Why do you use the barley to determine the start of the year? To begin the month, do you use the crescent or full moon? Also, what about the lunar Sabbath belief?
Support for the barley can be found in the meaning of the word Abib, the name of the first biblical month, and in biblical scholarship.
A reference to the first biblical month is in Deuteronomy 16:1. “Observe the month of Abib….” The word “Abib” refers to young ears of grain: “…from an unused root (meaning to be tender); green, i.e. a young ear of grain; hence, the name of the month Abib or Nisan,” Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance.
“Month of ear-forming, of greening of crop, of growing green Abib, the month of the Exodus and the Passover (March or April),” Brown Driver Briggs Hebrew Lexicon.
“…barley that is already ripe, but still soft, the grains of which are eaten either rubbed or roasted,” The Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament.
“The name of the month, so called because corn [grain] was then forming in the ear, a few weeks before harvest; falling somewhere about March or April; afterwards called Nisan, the first month of the Hebrew year,” Wilson’s Old Testament Word Studies.
Strictly speaking, the first month, Abib, describes the stage of barley that is in the dough stage or later. The minimum allowance for Abib was a wave sheaf used in bundling or about two dry quarts. Also, since the Bible confirms that the barley precedes the new moon crescent (Exodus 9:31 and 12:2), you must have barley that meets the minimum stage of Abib by the time of the new moon crescent. We reject the idea of projecting the barley in anticipation of the wave sheaf offering.
Because Israel observed the barley from the Holy Land and there is a need for a unified year throughout the globe, we observe the barley in Israel.
Scholarship also supports the use of barley to commence the first biblical month: “…Abib is not properly a name of a month, but part of a descriptive phrase, ‘the month of young ears of grain.’ This may indicate the Israelitish way of determining the new year (Ex 12:2), the year beginning with the new moon nearest or next preceding this stage of the growth of the barley,” International Standard Bible Encyclopaedia. See also New Unger’s Bible Dictionary.
Scripture and scholarship confirm the new moon for the start of the month. The word month, as seen in Exodus 12:2 and Deuteronomy 16:1, comes from the Hebrew chodesh and is defined as “…from OT:2318; the new moon; by implication, a month: -month (-ly), new moon.” OT:2318, chadash, is “a primitive root; to be new; causatively, to rebuild.” Strong’s Hebrew Dictionary used in both definitions.
“The Hebrew or Jewish calendar had three stages of development: the preexilic, or Biblical; the postexilic, or Talmudic; and the post-Talmudic. The first rested solely on observation, the second on observation coupled with calculation, and the third on calculation only. In the first period the priests determined the beginning of each month by the appearance of the new moon,” International Standard Bible Encyclopaedia.
“Originally, the New Moon was not fixed by astronomical calculation, but was solemnly proclaimed after witnesses had testified to the reappearance of the crescent of the moon… By the middle of the fourth century, the sages had established a permanent calendar and the public proclamation of the New Moon was discontinued,” Encyclopaedia Judaica, Vol. 12, p. 1039.
Reckoning the start of the week and Sabbath by the moon is nowhere in the Bible, The week was already in its fourth day of creation before the moon was established to divide day and night, Genesis 1:14-18. Starting a week by the moon results in a partial week at the end of the month. Lunar Sabbaths don’t work in counting out the Feast days. For additional information see our booklet: The Lunar Sabbath Illusion. We show that this belief is nowhere found in the Word and is totally untenable.
No Moon vs. New Moon – the Conjunction vs. the Visible Crescent
Does Yahweh set His months and Feasts by the total blackness of the moon? Is that what “lights in the heavens” means?
There is a belief that the biblical month should be set by what is called the conjunction rather than by observation of the lunar crescent. The conjunction is a term that describes the exact alignment of the sun, the moon, and the earth. This alignment creates complete darkness before the moon starts to be visible or waxing. It is called Syzygy in astronomy, from the ancient Greek meaning “yoked together.”
In modern astronomy the term “new moon” entered popular usage to describe this time of total darkness, but this term was never associated with darkness in history. The Oxford English Dictionary defines the new moon as “the first visible crescent of the Moon, after conjunction with the sun.”
This conjunction or darkness is not synonymous with or related in any way to the new moon in Scripture. In fact, how can it even designate a new “moon” if the moon is completely hidden by darkness? To be accurate you would call it a “no moon.” In the Hebrew this darkness (void of any celestial light) is called: chashak חָשַׁךְ and means darkness or obscurity in relation to celestial lights. Notice how Ecclesiastes 12:2 uses it: “…before the sun and the light and the moon and the stars grow dark [chashak], and the clouds return after the rain.”
In stark contrast the Torah confirms the exact opposite of darkness as it relates to setting Yahweh’s Holy Days, which is expected, being that “Elohim is light and in Him there is no darkness,” 1John 1:5.
Lights in the Sky
Genesis 1:14 uses “lights” to set the appointed times of Yahweh. “And Elohim said, ‘Let there be lights in the vault of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark sacred days and years.” Some translations, like the KJV, use the word “seasons.” This is imprecise according to the Hebrew. The Hebrew word here is moed מוֹעֵד and means an appointed time, place or meeting. This means Yahweh’s Sabbath and yearly festivals. The light here in Genesis 1 is maor מָאוֹר and Brown Driver Briggs defines it as: “light, light-bearer, luminary, lamp, of sun and moon.”
Genesis 1:14 provides the purpose of these lights:
1) to separate the day from the night
2) to set the appointed times
3) to set the year
Continuing “…and let them be lights in the vault of the sky to give light on the earth. And it was so. Elohim made two great lights—the greater light to govern the day [sun] and the lesser light to govern the night [moon].”
The year is set at the new moon of the Aviv harvest. Notice: “Observe the month [chodesh חֹדֶשׁ new moon] of Aviv and celebrate the Passover of Yahweh your Elohim, because in the month of Aviv he brought you out of Egypt by night,” Deuteronomy 16:1. As Genesis 1:14 clearly says this maor מָאוֹר “light” sets the year.
Exodus 12:1 asserts the Aviv new moon is the first of the year, shanah: “Yahweh said to Moses and Aaron in Egypt, ‘This month is to be for you the first month, the first month of your year.’ So if we must use light to set Yahweh’s Festivals and years, how then can the darkness of the conjunction work in any way in Yahweh’s calendar?
In fact, this time of dark conjunction can last up to 3.5 days depending on its ecliptic latitude. Modern science calls this an astronomical dark moon. To calculate this “middle darkness” in relation to your position on planet earth without the aid of a telescope would take the mathematic genius of Albert Einstein. To compute this “dark moon” you would need to know the pole orientation in relation to the moon and earth’s orbit based on your geographical location. This is called in astronomy “The apparent place” or the position in space as seen by an observer. Because of physical and geometrical complexities it may differ from the “true” or “geometric” position. This would present an insurmountable technical challenge for the ancient Israelite like David out herding his sheep.
Not Rocket Science
So ask yourself, is this how Yahweh would establish his months? Does it need to be so hard that only the U.S. Naval Observatory can figure it out? Ezekiel 46:6 instructs: “On the day of the new moon he is to offer a young bull, six lambs and a ram, all without defect.” Which day would you choose for the new moon if depending on your geographic location you had a choice of up to three and a half nights of darkness to select from?
Yahweh is an Elohim of light not darkness. Unbelievers, wickedness, and darkness are synonymous. “Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness?” 2Corinthians 6:14.
The Apostle Paul journeyed as far as Macedonia for over two years. How would he have calculated this dark moon for the Festival of Yom Teruah or Trumpets? Yahweh makes it easy when all Paul needed to do was witness the first thin crescent of the new moon.
Notice what Yahweh said to Moses, “Say to the Israelites: ‘On the first day of the seventh month you are to have a day of sabbath rest, a sacred assembly commemorated with trumpet blasts. Do no regular work, but present a food offering to Yahweh.’” Leviticus 23:24. The moon sets the month and on this Feast day we are commanded to keep it on the first day of the seventh month.
Simply See It or Not See It
Did Yahweh intend for us to be astronomers using complex mathematic formulas to be able to know when this exact middle-darkness occurs in relation to our geographical location? Of course not. This is a man-made idea that complicates, perverts and adds to the Word. Yahweh’s visible crescent is beautiful in its simplicity requiring uncomplicated sight confirmation.
The new moon is to be “observed” every month. Deuteronomy 16:1: “Observe the month (new moon) of Aviv and celebrate the Passover of Yahweh your Elohim, because in the month of Aviv he brought you out of Egypt by night.” The Hebrew word for observe is shamar שָׁמַר a verb which denotes an action and has the synonymous meaning of keeping, watching and preserving.
This word is a proper noun for “watchmen,” according to Brown Driver Briggs Gesenius.The Holladay Concise Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon defines shamar as “watching in the sense of looking.” Vine’s Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words includes the definitions “mark, watchman, wait, watch, look narrowly.” The command is to look for, wait for, watch and mark the new moon. It could be translated, “Look carefully for the new moon of Aviv and perform the Pesach in this month…”
Those who hold to dark moon idea try to remove any semblance of “watching,” which is one of the fundamental meanings of this Hebrew word shamar. If we are commanded to “watch for” rather than calculate, then this doctrine falls apart at the seams. Watching for something that isn’t there is senseless.
The argument is that this Hebrew word simply has the meaning of “do.” If this is the case then why is the Hebrew word asah עָשָׂה (do), which is also translated as observe in scripture, not used here in Deuteronomy16?
Shamar has a much more encompassing meaning of observation along with keeping and doing. Exodus 31:16 shows both these words in context in relation to the Sabbath “Wherefore the children of Israel shall keep (shamar) the sabbath, to observe (asah, do) the sabbath throughout their generations, for a perpetual covenant.” The Sabbath is kept by watching and observing the sunset and sunrise (the greater light, Genesis 1:14). The true faith is an active faith based on observation on the lights Yahweh made for us.
Ancient Jewish Philosopher Philo Attests to Crescent After Conjunction
Many historic sources back up how ancient Israel observed the new moon. A Jewish philosopher named Philo of Alexandria (20BCE-50CE) lived during the time of the Messiah. He was Greek-speaking and documented this interesting observation of how the festivals were kept. Amazingly, he even makes a distinction between the conjunction (dark moon) and the new moon!
(The Special Laws) XI. (41) “The first matter to be considered is that of the Festivals. Now there are ten festivals in number, as the law sets them down. The first is that which any one will perhaps be astonished to hear called a festival. This festival is every day. The second festival is the seventh day, which the Hebrews in their native language call the sabbath. The third is that which comes after the conjunction, which happens on the day of the new moon in each month. The fourth is that of the passover which is called the passover.
“The fifth is the first fruits of the corn—the sacred sheaf. The sixth is the feast of unleavened bread, after which that festival is celebrated, which is really the seventh day of seventh days. The eighth is the festival of the sacred moon, or the feast of trumpets. The ninth is the fast.
“The tenth is the feast of tabernacles, which is the last of all the annual festivals, ending so as to make the perfect number of ten…..XXVI. (140) Following the order which we have adopted, we proceed to speak of the third festival, that of the new moon. First of all, because it is the beginning of the month, and the beginning, whether of number or of time, is honourable. Secondly, because at this time there is nothing in the whole of heaven destitute of light. Thirdly, because at that period the more powerful and important body gives a portion of necessary assistance to the less important and weaker body; for, at 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. And this is, as it seems, an evident lesson of kindness and humanity to men, to teach them that they should never grudge to impart their own good things to others, but, imitating the heavenly bodies, should drive envy away and banish it from the Soul.”
The Mishnah is a collection of Jewish oral traditions written between 20 BCE and 220 CE. It details how the new moon was judged by eye witness observation and how their testimony was scrutinized by the Beth Din בית דין or “house of judgment.” Gamaliel, who was the Apostle Paul’s mentor, and mentioned in scripture notice “But a Pharisee named Gamaliel, a teacher of the law, who was honored by all the people, stood up in the Sanhedrin and ordered that the men be put outside for a little while” Acts 5:34. The Mishnah gives this detailed explanation regarding Gamaliel:
“There was a large court in Jerusalem called Beth Ya’azeq, where all the witnesses met, and where they were examined by the Beth Din. Great feasts were made there for (the witnesses) in order to induce them to come frequently. At first they did not stir from there all day (on the Sabbath), 1 till R. Gamaliel, the elder, ordained that they might go two thousand ells on every side; and not only these (witnesses) but also a midwife, going to perform her professional duties, and those who go to assist others in case of conflagration, or against an attack of robbers, or in case of flood, or (of rescuing people) from the ruins (of a fallen building) are considered (for the time being) as inhabitants of that place, and may go (thence on the Sabbath) two thousand ells on every side. How were the witnesses examined? The first pair were examined first. The elder was introduced first, and they said to him: Tell us in what form thou sawest the moon; was it before or behind the sun? Was it to the north or the south (of the sun)? What was its elevation on the horizon? Towards which side was its inclination? What was the width of its disk? If he answered before the sun, his evidence was worthless. After this they introduced the younger (witness) and he was examined; if their testimony was found to agree, it was accepted as valid; the remaining pairs (of witnesses) were asked leading questions, not because their testimony was necessary, but only to prevent them departing, disappointed, and to induce them to come again often,”
In the Talmud, the Gemara (350-400CE) then references this part of the Mishnah:
Gemara: “Do not the questions (asked by the Mishna), ‘was it before or behind the sun?’ and ‘was it to the north or to the south?’ mean the same thing? Answered Abayi: (the Mishna asks) whether the concave of the crescent was before or behind the sun, and if (the witness said) it was before the sun, his evidence was worthless, for R. Johanan says: What is the meaning of the passage [Job, xxv. 2]: ‘Dominion and fear are with him; he maketh peace in his high places?’ It means that the sun never faces the concave of the crescent or the concave of a rainbow.
“What was its elevation on the horizon? Towards which side was its inclination? In one Boraitha we have learned: If (the witness) said ‘towards the north,’ his evidence was valid, but if he said, ‘towards the south,’ it was worthless; in another Boraitha we have learned the reverse. It presents no difficulty; in the latter case it speaks of the summer, while in the former it refers to the winter.
“The rabbis taught: If one (witness) said its elevation appeared about as high as two ox-goads and another said about as high as three, their testimony was invalid, but either might be taken in conjunction with a subsequent witness (who offered similar testimony). The rabbis taught (If the witnesses say): ‘We have seen the reflection (of the moon) in the water, or through a metal mirror, or in the clouds,’ their testimony is not to be accepted; or (if they say we have seen) ‘half of it in the water, and half of it in the heavens, or half of it in the clouds,’ their evidence carries no weight. Must they then see the new moon again (before their testimony can be accepted)? Said Abayi: ‘By this is meant that if the witnesses testify that they saw the moon accidentally, and they then returned purposely and looked for it, but they saw it not, their evidence is worthless.’ Why so? Because one might say they saw a patch of white clouds (and they thought it was the moon).”
Even Gamaliel had a chart on his wall showing the various moon stages used in questioning would be new moon observers:
Mishna: “R. Gamaliel had on a tablet, and on a wall of his upper room, illustrations of the various phases of the moon, which he used to show to the common people, saying: ‘Did you see the moon like this figure or like this?’” See https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/tractate-rosh-hashana-chapter-2
From the Midrash we read, “On the first of Nissan, the moon begins to illuminate. As the days continue, her luminosity increases, until the 15th day, when her disk is full… Likewise is Israel. Fifteen generations from Abraham until Solomon; Abraham began illuminating… with Solomon, the moon’s disk was filled.”
The Jewish Encyclopedia explains how the Samaritans tried to confuse the Jews by lighting false signal fires during the sighting and consecration of the new moon.
“Under the patriarchate of Rabbi Judah I., surnamed ‘the Holy’ (163-193), the Samaritans, in order to confuse the Jews, set up fire-signals at improper times, and thus caused the Jews to fall into error with regard to the day of the new moon. Rabbi Judah accordingly abolished the fire-signals and employed messengers. The inhabitants of countries who could not be reached by messengers before the feast were accordingly in doubt, and used to celebrate two days of the holidays. By this time the fixing of the new moon according to the testimony of witnesses seems to have lost its importance, and astronomical calculations were in the main relied upon.”
Calculated to Break with Judaism
One of the important figures in the history of the calendar was Samuel (born about 165, died about 250), surnamed “Yarḥinai” because of his familiarity with the moon. He was an astronomer, and it was said that he knew the courses of the heavens as well as the streets of his city (Ber. 58b). He was director of a school in Nehardea (Babylonia), and while there arranged a calendar of the feasts in order that his fellow-countrymen might be independent of Judea. He also calculated the calendar for sixty years. His calculations greatly influenced the subsequent calendar of Hillel. According to Bartolocci his tables are preserved in the Vatican. A contemporary of his, R. Adda (born 183), also left a work on the calendar.”
By 300 CE the original spotting of the new moon by the Sanhedrin was replaced by calculation.
“Under the patriarchate of Rabbi Judah III. (300-330) the testimony of the witnesses with regard to the appearance of the new moon was received as a mere formality, the settlement of the day depending entirely on calculation. This innovation seems to have been viewed with disfavor by some members of the Sanhedrin, particularly Rabbi Jose, who wrote to both the Babylonian and the Alexandrian communities, advising them to follow the customs of their fathers and continue to celebrate two days, an advice which was followed, and is still followed, by the majority of Jews living outside of Palestine.
It is evident that during the time of the second Temple period and before, visual observation of the new moon was taken very seriously. Man’s adding to the Word and using calculations for the calendar starting with the dark moon came into vogue later with Hillel II, 300 years after the death of the Messiah.
If you desire to return to the scriptural paths of True Worship (Jer. 6:16), then join us every month as we commemorate the new moon crescent. yrm.org/new-moon-network
Q. According to Sadduces’ method of starting the count, does this mean that when the 14th falls on a Friday, you would observe the wavesheaf before the anniversary of the Messiah’s resurrection (end of 17th)? Also, didn’t Yahshua say to the Sadduces in Mark 12:24 and elsewhere that “you do not understand the Scriptures or the power of Yahweh”?
A. Yes, in this scenario the wavesheaf would fall on Sunday, a day before the anniversary of Yahshua’s resurrection (accounting for the three days and three nights the Messiah was in the tomb). Interestingly, in this example, the Sadducees and Pharisees would have observed the wavesheaf on the same day. This is due to the fact that the Pharisees began the count on the day after the first High Sabbath, Abib 16, and the Sadducees began the count on the morrow after the weekly Sabbath, Sunday, during the Feast of Unleavened Bread. Therefore, in this specific example, both methods of counting would produce the same results.
Regarding the Sadducees, it’s true that Yahshua reprimanded them in Mark 12:24 for not correctly understanding the resurrection. That being said, He also reprimanded the Pharisees countless times in the New Testament for their man-made traditions and error. Therefore, Yahshua’s reprimands of these Jewish sects are irrelevant as it pertains to His doctrine. Below are a few examples of His displeasure with the Pharisees:
“Then came to Yahshua scribes and Pharisees, which were of Jerusalem, saying, Why do thy disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? for they wash not their hands when they eat bread. But he answered and said unto them, Why do ye also transgress the commandment of Elohim by your tradition?” Matthew 15:1-3.
“But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in. Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye devour widows’ houses, and for a pretence make long prayer: therefore ye shall receive the greater judgment. Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of Gehenna than yourselves,” Matthew 23:13-15.
“And he charged them, saying, Take heed, beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, and of the leaven of Herod,” Mark 8:15.
For additional insight, please visit our Q&A page.
In your Passover booklet you state: “It is true that the sun divides day from night and brings about the seasons, while the new moon sets the beginning of months.” My question is, how does the lights in the firmament determine or “brings about the seasons”?
I assume your question is predicated on Genesis 1:14. Based on this single passage, some advocate the use of the equinox to begin the biblical year. They derive this from the reference to the sun and moon. However, it’s crucial to realize that this passage is broad and does not provide any specifics as to how to determine the calendar. For this reason, we must consider additional passages.
Regarding your question, we believe that the sun marks the days, the moon marks the months, and the agriculture (i.e., barley) marks the year. Deuteronomy 16:1 states, “Observe the month of Abib, and keep the passover unto Yahweh thy Elohim….”
The word “observe” comes from the Hebrew shamar. The primary meaning of shamar is to guard, which requires the action of watching. The word “month” derives from the Hebrew chodesh and refers to the new moon. The word “Abib” is Hebrew and literally means, young ears of grain.
Based on the above passage and the Hebrew, it’s evident that we’re to watch for the new moon in the month when the barley is within the Abib stage (i.e., when there is sufficient dough in the ear to roast).
Psalm 104:19 also provides insight is how the sun and moon relates to the seasons: “He appointed the moon for seasons: the sun knoweth his going down.” The word “seasons” is moed and refers to the Feast days. Yahweh confirmed here that the moon, i.e., new moon crescent, is for the seasons. In other words, it’s the crescent that determines the month and therefore the Feast days.
I read your article on the Equinox and was wondering why you teach the first biblical month begins with the barley and new moon in light of Genesis 1:14: “And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for moed, and for days, and years” How do you explain the absence of the “barley” and “new moon” within this passage
The use of the equinox to begin the biblical year is not scriptural and based on modern Jewish interpretation. Regarding Genesis 1:14, this passage is too broad to form any definitive opinion about the biblical calendar. This includes the barley, equinox, crescent moon, full moon, etc.
For this reason, we do not rely on Genesis 1:14 to support the use of the barley or the new moon crescent in determining the year and subsequent months. Instead, we refer to the entire Word to support these conclusions.
Deuteronomy 16:1 is an example. It states, “Observe the month of Abib, and keep the passover unto Yahweh thy Elohim: for in the month of Abib Yahweh thy Elohim brought thee forth out of Egypt by night.”
There are several key words in this passage. “Observe” comes from the Hebrew shamar, meaning to guard or watch. “Month” comes from the Hebrew chodesh, meaning new moon. And “Abib” is Hebrew and means young ears of grain. Here are a few additional references supporting the meaning of Abib:
“…from an unused root (meaning to be tender); green, i.e. a young ear of grain; hence, the name of the month Abib or Nisan,” Strong’s.
“Month of ear-forming, of greening of crop, of growing green Abib, the month of the Exodus and the Passover (March or April),” Driver & Briggs Hebrew Lexicon.
“…barley that is already ripe, but still soft, the grains of which are eaten either rubbed or roasted,” The Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament.
Based on this, Deuteronomy 16:1 literally reads, “Watch for the new moon of young ears of grain.” Clearly, we see here a connection between the barley and the new moon crescent as it pertains to the first biblical month.
In addition, we also know from the Exodus narrative that the barley was in Abib days before the first biblical crescent. Exodus 9:31 states, “And the flax and the barley was smitten: for the barley was in the ear, and the flax was bolled.” The word “ear” derives from the word Abib. Therefore, it reads, “…and the barley was in the Abib.” From Exodus 9:31 and 12:2, we find that the barley was in Abib just days before the first biblical month.
Scholarship also supports the use of both the new moon crescent and barley. Below are two well accepted sources explaining the use of Abib:
“…Abib is not properly a name of a month, but part of a descriptive phrase, ‘the month of young ears of grain.’ This may indicate the Israelitish way of determining the new year (Ex 12:2), the year beginning with the new moon nearest or next preceding this stage of the growth of the barley,” International Standard Bible Encyclopaedia.
“The months began with the new moon, but the first month was fixed (after the Exodus and by the necessities of the Passover) by the ripening of the earliest grain, namely, barley,” New Unger’s Bible Dictionary.
Consider the following references regarding the new moon:
“The Hebrew or Jewish calendar had three stages of development: the preexilic, or Biblical; the postexilic, or Talmudic; and the post-Talmudic. The first rested on observation merely, the second on observation coupled with calculation, and the third on calculation only. In the first period the priests determined the beginning of each month by the appearance of the new moon,” International Standard Bible Encyclopaedia.
“As the festivals, according to the Mosaic law, were always to be celebrated on the same day of the month, it was necessary to fix the commencement of the month. This was determined by the appearance of the new moon; for the new moon was reckoned not by astronomical calculation, but by actual personal observation. On the thirtieth day of the month watchmen were placed on commanding heights around Jerusalem to watch the sky. As soon as each of them detected the moon he hastened to a house in the city kept for this purpose and was there examined by the president of the Sanhedrin. When the evidence of the appearance was deemed satisfactory, the president stood up and formally announced it, uttering the words, ‘It is consecrated.’ The information was immediately sent throughout the land from the Mount of Olives by beacon fires on the tops of the hills. The religious observance of the day of the new moon may plainly be regarded as the consecration of a natural division of time,” New Unger’s Bible Dictionary.
“…at 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,” The Works of Philo, p. 283. (Note: Philo, who lived between 20 BCE – 50 CE, was a Jewish Hellenistic philosopher who lived in Alexandria, Egypt).
In summary, while we agree that Genesis 1:14 does not directly support the barley or use of the new moon crescent, the same can be said about the equinox or any other method of determining the biblical calendar. This passage is simply too broad to ascertain any specifics. For this reason, a person must consider all the evidence in determining the inner workings of the biblical calendar.
I’m still trying to find in the Bible where it mentions 13 months. Where do you find proof for this?
The Bible never provides an exact number of months for the biblical year. What it does provide is the method to begin the year and count each subsequent month. The Bible confirms that the first month of the biblical year is called “Abib.” Deuteronomy 16:1 states, “Observe the month of Abib, and keep the passover unto Yahweh thy Elohim: for in the month of Abib Yahweh thy Elohim brought thee forth out of Egypt by night.”
The word “observe” comes from the Hebrew shamar and means to guard. It also conveys the idea of watching. The word “month” derives from the Hebrew chodesh. Strong’s defines this word as, new moon and by extension, a month. Lastly, the word “Abib” is Hebrew and means, young ears of grain. Exodus 9:31 verifies that the grain spoken of is barley. It states that the barley was in the “ear” or Abib near the Passover observance (occurring on the 14th day of the first month, Lev. 23:5). Agriculturally, the wheat harvest begins in the third month, approximately two months after the beginning of the barley harvest.
These facts help in determining how to begin the biblical year. Deuteronomy 16:1 is literally commanding that we look for the new moon within the month of green ears. Agriculturally, Abib refers to when the barley enters the late dough stage, i.e., when the grain can be parched or roasted.
Therefore, Abib begins at the new moon crescent when there is barley in the dough stage or later. This occurs between March and April. Each subsequent month then begins with the sighting of the new moon crescent. Since there is an 11-day difference between the solar and lunar year, every 2-3 years a 13th month must be added to keep the seasons aligned. The Jews call this month Adar II. The Bible does not mention a 13th month.
The New Unger’s Bible Dictionary confirms this method, “The months began with the new moon, but the first month was fixed (after the Exodus and by the necessities of the Passover) by the ripening of the earliest grain, namely, barley.”
Additional evidence is found from the International Standard Bible Encyclopaedia, “…Abib is not properly a name of a month, but part of a descriptive phrase, ‘the month of young ears of grain.’ This may indicate the Israelitish way of determining the new year (Ex 12:2), the year beginning with the new moon nearest or next preceding this stage of the growth of the barley.”
Since Exodus 9:31 and 12:2 shows that the barley was in Abib before the new moon crescent, this is the pattern YRM uses to fix the month of Abib.
It’s important to note that in the 4th century, Hillel II changed the biblical calendar and transitioned from a calendar based on observation to calculation, including using the conjunction to begin the month and the autumnal equinox to begin the year. Since the autumnal equinox occurs in the fall, corresponding to the 7th Jewish month, the Jews count backwards to mark the first biblical month. Along the way, they also add their postponements, ensuring that days like Yom Kippur does not occur alongside of a weekly Sabbath. To ensure the alignment of the seasons, they also employ a 19-year cycle, adding a 13th month at intervals of 2-3 years.
For more information on the Biblical calander check out our free booklet : The Biblical Calander
Also, watch our video, Deciphering the Biblical Calendar:
How do you actually measure when the barley is starting to be ready signifying the beginning of the year? Do you need to harvest your own barley? Does this have to be done in Jerusalem? Also, I have been looking at the idea of full moon as ‘New Moon’ and not the first sliver as new moon. Someone who believes new moon means full moon, would point to the difficulty with sighting the first sliver. How do you deal with issues of not being able to see the very first sliver of a crescent? Also, what are your thoughts on the lunar calendar?
As a ministry we’ve been observing the biblical calendar for 19 years. Here is a concise explanation as to why we use the barley to begin the biblical year and new moon crescent to begin the month.
Evidence for the barley can be found in the meaning of the word Abib, the name of the first biblical month, and in biblical scholarship.
We find a reference to the first biblical month in Deuteronomy 16:1. It states, “Observe the month of Abib….” The word “Abib” literally refers to young ears of grain.
“…from an unused root (meaning to be tender); green, i.e. a young ear of grain; hence, the name of the month Abib or Nisan,” Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance.
“Month of ear-forming, of greening of crop, of growing green Abib, the month of the Exodus and the Passover (March or April),” Driver & Briggs Hebrew Lexicon.
“…barley that is already ripe, but still soft, the grains of which are eaten either rubbed or roasted,” The Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament.
“The name of the month, so called because corn [grain] was then forming in the ear, a few weeks before harvest; falling somewhere about March or April; afterwards called Nisan, the first month of the Hebrew year,” Wilson’s Old Testament Word Studies.
Since Abib refers to young grain, i.e., barley, this is what we use to mark the first biblical month. Strictly speaking, Abib describes the stage of barley that is within the dough stage or later. The minimum allowance for Abib was a sheaf used in bundling or about two dry quarts. Also, since the Bible confirms that the barley precedes the new moon crescent (Exodus 9:31 and 12:2), you must have barley that meets the minimum stage of Abib by the new moon crescent. We reject the idea of projecting the barley in anticipation of the wave sheaf offering.
Since Israel observed the barley from the Holy Land and there is a need for one unified year throughout the globe, we observe the barley from Israel. While we do not personally look for the barley, we rely on several independent witnesses who travel and document the barley from Israel.
Scholarship also confirms the use of barley to commence the first biblical month of the biblical year:
“…Abib is not properly a name of a month, but part of a descriptive phrase, ‘the month of young ears of grain.’ This may indicate the Israelitish way of determining the new year (Ex 12:2), the year beginning with the new moon nearest or next preceding this stage of the growth of the barley,” International Standard Bible Encyclopaedia
“The months began with the new moon, but the first month was fixed (after the Exodus and by the necessities of the Passover) by the ripening of the earliest grain, namely, barley,” New Unger’s Bible Dictionary.
Regarding the new moon crescent and full moon, we believe that Scripture and scholarship confirms the new moon.
The word month, as seen in Exodus 12:2 and Deuteronomy 16:1, comes from the Hebrew chodesh and is defined, “…from OT:2318; the new moon; by implication, a month: -month (-ly), new moon.” OT:2318, chadash, is “a primitive root; to be new; causatively, to rebuild.” Strong’s used for both definitions.
In addition to Scripture, evidence for the new moon crescent is also found in antiquity. Philo of Alexandria, c. 20 BCE – c. 50 CE, a Hellenistic Jewish philosopher who lived in Alexandria, Egypt, before and during the time of the Messiah, states, “…at 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,” The Works of Philo, p. 283.
Clearly, Philo is describing the first appearance of the new moon crescent and not the full moon.
Scholarship also confirms the new moon crescent:
“The Hebrew or Jewish calendar had three stages of development: the preexilic, or Biblical; the postexilic, or Talmudic; and the post-Talmudic. The first rested on observation merely, the second on observation coupled with calculation, and the third on calculation only. In the first period the priests determined the beginning of each month by the appearance of the new moon,” International Standard Bible Encyclopaedia.
“As the festivals, according to the Mosaic law, were always to be celebrated on the same day of the month, it was necessary to fix the commencement of the month. This was determined by the appearance of the new moon; for the new moon was reckoned not by astronomical calculation, but by actual personal observation. On the thirtieth day of the month watchmen were placed on commanding heights around Jerusalem to watch the sky. As soon as each of them detected the moon he hastened to a house in the city kept for this purpose and was there examined by the president of the Sanhedrin.
“When the evidence of the appearance was deemed satisfactory, the president stood up and formally announced it, uttering the words, ‘It is consecrated.’ The information was immediately sent throughout the land from the Mount of Olives by beacon fires on the tops of the hills. The religious observance of the day of the new moon may plainly be regarded as the consecration of a natural division of time,” New Unger’s Bible Dictionary.
“Originally, the New Moon was not fixed by astronomical calculation, but was solemnly proclaimed after witnesses had testified to the reappearance of the crescent of the moon… By the middle of the fourth century, the sages had established a permanent calendar and the public proclamation of the New Moon was discontinued,” Encyclopaedia Judaica, Vol. 12, p. 1039.
Based on the meaning of the Hebrew chodesh, evidence from early antiquity, and the preponderance of proof from scholarship, Israel clearly used the new moon crescent and not the full moon. As a side note, this would also include the conjunction or dark moon, as this was adopted with Hillel’s changes to the Jewish calendar in the 4th century CE.
Regarding the issue of not seeing the crescent new moon, this has never been a problem for us in the United States. This is mainly due to the size of the nation and ample opportunity to see the crescent. However, if there was an issue, we would likely adopt the method used by the Jews during the time of Messiah. Since the lunar cycle is approximately 29.5 days, they would automatically mark the 30th day in the event that the new moon crescent was not seen by the 30th evening.
As for the lunar Sabbath, this is not scriptural and contradicts the Bible in several points. For instance, the moon was not in place until the fourth day. Also, how does this work with a lunar cycle with a duration of 29.5 days? Every month you have remaining days that you must either observe as additional Sabbaths or ignore. In either instance, how does this fit with the command of working six days and resting the seventh? Also, we’re told to count seven complete Sabbaths from the wavesheaf to Pentecost. This is impossible with the lunar Sabbath doctrine. For additional information, please see our booklet: The Lunar Sabbath Illusion.
I would really like to hear your take on hell/lake of fire, trinity, and the counting of the omer as all I want is [Yahweh’s] truth and nothing else, and I would safely assume you are on the same page as me. Am I correct?
The quick answer is that hell is sheol in the Old Testament, hades in the New, and both mean the grave. The lake of fire is what Satan and the incorrigible will be thrown into and destroyed, not live forever in torment. The divine majesty is made up of Father and Son. The Holy Spirit is ruach/pneuma, their divine power likened in Scripture to the wind. The count to the Feast of Weeks is 50 days, beginning during the Feast of Unleavened Bread.
Our Web site has online booklets explaining all of those topics and much more. https://yrm.org/booklets/
I go by the black moon for the new moon because the month starts with the conjunction. What do you say?
In the scriptural calendar, the conjunction does not begin the month. At the conjunction no moon is visible. Deuteronomy 16:1 in the Hebrew tells us to “watch narrowly for the month (new moon) of green ears [of grain]” (RSB note). How can you watch closely for a new moon that cannot be seen? Often two or even three days of a dark moon precede the appearance of the crescent. Which invisible moon do you declare is the “right new moon”? Yahweh makes finding the first day of the month simple – it falls on the night you first sight a thin lunar crescent. No calculations necessary.
Why don’t you use the Jewish calendar in keeping the biblical Feasts instead of relying on the visible new moon?
The present Jewish calendar is not the same calendar the Jews used during the time of the Messiah. Up to the time of the destruction of the second Temple in Jerusalem the Sadduccees were in charge of Temple worship. The growing influence of the Pharisees culminated in their dominating Jewish worship after 70 C.E., when the Jews were driven out of Jerusalem. Modern Jewish worship is an extension of this later influence.
In Temple times visible sightings of the new moon were carried out each month in the environs of Jerusalem. Those who sighted the thin crescent were questioned by the Sanhedrin, which was charged with sanctifying the beginning of the month. When the new moon was seen and verified, a calculated calendar was obviously in use to corroborate the beginning of the 29- or 30-day month.
Certain changes and postponements are incorporated into the present Jewish calendar, established in the year 369 C.E. by Hillel II, which are nowhere found in the Bible. The Bible knows nothing of postponing a Feast day. Yet the present Jewish Calendar has four dehioth (postponements) that are here listed verbatim from The Comprehensive Hebrew Calendar by Arthur Spier:
• When the molad [conjunction] of Tishri occurs on a Sunday, Wednesday or Friday, Rosh Hahshanah is postponed to the following day.
• When the Molad Tishri occurs at noon (18h) or later, Rosh Hashanah is postponed to the next day. (Or if this day is a Sunday, Wednesday or Friday, to Monday, Thursday or Sabbath because of Dehiah a.)
• When the Molad Tishri of a common year falls on Tuesday, 204 parts after 3 a.m., i.e., 3d 9h 204 p or later, Rosh Hashanah is postponed to Wednesday, and because of Dehiah a., further postponed to Thursday.
• When, in a common year succeeding a leap year, the Molad Tishri occurs on Monday morning 589 parts after 9 a.m., 2d 15h 589 p or later, Rosh Hashanah is postponed to the next day.
There is no authorization in the Bible allowing man to transfer or delay a Feast day. Yet, one of the “religious requirements” stated is, “Yom Kippur (Tishri 10) shall not occur on the day before or after the Sabbath and Hoshana Rabba (Tishri 21) shall not occur on a Sabbath.”
Nowhere can we find that Atonement cannot occur on a Friday or Sunday. It may make sense to man’s mind that having a day between the Sabbath and the day of fasting would be desirable, but there is no biblical justification for it. Neither is there any proscription against having Hoshana Rabba occur on the Sabbath.
Interestingly, an enlightening note in The Comprehensive Hebrew Calendar states: “In more that 60 percent of all years Rosh Hashanah does not occur on the day of the Molad [conjunction] but is postponed according to one of the Dehioth. Therefore the Dehioth [postponements] are actually not the exceptions to the rule but the rule.”
In other words, man-made exceptions overrule the rules of the calendar 60 percent of the time. Therefore exceptions govern the modern Jewish calendar. We need to ask, where does the Bible teach such a thing?
Significantly, instead of beginning the annual calendar with Abib, the first biblical month of the year determined by green ears of barley (“Abib” means “green ears”), the Jewish calendar works backward from the Feast of Trumpets and Day of Atonement to set the year.
Spier’s work makes this important acknowledgment: “In the early times of our history the solution was found by the following practical procedure: The beginnings of the months were determined by direct observation of the moon…
“This method of observation and intercalation was in use throughout the period of the second temple (516 B.C.E. — 70 C.E.) and about three centuries after its destruction, as long as there was an independent Sanhedrin. In the fourth century…the patriarch Hillel II…made public the system of calendar calculation which up to then had been a closely guarded secret.”
Thus, the Jews themselves recognize that the calendar that they presently use is of more recent date and is not the calendar Yahshua followed when He walked this earth. The Israelites and Jews of old watched for the appearance of the new moon just as we do today. Observing the new moons has been the practice of Yahweh’s people down through history in obedience to Yahweh’s established heavenly calendar (Gen. 1:14; Ps. 104:19).
Why do you use the barley to determine the start of the year? To begin the month, do you use the crescent or full moon? Also, what about the lunar Sabbath belief?
Support for the barley can be found in the meaning of the word Abib, the name of the first biblical month, and in biblical scholarship.
Many historic sources back up how ancient Israel observed the new moon. A Jewish philosopher named Philo of Alexandria (20BCE-50CE) lived during the time of the Messiah. He was Greek-speaking and documented this interesting observation of how the festivals were kept. Amazingly, he even makes a distinction between the conjunction (dark moon) and the new moon!
The Mishnah is a collection of Jewish oral traditions written between 20 BCE and 220 CE. It details how the new moon was judged by eye witness observation and how their testimony was scrutinized by the Beth Din בית דין or “house of judgment.” Gamaliel, who was the Apostle Paul’s mentor, and mentioned in scripture notice “
