical month begins at conjunction, then how could all these authorities be so mistaken? If they are, then provide the solid linguistic and historical evidence to prove how the ancients used a conjunction-based calendar, as well as why the Jewish sages and the linguists are so mistaken on this vital issue. Also, explain to us (as noted earlier at the beginning of this work) why Yeshua kept the Passover on the same day as the Jewish Passover. If he was a conjunctionist, then his Passover would have been one to three days earlier. Certainly the controversy this would have caused would have been noted in the Gospel accounts.<\/p>\n

Why does the Mishnah<\/i> record in the second century AD the process by which the Jewish leaders determined the new moon each month based on the visible crescent<\/i> sighting? There is no mention in the Mishnah<\/i> whatsoever of the dark moon of conjunction being a factor for determining the month.<\/p>\n

Do the Biblical Patterns of Light Out of Darkness Prove a Conjunction-Based Calendar?<\/b><\/p>\n

New Moon Conjunctionist Assertion:<\/span> <\/b>The biblical pattern of darkness preceding light, or that light comes out of darkness was the established pattern in Genesis chapter one. There was darkness on the earth, then light. There was night, then day. Moreover, a baby is conceived in darkness, then born into the light. On one\u2019s spiritual journey, one comes out of spiritual darkness into the spiritual light. Moreover, Yeshua who is the Light of the world will return in a time of great spiritual darkness at the end of the age to bring spiritual light of his truth and kingdom to this earth. Additionally, the three pilgrimage feasts occur when the moon is full. Yom Teruah occurs when the moon is dark, which is when the shofar is sounded calling people to wake up out spiritual darkness. Based on Genesis 1:14\u201316, the sun is the timepiece for the day. In the Bible, the day starts with darkness then gives way to light. The moon is the timepiece for months. The lunar cycle starts in darkness, then gives way to light. Thus the month begins in darkness in conjunction.<\/p>\n

Refutation: <\/b><\/span>The concept that darkness comes out of light is a biblically accurate model, yet it can\u2019t be applied universally in all situations. To use the idea that because darkness preceded light and night precedes day; therefore, the darkness of the moon\u2019s conjunction must determine the months is a faulty leap of logic. If this principle were universally applicable, then why doesn\u2019t the biblical new year start immediately on the day following the winter solstice when the daylight is at its shortest time of the year at the end of December? In fact, the new year begins in the spring some three months later. Therefore, the darkness out of light model fails in the biblical reckoning of the new year.<\/p>\n

The moon was to be a visible sign (Heb. owt<\/i>) of the month (Gen 1:14). Conjunction isn\u2019t a visible sign. Moreover, the ancients didn\u2019t use the conjunction for the beginning of months, since they weren\u2019t able to determine the precise moment of conjunction, for the moon can be dark in Israel for one to three days. Thus, the visible new crescent moon fulfilled the requirement of a visible sign or owt<\/i>, and it was easy for the common man to determine by sight (instead of having to guess when the exact moment of conjunction occurred). Furthermore, there is no indication from history that the Jews ever used the conjunction as a basis for determining months.<\/p>\n

Using Mathematical Formulas to Calculate the New Moon<\/b><\/p>\n

New Moon Conjunctionist Assertion: <\/b><\/span>The moon\u2019s conjunction only occurs for a few minutes. It occurs just before the light of the sun begins to hit the earth, which is when the sliver of the new moon just begins to appear. Therefore, conjunction and sliver occur back to back and are only a few minutes apart. However, because the moon is so faint at this point and not visible to the human eye, it can take one to three days after conjunction before it\u2019s visible to the human eye. To calculate the exact moment of conjunction, one must use a mathematical formula.<\/p>\n

Refutation: <\/b><\/span>To calculate the exact moment of the conjunction, the conjunctionists assert that a mathematical formula is necessary. Yet they assume, but can\u2019t prove that the ancients had such a mathematical formula. Furthermore, there\u2019s no indication in the Bible or from Jewish historical sources that the Israelites ever used a formula to determine the new moon. All historical sources we can find tell us that the ancients, including the Jews, started their month at the visible crescent. As noted above, the formula to determine the precise moment of the moon\u2019s conjunction wasn\u2019t discovered until the mid-twentieth century \u2014 about 50 or 60 years ago!<\/p>\n

Was David a New Moon Conjunctionist?<\/b><\/p>\n

New Moon Conjunctionist<\/span> Assertion:<\/b><\/span>\u00a0<\/b>The time between the conjunction and the visible new moon is one to three days in the land of Israel. In 1\u2009Samuel 20:5, David knew when the new moon was going to appear. Since the Israelites knew in advance the exact day the beginning of the new month would be, this proves the ancient Israelites were using the conjunction to determine the new month. What\u2019s more, Saul held a new moon dinner for two nights indicating that they were celebrating the time between the conjunction and the visible sighting of the new moon (1\u2009Sam 20:18, 27, 34). The conjunction marked the beginning of the new moon feast and the visible crescent marked the end of the feast. It was an ancient tradition in Israel to celebrate the new moon at the conjunction and to keep the feast until they saw the crescent sighting. This is why Saul had a new moon feast for several days and why David hid himself during this time.<\/p>\n

Refutation:\u00a0<\/b><\/span>In 1 Sam 20:18 Jonathan and David knew that the next day would be the new moon day. How did they know this? Was it because they were able to determine the exact moment of the moon\u2019s conjunction, or could they know the exact day another way? Yes, there is another way. Evidently, the day their conversation occurred was on the 30th day of the month, and for some reason (due to cloud cover, dust or haze), they had not been able to spot the new moon the previous evening. This made the next day after the 30th day of the current month the first day of the next month. This is why Jonathan and David that knew the next day was new moon day.<\/p>\n

What about the feast for two days that Saul held for his court lasting into the second day of the month (1 Sam 20:27). What\u2019s going on here?<\/p>\n

On new moon day, the Torah instructed the Israelites to offer up burnt offerings, peace offering or voluntary peace offerings (Num 15:3 cp. Ezek 46:6\u20138; Num 28:11\u201314; 1 Chron 23:31; 2 Chron 2:4; Ezr 3:5; Neh 10:33). If the celebrants chose to offer a voluntary peace offering, this would explain why Saul\u2019s court would still be feasting on the second day of the new month (1 Sam 20:27), for the Torah prescribes that a voluntary peace offering could be eaten for two days, but not on the third day (Num 7:16).<\/p>\n

To assert that Saul and his court were celebrating the time interval between the conjunction and the sighting of the visible new moon is pure conjecture and without any basis in Scripture or the historical record of the Israelite people. However, the idea that they were doing a voluntary peace offering at the beginning of the month that would last for two days, though not specifically stated in the text, is not outside the realm of possibility given the fact that the Torah commands that burnt and peace offerings be made on the moedim<\/i> such as new moon day. Although the Scriptures doesn\u2019t specifically call rosh chodesh<\/i> or new moon day a moed<\/i> or an appointed time (or divine appointment), in the Millennium YHVH will require everyone to come and worship him on new moon day (Isa 66:23), thus indicating that YHVH views it as a moed<\/i>. Not only that, the Scriptures list new moon day in conjunction with other appointed times in several places in Scriptures (Num 10:10; 2 Chron 8:13; Ps 81:3; Hos 2:11; Col 2:16\u201317). Therefore, we can safely conclude that new moon day is a moed, <\/i>thus a two-day long voluntary peace offering meal could be enjoyed on that day.<\/p>\n

The New Moon, Yom Teruah and the Second Coming<\/b><\/p>\n

New Moon Conjunctionist Assertion: <\/b><\/span>Yom Teruah occurs on the first day of the seventh month meaning that it occurs on the new moon day (Lev 23:24), which occurs on a conjunction. Yeshua comes back when the moon is dark. It is totally dark only on a conjunction, and not when the crescent is just visible.<\/p>\n

Refutation: <\/b><\/span>Nowhere do the Scriptures say that Yeshua will come back when the moon is totally dark. To say this is reading into the Scriptures something that isn\u2019t there. What the Scriptures say is that the dark moon is a sign of his coming<\/i>, not that he\u2019s coming on the day when the moon is totally dark (Matt 24:29\u201330). The moon can be dark for a variety of reasons including a lunar eclipse, cloud cover, smoke, or the moon is in its dark phase. It is true that Yeshua will likely return on the first day of the seventh month, which is Yom Teruah or the Day of Trumpets. This is a new moon day because the first day of every biblical month is a new moon day when the moon is mostly dark, although it shows a slight sliver of light on its edge. But nowhere in the Scriptures does it say that the moon has to be totally dark on the day of Yeshua\u2019s return.<\/p>\n

Philo on When the Biblical Month Starts<\/b><\/p>\n

Some new moon conjunctionists quote the first century Jewish historian Philo who lived in Egypt and wrote about the Jewish laws and customs. A cursory reading of Philo might lead one to believe he and his Jewish counterparts in the land of Israel were pro-conjunctionists. However, a thorough reading of Philo shows quite the opposite to be true. He actually confirms the new month begins at the sighting of the visible crescent. Let\u2019s examine the evidence.<\/p>\n

In The Works of Philo<\/i>, Special Laws II, <\/i>XI, 41 (Hendrickson, 1997) we read, \u201cThe third [festival] is that which comes after the conjunction, which happens on the day of the new moon in each month.\u201d He goes on to say in Special Laws II, <\/i>XXVI, 140, speaking of the new moon, \u201c[A]t this time, there is nothing in the whole heaven destitute of light [that includes the moon],\u201d and \u2026 [A]t the time of the new moon, the sun begins to illuminate the moon with a light which is visible to the outward senses, and then she displays her own beauty to the beholders.\u201d In these passages, Philo clearly tells us that the new moon (which for the ancient Jews marked the beginning of the new month) falls after<\/i> the conjunction when the light of the sun is just starting to be visible on the moon. From this passage, we also learn that the ancients (at least in first century AD) knew more or less when the conjunction was. We don\u2019t know, however, if they knew the exact moment of the conjunction in that one to three day period during which the moon is dark in the land of Israel. Knowing the exact moment of the conjunction is essential in order to calculate the new month, since if the conjunction occurs on the dividing line between two days, a few minutes one way or another could change the day of the new month. However, this passage from Philo, doesn\u2019t prove that the ancients knew the exact timing of the conjunction some 1500 years earlier when Moses wrote the Torah. As noted above, in modern times, the mathematical calculations to determine the exact timing of the conjunction weren\u2019t discovered until late in the twentieth century.<\/p>\n

In Special Laws II, <\/i>142, after having defined the new moon in verses 41 and 140 as the day after<\/i> the conjunction when the moon is just beginning to show its light, we come across this interesting statement from Philo:<\/p>\n

[T]he law [presumably the Torah] has honored the end of its [the moon\u2019s] orbit, the point when the moon has finished at the beginning point from which it began to travel, by having called that day a feast so that it might again teach us an excellent lesson that in the affairs of life we should make the ends harmonious with the beginnings.<\/p>\n

One new moon conjunctionist biblical researcher quotes this passage as proof in his mind that Philo (and, hence, the Torah) figured the new moon from the point of its conjunction. However, the researcher fails to mention this verse in context with the previous verses (40 and 141) that state that the new moon day occurred the next day after <\/i>the conjunction when the moon was first beginning to show the light of the sun. Rather than a proof that new moon day occurs on the conjunction, verse 142, for it to make sense with Philo\u2019s previous statements about the new moon, states that new moon day (i.e., when the moon begins to show its light) memorializes immediately after<\/i> the conjunction the end of the previous lunation or lunar cycle and, at the same time, celebrates the beginning of the new lunation. This conjunctionist\u2019s conclusion, therefore, is in error because he failed to examine all the evidence at hand on the subject. For scholars to come to the correct conclusions when studying documents, it\u2019s vitally important to read everything<\/i> the document\u2019s author has to say on a subject and refrain from cherry picking statements out of context in an effort to prove one\u2019s pet theory. This is called prooftexting, and is an unacceptable activity in the process of pursuing the logical steps necessary to arrive at the truth of a matter.<\/p>\n

The Gospel Record Disproves a Conjunction-Based Month<\/b><\/p>\n

As already noted twice previously in this work, the Gospels say nothing about Yeshua being on a conjunction-based calendar. This is perhaps the strongest proof against the conjunction that we can present, and it\u2019s an important point to make, which is why we keep reiterating it. If the conjunction new moon is a biblically-based concept, then why did Yeshua follow the first century Jewish calendar that was based on the visible new moon? We know he did because, for example, he was crucified on what the Gospel writers call \u201cthe Jew\u2019s Passover,\u201d which Yeshua and the Gospel writers also call the Passover.<\/i> If Yeshua were on a conjunction-based calendar, his Passover would have been anywhere from one to three or days earlier, and not on the same day the Jews were doing their Passover. Had Yeshua been on a conjunction-based calendar, the controversy this would have caused with the antagonistic and super-critical Jewish leaders certainly would have been recorded in the Gospels.<\/p>\n

Summary of Points<\/b><\/p>\n

The following is a brief summary of the points enumerated above for why we follow the visible new moon crescent and not the conjunction as a way to determine the new biblical month.<\/p>\n